LG Electronics Selects GXS to Support Global ERP and B2B Consolidation

Multi-National Korean Electronics Manufacturer Leverages GXS Trading
   Grid(R) for EDI and XML-Based Integration with Customers and Suppliers

    SEOUL, Korea and GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- GXS, a
leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solutions, today
announced that LG Electronics, a global leader and technology innovator in
consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications, has chosen
GXS Trading Grid(R) to consolidate and centralize its interactions with
more than 200 global trading partners. The move is part of a broader LG
strategy to reduce complexity in its supply chain operations by
centralizing its geographically- dispersed enterprise resource planning
(ERP) systems in Europe, the United States, South America and Asia-Pacific
at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea and to centralize its B2B
e-commerce functions onto a unified global platform.

    LG reported revenues of $44B in 2007 from four business units -- Mobile
Communications, Digital Appliances, Digital Display and Digital Media. As a
leader in the highly competitive consumer electronics sector, LG's success
depends upon its ability to coordinate supply chain activities and share
real- time information with a network of contract manufacturers, third
party logistics providers and consumer electronics retailers around the
world. GXS Trading Grid supports a broad range of e-commerce standards
(e.g., EDI, XML, KEDIFACT, RosettaNet and AS2) and extensive global reach
throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Consolidation of B2B transactions
onto a single vendor, GXS, provides LG's IT organization with centralized
operations in Korea to support its trading partners based in more than 70
countries.

    "Since 2001 GXS has consistently provided LG Electronics with reliable
and effective B2B integration services," said SunYoung (Sarah) Oh,
assistant manager, Information Strategy Team of LG Electronics. "As we've
grown as a company in the last 50 years, so has the complexity of our
supply chain. Reducing that complexity was as important to our company as
ensuring global integration capabilities and increasing real-time
visibility into our trading partner network. GXS is the only B2B
integration vendor we have found that can easily support all three of these
initiatives."

    Prior to consolidating with GXS, LG Electronics used multiple B2B e-
commerce providers that were managed independently by local B2B centers
distributed around the world. The use of multiple vendors led to duplicate
processes and inconsistent capabilities, complicating LG's efforts to
manage its trading partner network. Furthermore, the company was slow to
respond to trading partner needs and incurred higher costs because of
duplicate traffic and an inability to leverage its total transaction volume
to reduce its overall B2B e-commerce costs.

    "Through its move to consolidate its ERP systems and B2B networks, LG
is standing as an example of how a truly global company can operate
efficiently and effectively," said Raymond Teh, vice president of Asia
Pacific for GXS, "Many companies operate in geographic silos when it comes
to their trading partner networks and as a result, they have no idea of the
scope of their networks and cannot gain real-time visibility into
activities. The consolidation of LG's ERP systems will give the company a
competitive advantage in the marketplace. As a global B2B provider with a
local presence in Korea and throughout Asia Pacific, GXS is well positioned
to help other multi-national corporations based in Asia, and anywhere in
the world, consolidate their B2B e-commerce networks."

    GXS Trading Grid is a global B2B e-commerce and integration platform
that supports the creation and adoption of on-demand supply chain
management solutions for companies of any size. As the world's largest
electronic business community, GXS Trading Grid is used by more than 30,000
customers to exchange goods and services, gain visibility into global
logistics operations and to synchronize product data. Trading Grid helps
customers automate global trading communities by shielding complexity from
rapidly changing standards, eliminating manual and duplicative processes
and enabling the highest levels of B2B integration and collaboration.

    About LG Electronics

    Established in 1958, LG Electronics, Inc. (LG) is a global leader and
technology innovator in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile
communications, employing more than 82,000 people working in over 114
operations including 82 subsidiaries around the world. With 2007 global
sales of USD 44 billion, LG is comprised of four business units - Mobile
Communications, Digital Appliance, Digital Display and Digital Media. LG is
the world's leading producer of Mobile handsets, air conditioners, front-
loading washing machines, optical storage products, DVD players, flat panel
TVs and home theater systems.

    About GXS

    GXS is a leading global provider of B2B e-commerce solutions that
simplify and enhance business process integration and collaboration among
trading partners. Organizations worldwide, including more than 70 percent
of the Fortune 500, leverage the on-demand services on GXS Trading Grid(R)
to extend supply chain networks, optimize product launches, automate
warehouse receiving, manage electronic payments and gain supply chain
visibility. GXS Managed Services, GXS' B2B outsourcing solution, empowers
customers with the expertise, technical infrastructure and program support
to conduct B2B e- commerce with trading partners globally.

