Westboro and Concord, MA June 1, 2001 Healy Hudson, a provider of collaborative, multi-tier Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) software, has announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with collaborative e-commerce solutions provider living systems Inc.
Healy Hudson's initial focus will be on integrating components from living systems' living markets software into Healy Hudson solutions. living markets' online reverse auction function and intelligent Web agents will be integrated with Healy Hudson's Internet-based Impact Sourcing and Impact Ordering solutions to provide customers with tools to create e-procurement portals to search for suppliers, as well as bid, trade, execute and settle transactions.
living systems' agent-based living markets technology enables collaborative e-commerce transactions from first bid to clearing and settlement across multiple platforms. living markets' intelligent agent technology automatically arranges business transactions online with agents used as electronic helpers to accommodate routine as well as complex trading projects. By using these capabilities, Healy Hudson customers will be able to create e-procurement portals to negotiate with an array of trading partners on a single trading platform, get real-time bids on delivery, and have transactions and payment processed in a single, buyer-driven environment.
Although the living markets platform supports any type of negotiation, one of Healy Hudson's initial objectives will be to incorporate living markets' reverse-auction functionality with Healy Hudson's Impact Sourcing application. Reverse auctions, held by buyers to solicit competing supplier bids, are generally recognized to be most effective for driving down the cost of indirect, standardized goods. The combination of Healy Hudson's Impact Sourcing solution with living systems' living markets `ecosystem' for reverse-auction hosting and bidding will give customers with the ability to use the more traditional automated Requests For Quotations (RFQ) process, reverse auctions, or a combination of both, as requirements dictate.
"The partnership with Healy Hudson expands our presence in North American private marketplaces," said Kurt Kammerer, CEO and co-founder of living systems. "Healy Hudson's sourcing solution is synergistic with our B2B Ecosystem concept and serves as a powerful complement to our online supplier search and reverse auction capabilities." Kammerer concludes, "As a result, control over sourcing events is clearly in the hands of the buyer, where it should be."
"The partnership with living systems will allow our combined customers to extend sourcing and Internet-based procurement to the next level," added Healy Hudson chief operation officer Piet Buyck. "living systems is an ideal partner because their solutions, like Healy Hudson's, are proven worldwide in major industries, including agriculture, chemical, media/advertising, petroleum, plastics, and telecommunications. Together, we will have a powerful impact on our combined customers' ability to reduce material and process costs, increase supplier quality, and accelerate time-to-market for new products."
