Electronic Procurement Technology
Offers Business-to-Business Customers New Ordering Efficiencies
CHICAGO, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Grainger (NYSE: GWW) has announced a
strategic alliance with PSDI (Nasdaq: PSDI), a leading provider of enterprise
asset maintenance (EAM) systems, and MRO.com, PSDI's new Internet commerce
subsidiary. The alliance will give joint customers the ability to source
Grainger products from PSDI's MAXIMO product as well as through MRO.com's Web-
based procurement software. As part of the alliance, Grainger made a
strategic investment in PSDI representing an equity interest of approximately
4% and an option to acquire a 5% equity interest in PSDI's subsidiary MRO.com,
Inc.
"We are pleased about PSDI's entry into the Web-based procurement market
and equally pleased to have this opportunity to partner with PSDI to offer
businesses MRO.com's Internet-based procurement solution," says Don Bielinski,
group president for Grainger.
"Our investment in PSDI underscores both our commitment to this alliance
and our overall commitment to Internet Commerce," says Bielinski.
"We see the market for Web-based procurement software exploding and we
want to offer our solution to companies on a global basis as soon as
possible," commented Robert L. Daniels, PSDI's founder and executive chairman
of the board. "Working closely with Grainger, North America's leading
provider of MRO supplies, will be a great help in establishing critical market
presence. We believe it's going to be a great combination," Daniels added.
The announcement reinforces Grainger's strategic intent to increase its
lead in the MRO digital marketplace. Grainger.com has been recognized as one
of the top ten business-to-business Web-sites two years in a row by
Advertising Age. Grainger also recently announced OrderZone.com, a first of
its kind venture bringing together other world class distributors with
Grainger to create a one-stop, on-line, business-to-business service for the
procurement of a wide variety of products and services. Currently in pilot,
OrderZone.com is on schedule for a May launch.
PSDI develops, markets and supports enterprise asset maintenance software.
Businesses, government agencies and other organizations use MAXIMO to assist
them in maintaining high-value capital assets such as plants, facilities and
production equipment. Through its subsidiary MRO.com, the company complements
its enterprise asset maintenance software with an Internet-based business-to-
business e-Commerce network and set of desktop requisition and online
procurement software products. The company's products are designed to enable
customers to reduce downtime, control maintenance expenses, cut spare parts
inventories and costs, improve purchasing efficiency, and more effectively
deploy productive assets, personnel, and other resources.
Based in Bedford, Mass., PSDI markets its products through a direct sales
force with sales offices throughout the United States, United Kingdom,
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong,
India, Italy, Mexico, Sweden, Thailand, and the Netherlands, combined with a
network of international sales agents. All PSDI news releases are available
via the PSDI Home Page at http://www.psdi.com
W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 1998 sales of $4.3 billion, is the leading North
American provider of maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supplies,
services, and related information to businesses and institutions. GWW shares
are traded on the New York and Chicago stock exchanges. For more information,
visit Grainger on-line at Grainger.com.
SOURCE W.W. Grainger, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.grainger.com
CONTACT:
Eric Kuhn of Porter Novelli, for W.W.
Grainger, Inc., 312-856-8805
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