elcom, inc. and Staples Form Strategic Alliance
5/9/01
Staples to become Preferred Strategic Supplier for Office Supplies in elcom’s eProcurement System
NORWOOD, MA, May 9, 2001– elcom, inc., the wholly-owned eProcurement and eMarketplace solutions subsidiary of Elcom International, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELCO), today announced the formation of an alliance with Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), under which Staples will become the preferred supplier of office supplies in PECOS Internet Procurement Manager, elcom inc.’s remotely-hosted eProcurement system.
By integrating elcom, inc.’s and Staples’ technology, elcom’s users will have the capability to access StaplesLink.com, Staples’ on-line office products purchasing solution to help purchasing managers save time and control the costs of purchasing office supplies. From elcom’s site, customers will have the ability to gather real time product, price and availability information which will automatically be returned to PECOS Internet Procurement Manager and be input to the ordering process. In addition, elcom, inc. and Staples have agreed to cooperate on sales and marketing efforts.
Bruce Federici, Vice President, e-Marketplaces, for Staples, Inc., said “This alliance with elcom, inc. is a terrific example of how we make StaplesLink.com available to customers however they prefer to do business with Staples. elcom’s PECOS Internet Procurement Manager is a great solution to help mid-market size companies to reduce their costs of purchasing business essentials and receive Staples’ low prices on a wide selection of office products.”
Robert J. Crowell, Chairman and CEO of elcom, inc. said, “Staples is a complementary business partner for elcom, inc. as we continue to expand our marketing partnerships and supplier base to other service sector industries who could benefit from our remotely-hosted automated procurement solutions. We believe that our model is attractive for strategic suppliers like Staples because of our focus on the supplier’s perspective. We look forward to working with Staples as a Strategic Partner and I believe elcom, inc.’s technology will bring additional value to Staples’ customers.”
elcom, inc.’s Product Offerings Include:
PECOS Internet Procurement Manager (PECOS.ipm) is elcom’s remotely-hosted best-of-breed eProcurement solution designed to automate the procurement process from product selection and ordering through financial settlement. PECOS.ipm supports the procurement of all major categories of corporate spending including indirect materials (IT equipment, office supplies, etc.) and industrial MRO, capital equipment, services and direct materials. PECOS.ipm provides client’s personnel with browser-based self-service purchasing functions directly from their desktops including multi-vendor electronic catalogs and supports standard or negotiated “custom” pricing with preferred suppliers. PECOS.ipm’s full-circle functionality improves service at various levels, including support for “order status” inquiries, automated e-mail authorization, and time-stamped audit trails throughout the entire transaction cycle.
Additional functionality includes access to external eMarketplaces or supplier web sites (punch-out), multi-organizational “tiered” capabilities, flexible approval routing, electronic forms routing, receiving, financial settlement using P-cards, excel spreadsheet routing based on label (cell) amounts and electronic invoicing or evaluated receipt settlement. PECOS.ipm includes a web-based training system for large companies and a comprehensive self-service administrative environment enabling clients with the ability to control procurement processes including approval routing, access rights to functionality and catalogs, and business rules and policies. Importantly, PECOS.ipm can function independently from a client’s back-end computer system and is easily interfaced to legacy or ERP systems.
PECOS.ipm is hosted on the elcom, inc. eCommerce Network which powers and supports the creation of private branded online eMarketplaces (formerly referred to as Internet Exchange Manager) without the need for the client or market-maker to invest in infrastructure, application software or ongoing system management services. As elcom, inc. remotely-hosts the systems for its clients, elcom, inc. offers a unique, single point of accountability relationship that enables clients to focus on major initiatives such as strategic supplier relationships and procurement best practices.
elcom’s eCommerce Network™ technology platform is a remotely-hosted solution that provides a technology framework for the enablement and organization of various eBusiness solutions such as public and private eMarketplaces. It provides an infrastructure that includes a destination hub, directory services, search engine, platform access manager and XML-based interfaces designed to enable and facilitate the exchange of information between B2B eCommerce technology platforms.
About Staples
Staples Inc. is an $11 billion retailer of office supplies, furniture and technology to consumers and businesses from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal. Headquartered outside Boston, Staples invented the office superstore concept and today is the largest operator of office superstores in the world. The company has over 50,000 employees serving customers through more than 1,300 office superstores, mail order catalogs, e-commerce and a contract business. More information about the company is available at http://www.staples.com.
About Elcom International, Inc.
Elcom International, Inc. (www.elcominternational.com), operates two wholly-owned subsidiaries: elcom, inc., a leading provider of eProcurement and eMarketplace solutions and Elcom Services Group, Inc., which specializes in enterprise level business product sales and services. elcom, inc.’s innovative technology leadership is represented by PECOS Internet Procurement Manager, the world’s first “live” remotely-hosted eProcurement platform, and PECOS Internet Exchange Manager, its second generation eMarketplace platform. elcom, inc. has established the next standard of value and enables enterprises of all sizes to realize the many benefits of B2B eCommerce without the burden of infrastructure investment and ongoing content and system management. elcom, inc. competes against such companies as Ariba, Inc., Commerce One and Clarus Corporation.
Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act This press release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, those with respect to the Company’s objectives, plans and strategies set forth herein and those preceded by or that include the words “believes,” “intends,” “expects,” “will,” “plans,” “anticipates,” or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include: the overall markets’ and individual customers’ acceptance and usage of the Company’s electronic commerce software systems, the receptiveness of the capital markets to technology-related companies, corporate demand for (and price decreases of) PC products and other office products, changes in manufacturer policies reducing price protection and tightening on returns and other policies, the risks of doing business in foreign countries, and the impact of competitive technology products, competitive pricing pressures and specifically the availability and terms of appropriate working capital and/or other financing, including for elcom, inc., the Company’s eBusiness subsidiary, as well as factors and other risks detailed in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 and from time to time in the Company’s other reports filed with the SEC. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this announcement.
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