Source  :  prnewswire.com

 

Leading UK Manufacturer of Laboratory Plastics Appoints Specialist B2B Agency The Scott Partnership for New PR Campaign

Sterilin Limited, the established leader in single use laboratory plastics for life sciences applications, has appointed independent consultancy The Scott Partnership for a new PR campaign. The Scott Partnership specialises in business-to-business PR communications for the technology, scientific and retail industries.

Formerly part of Barloworld Scientific, Sterilin Limited is a newly formed independent business offering
a wide range of products for the pharmaceutical,clinical and healthcare, food, forensics and industrial packaging industries. The Sterilin brand has been setting world standards for quality, reliability and user safety for more than 40 years, and the newly-established business will continue to offer the high-quality products and excellent service which is synonymous with the Sterilin brand.

Sterilin Limited has selected The Scott Partnership to run its PR campaign due to the agency’s experience of successfully launching new businesses and promoting established brands. The Sterilin Limited PR campaign will be focused towards the healthcare, clinical and pharmaceutical sectors across Europe. Sterilin Limited will benefit from The Scott Partnership’s extensive experience of delivering technical PR campaigns in the life sciences market and its commitment to producing measurable results.

“We are delighted to launch Sterilin Limited into the market,” comments Rachel Adams, Marketing Manager, Sterilin Limited. “The Scott Partnership is the only PR agency we spoke with and is ideally placed to deliver this new campaign.”

Based in the UK, The Scott Partnership boasts a truly global client base, with customers headquartered in the US, UK, Italy and Australia. The company is committed to building long-term relationships to provide the best results for its clients. With the ability to quickly assimilate knowledge on products and services in the technology sectors, The Scott Partnership provides a thorough and detailed campaign for all its clients. The agency conducts Public Relations campaigns for a number of companies that range from small VC-funded start-ups to multi-billion dollar global corporations.

Source  :  pr-inside.com

 

Supply chain needs pros

CONCERNED by the lack of supply chain management professionals in the country, 2GO of the Aboitiz Transport System Group encouraged youth leaders to embark on a “unique” career in the supply chain business.

Belle Pacetes, 2GO training manager, revealed during the Third Aboitiz-organized Future Leaders Business Summit last Friday that the company has observed a “wide gap” in the supply chain industry caused by the lack of professionals in the business.

“There is, currently, no formal training or education (to produce) professionals. Most practitioners in the supply chain industry (acquired) their expertise from experience, training, simply being on the job (and) learning the ropes,” she said.

2GO is the supply chain solutions provider under the Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), the transport and logistics company of Aboitiz and Co. (ACO) that is owned by publicly-listed Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV). From the release of the goods from the manufacturer to the delivery of the products to customers nationwide, 2GO’s supply chain services include warehousing, order entry and releasing, transport planning and routing, delivery to customers nationwide, and document management, among others.

To address the high demand and help the youth develop core competencies required for the job, 2GO launched a supply chain management course with the Jose Rizal University (JRU), De la Salle College of St. Benilde (DLSU-CSB), Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) and the Society of Fellows in Supply Management (SOFSM).

Source  :  sunstar.com.ph

 

A strong business case for Sustainability – Ernst & Young

Climate change, sustainability and corporate social responsibility have risen inexorably in the public and corporate minds over the last decade, says Ernst & Young.  They go on to state that while businesses and consumers are vying to out do each other’s green claims, the scientific community is issuing increasingly stark warnings about the urgency and depth of cuts required to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change.

A survey carried out by Ernst & Young in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit among executives from US$ 1 billion plus corporations to see how organizations view the impact of sustainability on its supply chain and sourcing, indicates a high level of awareness of sustainability, with an appreciation of opportunities it offers within the supply chain. More than half of the respondents to the survey indicated reputation, cost reduction, and revenue growth as the top three opportunities that arise from sustainability. An increased cost base was highlighted as the greatest risk, inferring operational and energy savings will be offset by capital costs and increase in prices from suppliers.

The survey also indicates that a company’s approach to emissions and accountability for its supply chain activity could make or break corporate reputation. 71% of the respondents to the survey view the impact of sustainability on the supply chain as a brand / reputation opportunity allowing to secure competitive advantage. It is thought that supply chains are key to enhancing reputation, both through avoiding risks such as unfair labour practices and using unsustainable material, and in ensuring businesses live up to their carbon reduction promises.

