E-catalog “Punchout” Faster, Cheaper and Easier for B2B Buyers with New Version of Vinimaya Product
Vinimaya Releases ViniSyndicate Version 3.2
TARRYTOWN, NY
(January 28th, 2002)
Vinimaya Inc. today announced the release of version 3.2 of the ViniSyndicate Supplier Integration System , with improved functionality aimed at speeding up and simplifying the process of “punching out” to supplier web sites directly from buyers’ eProcurement systems.
Among the problems buyers face when attempting to deploy “punchout” across many suppliers is that every eProcurement vendor has their own specification: Ariba has cXML Punchout, SAP has OCI Roundtrip and Clarus has XML Tap-Out, to name a few. This creates a costly dilemma for suppliers who must invest in “one-off” solutions for each buyer they serve. Because of this, few suppliers’ web sites currently support any form of “punchout” and buyers are either left waiting for the suppliers’ “punchout” site to be implemented, or else have to manage catalog files themselves or pay fees to 3rd party vendors.
ViniSyndicate solves this problem by eliminating the need for suppliers to modify their web sites at all, and as a result speeding up and simplifying the entire process. At the user’s request, ViniSyndicate's “Intelligent Agents” search multiple supplier web sites concurrently and return the results to the user in a single, aggregated user interface. After the user has selected the items he or she wants, ViniSyndicate converts the search results into an XML shopping cart, which is passed to the eProcurement system. These “Intelligent Agents” can often be built in one day, while implementing a single “punchout” can take months. With ViniSyndicate, the major benefit of “punchout” - supplier-maintained catalogs integrated with a buyer’s eProcurement system - still exists. But the major barriers to successful deployment - cost and complexity - have been removed.
“Typically, a buyer may have only 3 or 4 suppliers who can support their ‘punchout’ requirements, leaving a supply base of 50 or more suppliers, with online catalogs containing millions of items, that they cannot access through ‘punchout’,” explains Gene Mele, SVP of Operations. “Using ViniSyndicate, those 50 suppliers are ‘punchout-ready’ today.”
“And for suppliers who don’t have online catalogs,” adds Mele, "ViniSyndicate has the capability to handle locally-stored catalogs, item masters and databases. The best part: all this capability costs the buyer less than doing a single ‘punchout’. It’s a win-win for buyers and suppliers!”
A recent report from AMR Research found that the buyers’ inability to deploy a critical mass of supplier catalogs is still the number-one implementation barrier to realizing the potential savings of using eProcurement systems.
“Our customers can leverage ViniSyndicate's unmatched ability to deploy supplier catalogs in days,” concludes Mele, “‘jump-starting’ their eProcurement programs, and delivering immediate cost savings and ROI.”
The ViniSyndicate Supplier Integration System is built in Java and XML, is J2EE compliant, and uses Vinimaya’s patent-pending Intelligent Agent Technology to extract dynamic, real-time product information directly from suppliers’ web sites, local catalog files, intranets, extranets and databases as they exist today. It enables suppliers without the time and expense of traditional invasive “punchout” methodologies or data transformation services. ViniSyndicate integrates with leading eProcurement systems from Ariba, Oracle, SAP, CommerceOne and others.
About Vinimaya
Vinimaya Inc. is a privately-held software company with offices in Tarrytown, NY and Bangalore, India. Founded in May of 2000, Vinimaya develops innovative eBusiness software products based on Intelligent Agent Technology. Vinimaya products are based on over 3 years of R&D, are built upon standard platforms such as Java and XML, and are designed to be easy to implement, maintain, and operate. At Vinimaya, we believe that Intelligent Agent Technology will play a strategic role in the future of B2B eCommerce, and that our innovative technology solutions should simplify the lives trading partners. Our ultimate goal is to deliver eBusiness solutions, based on leading-edge technologies that work today, in today's eBusiness environments, providing a rapid return on investment and speed to benefit to our customers.
Additional information is available at www.vinimaya.com or by calling (888) 808-8464.
ViniSyndicate and Vinimaya are registered trademarks of Vinimaya Inc.
Contact:
Leonard Lee
Vinimaya
612-670-3445
leonardwl@vinimaya.com
