Mitsubishi Motors Deploys GXS Managed Services to Support Global Trading Partner Network

Leading Automotive Manufacturer Achieves Optimal Ordering Process by Using GXS Trading Grid(R) Globally

GAITHERSBURG, Md. and TOKYO, July 10, 2007 -- GXS, a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solutions, today announced that Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has deployed GXS Managed Services to improve the efficiency of the company's B2B e-commerce operations. Mitsubishi Motors deployed GXS Managed Services to enable the exchange of electronic ordering and procurement information with trading partners in Europe. Mitsubishi Motors looked for a B2B e-commerce provider that could support its global trading partner network and selected GXS.

Mitsubishi Motors exchanges a massive amount of transaction-based information daily between its offices in Japan and abroad, as well as with a significant number of partner companies around the world. These transactions, which include ordering and procurement documents, require detailed translation and manipulation. Most transactions require the conversion of electronic data for adherence to automotive industry standards, country-specific standards, communications protocols used by each partner, and so on.

"With the wide proliferation of automotive suppliers around the world, automotive manufacturers like Mitsubishi must have the flexibility to support a range of standards and protocols and must have the technology to conduct transactions in real-time," said Rob Stevenson, country manager of GXS Japan. "With GXS Managed Services, Mitsubishi Motors has boosted its B2B e-commerce capabilities significantly and achieved stronger integration with its suppliers in Europe without making additional investments in headcount or software. In addition, Mitsubishi is now well-positioned to support future supply chain growth and new B2B requirements as they arise."

Previously, Mitsubishi Motors used proprietary communications software or middleware required for data conversions per customer, but the company was challenged to secure sufficient resources to meet growing demands for expansion. Data standards and protocols are different per country or even per customer; for example, Mitsubishi Motors may need to use EDIFACT with some suppliers, but must use VDA, the standard for the German automotive industry, for others. As more partners joined Mitsubishi's trading partner network, additional internal resources were required simply to maintain Mitsubishi's B2B processes.

To address these challenges, Mitsubishi Motors chose GXS' B2B outsourcing solution, GXS Managed Services, and quickly began using the solution to support transactions with trading partners in Germany and France. The Managed Services environment has allowed both Mitsubishi and their global trading partners to share information seamlessly. Mitsubishi has previously used GXS' services to facilitate B2B communications within the company (e.g., to support the exchange of vehicles and automotive parts between Mitsubishi offices worldwide). With GXS Managed Services, Mitsubishi was able to enlarge its B2B network to include external trading partners.

GXS hosts its Managed Services environment on GXS Trading Grid(R), GXS' secure, scalable, high-performance B2B integration services platform that spans multiple data centers. With GXS Managed Services, dedicated program managers execute Mitsubishi's global B2B programs with unmatched expertise and global best practices gained through nearly 40 years' experience and nearly 20 years supporting full-service B2B outsourcing programs. Since many trading partners of Mitsubishi Motors already use GXS Trading Grid, the transition to GXS Managed Services was conducted quickly and efficiently. Finally, Mitsubishi has been able to free up internal resources to focus on core business objectives, reduce costs of B2B operations and fill gaps in internal expertise.

In a recent report focused on the B2B Infrastructure market(1), "Gartner defines multienterprise infrastructure (also referred to as B2B infrastructure) as an IT project that is composed of some combination of B2B software and B2B services that companies use to perform multi-enterprise integration with external business partners. The objective of multi-enterprise infrastructure is to exchange business data (for example, customer or item data) or link and automate business processes (for example, order-to-cash or procure-to-pay) between two or more companies in a way that is easier to manage, faster, more affordable and more accurate than manual approaches or custom coding. To accomplish these objectives, companies use a range of approaches, such as building or outsourcing the B2B infrastructure, or using traditional batch EDI at one extreme, emerging Web services-based service- oriented architecture (SOA) at the other extreme or a combination of approaches to B2B."

GXS Managed Services have been adopted by businesses around-the-world in a variety of industries, including by AMISemiconductor, Avago Technologies, Bank of Montreal, BB&T, BMO Financial Group, Miller Brewing Company, National Instruments, PepsiAmericas, Royal Bank of Canada and Thomson Consumer Electronics. As a key component of GXS Trading Grid, Managed Services offers the technical infrastructure to conduct a global B2B program, including transaction management, data translation, systems administration and supplier performance reporting capabilities. In addition, GXS Managed Services provide customers with the B2B experts to deliver world-class B2B program management, trading community management and customer support. GXS Trading Grid is GXS' unique global integration platform that enables and streamlines cross- enterprise business processes and is used by more than 35,000 trading partners every day to exchange goods and services.