The survey further states that in addition to corporate reputation, cost saving and revenue inducing factors contribute to the business case for sustainability.  These include operational and energy efficiency, energy and carbon trading, and new product development and green marketing. The survey findings also indicate that operational and energy efficiency has become key factors in the review of sustainability, since soaring energy and raw material prices has become significant corporate issues. 50% of organizations in the survey see sustainability as a cost saving issue and significant opportunities exist for this throughout the supply chain.

Energy and carbon trading is a factor that strengthens the business case by creating revenue opportunities. 63% of the organizations in the survey clearly identify sustainability as opportunity for revenue growth with carbon trading schemes and investments in renewable energy generation. To combat rising energy prices and reduce in-house emissions, 40% of firms have invested in on-site renewable energy generation such as onshore wind on telecom sites and biomass combined heat and power at factories. This offers greater control over energy costs, enhances corporate reputations and promises profits from the sale of surplus renewable electricity. Similarly, an increasing number of firms are creating revenue from carbon trading. Under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, participating firms must operate within an annual emissions cap. Operating outside a designated carbon cap could mean paying for excess emissions. Developing countries that do not have emission caps provide finance for greenhouse gas reduction projects through Clean Development Mechanism in return for Certified Emissions Reduction permits which are sold on the open market to firms with emission caps. Multinational businesses could use this scheme to finance energy efficiency and renewable projects for their developing world sites and suppliers.

Revenue through new product development and green marketing is another opportunity. Energy efficiency legislation promises to phase out energy-intensive products replacing them with more ‘greener’ ones, while consumer campaigns and an abundance of product labels aim to increase demand for more sustainable products and services. Businesses are competing to launch sustainable products and services to increase their market share. While many firms limit innovation to certain products, enhancing their reputations as a result, the real challenge is to mainstream them across existing product ranges.

Further, 65% of the respondents to the survey have taken measures to implement labour standard improvements as action on corporate responsibility aspects of sustainability.

Despite indications that the impact of sustainability results in such a varied range of opportunity and threats, organizations seem to be taking a back-seat when it comes to dealing with it. Only 12% of firms rated sustainability among their top three supply chain priorities. This maybe an indication of the mixed messages businesses receive from governments, regulators and consumers – their three key stakeholders as indicated by the survey. Consumer pressure and PR spin has resulted in some very challenging public commitments resulting in businesses over-promising and under-delivering their commitments. Many large global companies have yet to realize the full potential of the savings and benefits that can be achieved by integrating sustainability issues into their supply chain management. With growing legislation, dwindling resources and increasingly vocal consumers, sustainability will continue to grow in importance as an opportunity for forward thinking firms and a threat to their competitors that fail to act.

Source  :   dailymirror.lk

 

Tri Petch outsources logistics

CEVA Logistics (Thailand) Co is now handling all automotive logistics for Tri Petch Isuzu Sales Co under a new three-year outsourcing contract.

Tri Petch is responsible for the sales and distribution of Isuzu pickup trucks and heavy-duty trucks via a network of more than 300 dealers. CEVA will use its carrier fleet and IT systems to manage the distribution of Isuzu vehicles throughout the country.

“Since we are not professionals in logistics and it is not our core business, we decided to select a specialist global logistics company to handle our logistics operations,” said Panadda Chennavasin, vice-president of Tri Petch.

As well, Tri Petch wants its supply chain to operate to global best-practice levels and to significantly improve sales operations to support the dealer network.

“We hope our operating costs will improve from efficient logistics performance, which will be assessed once a year,” she said.

CEVA will manage Tri Petch’s vehicle supply chain from Isuzu’s plants through to final delivery to dealers. This includes transport of vehicles from plants in Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao to two motor pools, where vehicles are inspected, accessories installed and the vehicles made ready for final delivery to dealers.

A CEVA executive said the company recently began an operational process improvement and re-engineering programme to increase the quality of logistics operations to world-class standards.

The programme involve the establishment of a shared-user vehicle logistics network to be used by other automotive manufacturing and sales companies. This will improve overall efficiency of the supply chain and provide a highly cost-effective operation for Tri Petch and for CEVA’s new customers.

CEVA will use more than 100 car carriers for transport, along with a management and operational team of more than 400 staff.

“This is one of the largest automotive logistics contracts in the Thai market,” said Winfried Kiesbueye, CEVA’s managing director. “Our key aim is to improve the efficiency of Tri Petch’s vehicle handling operation by implementing CEVA’s best-practice lean processes and increasing overall control.”

