Fourth Shift Corporation and SupplierMarket.com have partnered to bring together enhanced e-commerce functionalitly for Fourth Shift users. Fourth Shift, a developer of integrated e-business enterprise applications for global manufacturing, customer relationship management and financial management, will utilize SupplierMarket.com XML Integration Toolkit to link RFQ data and Quotation data with the SupplierMarket.com online strategic sourcing platform for manufactured direct, indirect and specificationbased raw materials.
SupplierMarket.com welcomes the addition of 3,700 Fourth Shift customers who will begin utilizing the functionalilty and collaborative sourcing technologies that allow buyers and suppliers to locate new trading partners, negotiate purchases and collaborate on the Internet. Fourth Shift users who are involved in discrete manufacturing will be able to source built-to-order components and other specification-based materials involved in the manufacture of their end products directly from their desktop computers. Additionally, they will be able to search for open RFQs in their areas of expertise and nominate their company to bid on the contract.
Fourth Shift users utilize the function-rich e-ERP Backbone which gives them seamless connectivity between all business activities, including manufacturing, order-entry, product configuration, and financials. The users will interface with Suppliermarket.com from Fourth Shift's e-Business Centers, particularly the Supplier Center. With the added benefits of SupplierMarket.com, purchasing professionals will be able to locate ideal trading partners, submit RFQs for new contracts, and receive the results of reverse auctions, all from their familiar Fourth Shift vendor operations, manufacturing planning and scheduling, and product definition screens.
At SupplierMarket.com, the buyer drives the RFQ transactional commerce process by creating RFQs on their internal system and automatically submitting them for bids to SupplierMarket.com. The suppliers who receives the RFQ creates quotes on their internal systems and automatically submit these quotes to SupplierMarket.com.
"We are thrilled to bring our e-procurement functionality directly to Fourth Shift users, " stated Bill Sheehan, vice president of business development at SupplierMarket.com. "Our partnership will put viable e-commerce tools on the desktops of thousands of manufacturers. The transparent functionality is elegant, and the economic results will be powerful."
