Unibex and the Automotive Parts Rebuilders Ass. Launch Marketplace
23 November 1999
Unibex and the Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association Launch Comprehensive Electronic Marketplace for the Multi-Billion Dollar Remanufacturing Industry
Represents First in Series of E-Marketplace Launches Resulting From
Partnership With the National Association of Manufacturers
WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 -- Unibex (http://www.unibex.com) and the
Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association (APRA) today announced the launch of
BuyReman.com (http://www.BuyReman.com), an online business community powered by
Unibex's e-marketplace service, the Universal Business Exchange.
The e-marketplace service launch of BuyReman.com follows a successful
three-month pilot in which Unibex worked closely with the APRA and many of its
member companies to tailor the remanufacturing business hub to industry needs.
"Remanufacturing is the ideal example of a thriving American industry that
will be able to greatly benefit from the Unibex platform," said Dr. Mady
Jalinous, President and CEO and architect of the Unibex platform. "It is a
consistent growth industry, has extensive buyers and sellers throughout the
country, a widely disbursed supply chain and effective leadership from its
industry association -- the APRA."
The APRA offers its unique insight into the remanufacturing industry, is a
respected source for industry news and information, and can mobilize its
members for common goals. Unibex provides the e-marketplace infrastructure
along with marketing, sales and operations expertise. Together they have
begun an aggressive campaign to jointly market to members a powerful suite of
e-commerce tools and services that include a virtual tradeshow, an online
product showcase, business offer exchange, auction services and integrated
verification tools and services.
"The APRA considered many incomplete e-commerce services before finding
one comprehensive model that could meet our members' complex needs and will
allow us to expand our e-marketplace service well into the future -- that was
Unibex's platform," said William Gager, President of APRA. "The APRA member
companies that participated in the Unibex pilot were impressed by its range of
services, functionality and the ease with which APRA and Unibex translated
standard business practices to the Internet."
Founded in 1941, the APRA has a distinguished 50-year history. It is now
an association of more than 2,000 member companies that rebuild automotive-
related "hard" parts such as starters, transmissions, brakes and clutches for
passenger cars, trucks, off-road, equipment and industrial uses. Today,
automotive parts remanufacturing is a $36 billion industry, approximately the
same size as the U.S. steel industry.
"Expanding our presence on the Internet has been an important marketing
focus for our company," said Rick Baker, a pilot participant and President of
CAMM Inc., a software supplier to remanufacturers throughout the U.S. "Our
experience during the Unibex e-marketplace pilot proved that companies can
make a strong market impact regardless of their size or marketing budget."
The APRA is a sister association of the National Association of
Manufacturers (NAM), the nation's largest multi-industry trade association
representing 350 sister associations like APRA. The APRA is the first
vertical industry e-marketplace resulting from the NAM's strategic
relationship with Unibex.
"This is just another example of how the NAM is able to address the
various needs of its sister associations and member companies," said Jerry J.
Jasinowski, President of the National Association of Manufacturers. "The NAM
continues to provide new opportunities for growth and expansion for sister
associations like APRA, allowing them to stay at the cutting edge of the
manufacturing industry."
Unibex is expected to make similar e-marketplace announcements through the
end of this year and beginning of next year.
ABOUT UNIBEX
Unibex (http://www.unibex.com) was founded to empower small and medium-sized
enterprises to participate in the global Internet economy through
collaborative, online electronic marketplaces. Based in Washington, D.C.,
Unibex has developed the leading business-to-business (B2B) e-marketplace and
e-commerce platform and targets five categories of business community
organizers: Industry Trade Associations, Trade Show Organizers, Online
Business Communities, Global Commerce Service Providers and Trade Development
Organizations. Unibex offers an integrated, multi-mechanism platform that
includes four e-marketplace services for business communities and their member
companies: Virtual Tradeshow, Product Showcase, The Offer Exchange and
Auction. Business community member companies are able to participate in the
entire commerce cycle from awareness to product research, comparison,
selection, trade lead and business proposal matching, supplier sourcing,
negotiation, procurement, trade documentation, payment, logistics and post-
sales support.
ABOUT THE AUTOMOTIVE PARTS REBUILDERS ASSOCIATION
The Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association (APRA) is an association of
over 2000 member companies that rebuild automotive related "hard" parts, such
as starters, alternators, clutches, transmissions, brakes, drive shafts, and
numerous other parts for passenger cars, trucks, off-road, equipment and
industrial uses. The APRA is based in Fairfax, Virginia. Visit APRA's web
site at http://www.APRA.org for more information.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS
The National Association of Manufacturers -- "18 million people who make
things in America" -- is the nation's largest and oldest multi-industry trade
association. The NAM represents 14,000 members (including 10,000 small and
mid-sized companies) and 350 member associations serving manufacturers and
employees in every industrial sector and all 50 states. Headquartered in
Washington, D.C., the NAM has 11 additional offices across the country. Be
sure to visit our award-winning Web site at http://www.nam.org for more information
about policy, legislative and workplace developments affecting manufacturers,
employees and the U.S. economy.