Source  :   bangkokpost.com

 

UK small caps close just off session high; Business Direct soars on sale plan

LONDON (Thomson Financial) – UK small caps closed just off their session high today, lifted by solid gains among the blue chips, with Business Direct Group soaring 125 percent amid plans to sell the group in order to secure long-term funding.

At the close, the FTSE Small Cap index climbed 29.0 points to 2,738.8 — with the session higher 2,739.3 — while the FTSE 100 index leapt 101.5 points to 5,420.7.

Business Direct Group rocketed 0-1/4 of a penny to 0.45 of a penny to top the small cap risers, as it said it sees a sale of all or part of the group as the most likely option to secure its future long-term funding.

The logistics company said that a further announcement will be made when appropriate, and that in the meantime it continues to trade normally.

Ark Therapeutics stayed behind, up 32-3/4 pence to 80-1/4 pence, after a drug trial success, although Landsbanki cut the stock to ‘hold’ from ‘buy’, saying the data gives a ‘mixed’ set of results.

The broker thinks the European Medicines Agency may well want the complete data set.

Merger talks took Gladstone Pacific Nickel 24-1/2 up to 85, as it entered into merger discussions with Resource Development International Ltd., (RDI)an unlisted company controlled by Clive Palmer.

Palmer resigned from his role as chairman of Gladstone, along with director Geoffrey Smith, with immediate effect.

In deal news, Silence Therapeutics rose 8-1/2 to 38-1/4 as it said its partner Quark Pharmaceuticals Inc. together with Pfizer, has started a Phase II clinical trial of RTP-801i-14, which will trigger a $1.9 million milestone payment to Silence from Quark.

Deal news also boosted Optare 4-1/2 to 29-1/4, while Ultima Networks and Blinkx rose on product launches, Ultima climbing 0.225 of a penny to 1.925, while Blinkx moved 0-1/4 of a penny higher to 29-3/4.

Positive numbers news lifted Puricore 1-3/4 to 17.

Elsewhere, Formjet climbed 0.175 of a penny to 1.05 as it raised 900,000 pounds by placing 120 mln shares at 0.75 pence apiece to fund the acquisition of a specialist distribution company with a significant customer base of IT resellers and independent retailers.

Irish Life & Permanent rose 0.62 of a penny to 5.17 on receiving the final tranche of term funding required to replace the 3 billion euros of funds maturing in the current quarter.

Kalahari Minerals rose 1-1/2 to 29-3/4 as Extract Resources, in which Kalahari subsidiary Kalahari Uranium holds a 39.11 percent interest, announced a preliminary exploration target at Rossing South of between 126 million and 198 million lb of triuranium octoxide.

But away from the risers and Acertec slumped 6-1/2 to 8 — a 44 percent slide to top the losers — as it said its 2008 profits are to be substantially short of market forecasts.

Ensor Holdings remained 5-1/2 lower to 20, also on a profit warning, while numbers woes took 0-1/4 of a penny from Cinpart, on 2.

Recruitment specialist Prime People closed 9 lower to 44-1/2, as it said net fee income in the first three months of the current financial year was static.

Numbers news also hurt Uniq, 10-1/2 lower to 84, as it posted a wider first-half pretax loss, leading FinnCap and Panmure Gordon to keep ’sell’ ratings on the stock.

In other news, James Cropper stayed hard-hit, 15-1/2 down to 132 as it cautioned it sees a challenging year.

Taihua shed 1-1/4 to 10-1/2 as adverse exchange rate fluctuations between the renminbi currency and the U.S. dollar offset the value of sales.

hannah.benjamin@thomsonreuters.com

hmb/jfr

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Source  :  forbes.com

 

Community group pursuing ambitious agenda for East Side

Community leaders are hoping that a little capital improvement will go a long way in spurring economic development on the city’s East Side.

This past summer, the city wrapped up an $8.8 million capital improvement project on East Commerce Street. The improvement project encompasses an area stretching from the railroad tracks near the downtown freeway south to North Palmetto Avenue.

The project included construction of new curbs, sidewalks, driveway approaches, and the installation of decorative street lights, special benches and an underground utility conversion.

San Antonio City Councilwoman Sheila McNeil (District 2), along with the nonprofit San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, or SAGE, worked together to get funding for the project and to see it to fruition.

Source   :   bizjournals.com

 

E-mail marketing still delivers results for B2B campaigns

Tried and true e-mail marketing is alive and thriving despite the deafening buzz generated by social media marketing.

