Deal adds data cleansing, synchronization capabilities to B2B integration specialist
Columbus, Ohio — April 27, 2004 — Business integration specialist Sterling Commerce has acquired TR2, a provider of data cleansing and synchronization solutions for customer product information management needs. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
In a statement, Sterling said that the acquisition strengthens its current business integration solutions and position in the retail and consumer packaged goods industries by adding market share and new capabilities to its hosted offering.
Data synchronization has become a strategic initiative as manufacturers, distributors and retailers align their businesses to improve the quality and accuracy of business transactions, and enable the application of new technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) and collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR).
Kosin Huang, a senior analyst with technology consultancy Yankee Group, noted that the acquisition brought together two solution providers for data synchronization. "The collective solution set and practical industry expertise offers an evolutionary path for enterprises striving to achieve supply chain best practices," Huang said.
TR2 has undertaken data synchronization implementations for such retail and consumer packaged goods manufacturers as Black & Decker, Elmers, L'Oreal, Moen, Ocean Spray, and United Natural Foods.
Sterling said that the TR2 purchase would expand its hosted data synchronization solution to enable companies to achieve compliance with UCCnet Services and data synchronization mandates from retailers such as Wal-Mart, Wegmans, Ace Hardware, Lowes, The Home Depot and Staples.
The joint offering includes data validation, data cleansing, catalog capabilities, consulting and support services, and it is available immediately to the market. Future planned offerings include services surrounding additional collaborative integration initiatives.
Sterling Commerce already claims 30,000-plus customers worldwide. Sterling employs some 1,600 people around the world and is a subsidiary of SBC Communications.
