Integration on demand: Crossgate/SAP B2B connectivity yields 16 deals in first quarter

-- Manufacturing Business Technology, 2/27/2008 12:52:00 PM

Crossgate AG, which offers business-to-business (B2B) integration and EDI services, is seeing strong response to its recently announced B2B 360 Services for use with SAP solutions, including the Business Ready Network solution for which 16 end users already are reaping the benefits. 

With sharply increased outsourcing and ever-expanding global supply networks, business collaboration is critical to keep pace with the speed of change. B2B 360 Services for use with SAP solutions provide customers with easy subscription and rollout to their EDI partners, expert project management, fast migration and implementation, and professional operations and support. The integration-on-demand solution is a plug-and-play service utilizing the SAP NetWeaver  Exchange Infrastructure (SAP NetWeaver XI) component and the SAP NetWeaver Process Integration (SAP NetWeaver PI) offering of the SAP NetWeaver platform.  No additional hardware or software is required. 

According to Kai Sievers, CIO of mobile and industrial hydraulics technology manufacturer Argo-Hytos, “We needed a solution to integrate EDI with as many as 50 business suppliers and customers. This solution works with our SAP solutions, making them fully EDI-compatible, and we benefit from our partner’s extensive transaction network—free of risk and investment costs.”

B2B 360 Services automate all incoming and outgoing business processes, regardless of the media involved in transmission of the processes—i.e., paper, fax, EDI, Web, SMS, e-mail, RFID, GPS. Customers can easily connect to all of their business partners, irrespective of the formats and systems involved.

With B2B 360° Services for use with SAP solutions, customers can connect to more than 34,000 available business partners, choosing from 21.6 million available B2B connections. 

Automotive electronic component supplier Preh GmbH & Co. KG is one of the early adopters of B2B 360° Services. 

“With Crossgate we were able to exceed our B2B integration targets," says Preh's CIO, Martin Limpert. "Because the service is consumption-based, it can be easily adjusted, and it was important that we find a solution compliant with our SAP solutions. We now get even more built-in value from our SAP software without an investment in separate EDI software.”