Houston February 12, 2003 Oil industry-backed e-marketplace Trade-Ranger plans to expand its European reach this year with the opening of a Brussels office in the second quarter.
The new office, which will serve as headquarters for Trade-Ranger's European operations, will be staffed with a number of e-procurement professionals focused on project management, system integration and customer support, the company said.
Trade-Ranger contended that establishing a more visible presence in Europe will allow it to improve collaboration between buyers and suppliers and will facilitate expansion of the company's global reach.
"The establishment of this operation center demonstrates our firm commitment to our European customer base," said John Wilson, Trade-Ranger's recently appointed president and CEO, in a company statement. "By bringing this capability closer to these key customers, we can accelerate the benefits realized through the utilization of Trade-Ranger's products and services."
In addition to the operations personnel who will be based at the new office in Brussels, Trade-Ranger said it would continue to provide account management support from other locations across Europe.
Trade-Ranger, launched in July 2000 as a joint initiative by an international group of buyer companies, serves as an electronic hub to connect buyers and suppliers in the upstream, downstream and retail sectors of the oil industry. Its services include catalog creation, electronic invoicing, auctions, electronic request for quote and information, and investment recovery.
Trade-Ranger's shareholders include ConocoPhillips, Dow Chemical, Mitsubishi, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, TotalFinaElf, Unocal, Occidental Petroleum and BP.