TORONTO – Marketing on social networking sites might be making waves in the media, but for some Canadian businesses traditional e-mail marketing still brings home the bacon. The simplicity and economy of e-mail marketing campaigns are their biggest strengths, these firms say.

One business that successfully uses such campaigns to reach out to a globally dispersed audience is Espial Group, an Ottawa-based provider of Internet Protocol TV middleware and applications.

The company has more than 100 employees in Canada and counts Rogers Communications, Motorola and Nokia as partner-clients. But it also sells extensively to businesses in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and South America.

“We’ve done the research and find social media marketingis really not ideal for business-to-business (B2B) operations such as ours,” said Kirk Edwardson, marketing director at Espial.

He said Facebook-type sites are mostly geared towards consumer markets and frequented by a younger demographic. “We focus our campaigns mostly on decision makers who are older.”

A U.S.-based online marketing specialist agrees with Edwardson’s views.
Compared with direct marketing efforts – snail mail, e-mail, and so on, where an offer is created based on what the company wants to sell, social marketing initiatives focus on involving communities with creating the offer as well as promoting it, says Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketingin Minneapolis in his blog.

While many marketing firms, including TopRank, are moving towards social marketing, Odden says e-mail methods still hold some advantages:
“It’s a straightforward marketing campaign based on developing an offer, defining a target audience, and creating a series of messages intended to communicate the offer and convert.”

Source  :  exchangemagazine.com

 

Dow Jones Launches New Version of g2 Offering

Dow Jones & Company announced the latest version of its g2 offering, an on-demand business intelligence application. The latest version provides business value by broadening user’s reach through linking with B2B social networking tools. Dow Jones’s g2 allows organizations to identify, qualify, and connect to companies and executive contacts through patented technology that maintains databases in real-time, unveiling valuable intelligence on companies, personnel, and news. The newest version of g2 enables users to import contacts from applications such as Microsoft Outlook and LinkedIn. Users can also customize the relationship mapping on an executive or non-executive level.

Source :  econtentmag.com

 

Business brisk as sales tax holiday shopping begins

Business was brisk — but not overwhelming — on the first day of the sales tax holiday Thursday.

Mother Kim Momberger was one of the first in line to take advantage of the tax break on school supplies. Still, going back to school isn’t cheap, she said.

“We got lunch supplies, paper bags, drinks, some clothes, some bookbags,” said Momberger. “And we bought shoes today, too. That was the big-ticket item.”

Momberger said that, even with the sales tax discount, she spent $100 for school supplies for her three children.

“But a single pair of shoes is about $50,” she said.

She began the shopping day at Sears and from there hit Dick’s Sporting Goods and Target.

“I think we’re done. Hopefully,” she said.

She called the crowds “really manageable,” without any significant wait in line. The parking lots at area shopping centers weren’t empty Thursday, by any means, but there were still plenty of parking spaces to be found.

“I think some people are waiting until the weekend,” said Momberger. “We just got a head start.”

Thursday through Sunday, Georgia shoppers can purchase certain items of clothing, computers and computer accessories — all tax-free — during the annual “Back to School” tax holiday.

“Tax-free weekends are a golden opportunity for families to save money and balance out other rising costs in our daily routines, such as food, fuel, medical care and groceries,” said Allison Wall, executive director of Georgia Watch, a nonprofit consumer group.

Again in October, Georgia consumers will enjoy another tax-free weekend during the state’s fourth annual Energy Star tax holiday, she said. From Oct. 2-5, all Energy Star and WaterSense products will be exempt from sales tax. The WaterSense label helps consumers identify certified water-efficient products and programs.

Sales tax holidays are meant solely for consumers and their personal use and will not apply to purchases made for resale, purchases by businesses, items leased or rented, or items sold at sports facilities, theme parks, restaurants, public lodging establishments and airports.

However, some businesses are choosing to have across-the-board 7 percent discounts, even on items that have nothing to do with school supplies. In downtown Newnan, some merchants — such as R.S. Mann Jewelers and Hit the Trail — are putting out balloons to let their customers know there are deals to be had, even for folks who don’t have kids in school.

The sales tax exemption applies to certain clothing and footwear under $100, a single purchase of $1,500 or less of personal computers and accessories, children’s books less than $20 and general school supplies less than $20.

A detailed list of the exempt and taxable items is on the Georgia Department of Revenue Web site,

Source  :  times-herald.com