CHICAGO, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE: GWW)
(http://www.grainger.com), North America's leading distributor of maintenance,
repair, and operating (MRO) supplies and related information, and Perot
Systems Corporation, a worldwide information technology (IT) services company,
announced they are collaborating on the development of an Internet-based
business-to-business commerce solution designed to significantly improve the
procurement of business supplies, equipment and services.
"We view this agreement with Perot Systems as a strategic alliance," says
Don Bielinski, Grainger's Group President. "Our companies' goals and values
complement each other which is crucial to an initiative such as this.
Grainger brings its extensive knowledge of customer requirements, and Perot
Systems' Time0 Group (http://www.time-0.com) provides Internet Commerce expertise
tailored to our specific needs."
Grainger's Chairman and CEO Richard Keyser says that innovation is the key
to Internet commerce success: "At Grainger, we recognize that as technology
advances, many customers will choose to purchase products through more
innovative channels. Our agreement with Perot Systems' Time0 Group will help
us fulfill a growing need in today's evolving marketplace. We have always
been in the forefront of business-to-business Internet technology and will
continue to utilize that technology to benefit our customers."
The front-end application will allow for one-stop shopping and will
significantly streamline buying for small- to medium-sized businesses.
"We're designing and building with Grainger a digital marketplace," says Mark
Teflian, Time0 Group Director at Perot Systems, "an innovation in electronic
commerce that permits buyers, sellers, and others to conduct business more
efficiently and effectively. This system and toolset will facilitate and
enhance customer relationships and set a new standard for business-to-business
ordering and acquisition."
"Aligning our goals with our clients' and creating distinctive
relationships has been Perot Systems' strategy from the beginning. Grainger
has been a pioneer in the application of electronic commerce in its industry
and we are excited about our role in facilitating the successful development
of a digital marketplace for Grainger," says James Champy, Chairman of
Consulting at Perot Systems.
The new Internet commerce initiative is expected to be launched later this
year.
Founded in 1988, Dallas-based Perot Systems (http://www.perotsystems.com) is a
leading information technology services and business transformation company
with 1997 revenues of $781 million. Time0 Group, a unit of Perot Systems,
engineers and builds digital marketplaces, including the components and tools
necessary to integrate electronic commerce technologies, legacy business
processes and systems, and rich multiple media information. Located in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, Time0 serves major clients in the industrial
distribution, manufacturing, publishing, logistics, and financial services
industries.
W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW), with 1997 sales of $4.1 billion, is the leading
distributor of maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supplies and related
information to the commercial, industrial, contractor, and institutional
markets in North America. GWW shares are traded on the New York and Chicago
stock exchanges.
SOURCE W.W. Grainger, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.grainger.com
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CONTACT:
Tamara Caruso or Marlin Collingwood of Bozell
Kamstra Public Relations, 412-402-0200, for W.W. Grainger
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