Bethlehem Steel Selects Ariba B2B Platform for e-Procurement.
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
For Immediate Release
BETHLEHEM, PA and MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, June 13, 2000 -- Bethlehem Steel (NYSE: BS), a leader in North American steel manufacturing, and Ariba, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA), the leading business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce platform provider, today announced that Bethlehem Steel has selected the Ariba� B2B Commerce Platform� to create global economies of scale and supply chain efficiencies with its suppliers and partners via the Internet.
Bethlehem Steel will use the Ariba Buyer� solution to manage a substantial portion of its worldwide purchases from over 7,000 suppliers. The Ariba solution will enable Bethlehem Steel to efficiently aggregate its enterprise-wide spending with seamless integration into the Ariba Commerce Services Network�, resulting in time and cost savings and a fast return on investment. With steel production capability of approximately 11 million tons and 15,000 employees nation-wide, Bethlehem Steel ranks number 346 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies in the United States.
This agreement for Ariba product furthers Bethlehem Steel's position as an eCommerce innovator in the steel manufacturing industry and demonstrates Ariba's continued customer growth with Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies.
"Bethlehem has been an innovative and early user of many types of eCommerce technology and we believe that eCommerce will be a critical part of our corporation's success in serving our customers and partnering with suppliers," said Duane R. Dunham, Bethlehem Steel's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Our selection of the Ariba Buyer solution for our e-Procurement initiatives highlights Bethlehem's commitment to build upon a foundation of strategic sourcing to reduce costs and improve process efficiency."
"Bethlehem is aggressively entering other areas of e-Business as we further evolve our e-Business and business development strategies to serve new markets, offer new solutions and services, and achieve greater efficiencies to increase shareholder value," Mr. Dunham said.
"As more and more leading companies like Bethlehem Steel use the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform, all buyers and suppliers will benefit from increased economies of scale and the network effect," said John Magner, vice president North American operations at Ariba. "We are committed to helping Bethlehem Steel realize the full benefits of B2B eCommerce with the goal of retaining their market leadership by positively impacting their bottom line."
The Ariba B2B Commerce Platform, including Ariba Buyer�, Ariba Marketplace, Ariba Dynamic Trade, and the Ariba Commerce Services Network, helps companies realize greater economies of scale and commerce process efficiencies, resulting in lower costs and competitive advantage. The Ariba Buyer solution will provide Bethlehem Steel with a B2B eCommerce infrastructure that electronically aggregates corporate purchasing from each employee desktop and directs to preferred suppliers and B2B marketplaces resulting in higher-volume pricing.
In addition, the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform provides seamless access to Ariba Commerce Services Network including auctions, reverse auctions, electronic payments, logistics, supplier enablement and content services, streamlined transaction routing services and information and analysis services.
The initial rollout of the Ariba Buyer solution at Bethlehem Steel is expected to be completed in Q2 of 2000.
About Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel Corporation is the nation's second largest fully integrated steel company engaged primarily in the production of steel products. The company also operates railroad companies consisting of nine common carrier switching and terminal railroads, a motor carrier, an intermodal services company and a management company. The Burns Harbor Division, with operations in Northwest Indiana and Lackawanna, N.Y., produces hot and cold rolled sheet, corrosion-resistant coated sheet steel and plates for the automotive, service center, construction, machinery and appliance markets. The Sparrows Point Division, located near Baltimore, Md., produces hot rolled sheet, cold rolled sheet, galvanized sheet, Galvalume sheet and tin mill products for service centers, construction and containers. Plate products, which are used in a wide variety of construction and equipment applications, are produced in Coatesville and Conshohocken, Pa., at mills that Bethlehem acquired through its 1998 acquisition of Lukens Inc. Pennsylvania Steel Technologies in Steelton, Pa., produces railroad rails, specialty blooms, flat bars and large-diameter pipe for a variety of markets including transportation, forging, machinery, gas cylinder and energy. Bethlehem Steel has an equity investment in MetalSite, the leading e-business metals marketplace. Bethlehem Steel can be contacted in the United States at (610) 694-2424 or at www.bethsteel.com.
About Ariba, Inc.
Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of B2B services and solutions to leading companies around the world, including more than 15 of the Fortune 100. The company delivers an open, end-to-end, best-of-breed platform of interoperable solutions to build B2B marketplaces, manage corporate purchasing, and electronically enable suppliers on the Internet. Together, Ariba's Internet services and software integrate commerce processes of B2B marketplaces, buyers, suppliers and commerce service providers to create global economies of scale for all participants. Ariba can be contacted in the U.S. at 650-930-6200 or at www.ariba.com.