San Jose, CA November 27, 2001 Lincoln Electric Holdings flipped the switch on its myLincolnElectric.com Internet portal this week, offering its trading partners and distributors in the United States online access to Lincoln's catalog of arc welding products, robotic welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment.
Lincoln, a $1 billion design and manufacturing company, is using a content management solution from SAQQARA to deliver the product information to its distribution channels. SAQQARA says that by using its CommerceSuite solution, Lincoln Electric can allow its trading partners and distributors in the United States to quickly locate products that meet their requirements.
In future phases of their implementation, Lincoln Electric will export catalog content for populating Web sites and databases according to each trading partner or distributors' specific needs.
"With myLincolnElectric.com and the SAQQARA content management solution, our Web presence is strengthened," said Charles Mehlman, vice president and chief information officer at Lincoln Electric. "Our distribution channels are enabled with the timely product information needed to drive their purchase decisions."
myLincolnElectric.com uses Click Commerce as the e-commerce infrastructure and SAQQARA CommerceSuite for catalog content management. SAQQARA CommerceSuite user profiling is integrated with Click Commerce to provide single-user logon functionality and provides site users a personalized online catalog experience. Lincoln Electric has replaced static product Web pages with dynamically generated product information driven by CommerceSuite catalog content, resulting in the elimination of costs associated with Web site programming when product information changes.
Lincoln Electric has plans to implement real-time and automated product content exchange with distributors, SAP integration for instant online product pricing and availability, and guided product selling, with cross-selling and up-selling functionality. The manufacturer is also planning to deploy SAQQARA's ContentWorks to automate the acquisition and transformation of product data for populating the CommerceSuite catalog and syndicating product information to buyers for integration with e-procurement applications.
Dan Poirier, vice president of sales and marketing at SAQQARA, said: "With SAQQARA CommerceSuite, Lincoln Electric can efficiently manage its distribution channels by providing trading partners with a personalized online experience that delivers timely information needed to compete within their markets. Product information is not only a strategic asset for manufacturers, but also for channel partners."
