CombineNet Unveils Strategic Sourcing Solutions for Four Supply Chain-Driven Industries

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CombineNet, Inc., the leading provider of best-in-class online sourcing technology solutions for global supply chains, announced today its launch of enhanced strategic sourcing solutions combining technology, spend category tools, e-sourcing best practices, and expert services for four supply chain-driven industries: Consumer Packaged Goods Manufacturing (CPG), Food and Beverage Manufacturing, Retail and Restaurant Chains. Each solution package is designed to address critical sourcing and procurement needs faced by that industry, based on CombineNet's decade-plus experience in working with its global clients and from spend areas where strongest benefits have been realized.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120117/NE36384LOGO)

CombineNet selected these four industries as focus areas on the basis of their maturity in the adoption of advanced sourcing practices, both in terms of organizational structure and technology utilization, and because of the presence within these industries of large spend sizes involving moderate to complex sourcing needs that are insufficiently supported by most general procurement and e-sourcing products today.  Those more complex spend areas typically include: primary and secondary packaging; transportation and distribution services; direct materials and ingredients; facility services; spends in need of aggregation; and indirect materials vital to supply chain operations.

These solutions leverage the success of CombineNet's highly popular Best Practices Center service, which has seen rapid adoption by current customers using the advanced e-sourcing platform, CombineNet ASAP®. Each CombineNet industry solution offering includes:

• Subscription access to the CombineNet ASAP® advanced e-sourcing product for supporting eRFI, eRFP, and e-auction needs, and backed by 21 U.S. patents.
• Rapid start-up tools for key spend categories vital to that particular industry. Those tools include RFP, RFI, and pre-configured sourcing event templates for important categories across direct and indirect spends.
• A Best Practices Knowledge Center for each of the four industries, each delivering premium content, e-sourcing guides and services for running optimal e-sourcing events using CombineNet ASAP's full suite of features and how to best configure those features for industry- and category-specific event requirements.
• Expert Services and Training to ensure the successful launch, management, and analysis of e-sourcing events. Services include event start-up consulting, RFP readiness reviews, coaching, advanced analytics training, and more.

"We're pleased to announce these enhanced industry-focused solutions, designed to help teams become more strategic in their approach to sourcing categories crucial to running their businesses and supply chains," said Rich Wilson, CombineNet chief executive officer. "Each industry solution delivers the power of an expressive, collaborative bidding process between buyers and suppliers, the power of optimization and analytics to improve procurement outcomes, and industry-focused knowledge transfer and services support to improve customer sourcing success."

CombineNet's advanced sourcing solutions are used by:

• 5 of the 12 top CPG companies in the world
• 8 of the top 15 global food manufacturers
• 5 of the world's largest beverage manufacturers
• 7 of the Top 20 retailers in the U.S. and 17 of the Top 200 retailers in the world
• 7 major restaurant systems in the U.S.  

CombineNet's industry strategic sourcing solutions are priced by number of users and offer a tremendous value by bundling technology, best practices tools and content, and expert services support in one package.  

More information is available at http://www.combinenet.com/solutions/industries/index.php.

About CombineNet

CombineNet, Inc. delivers award-winning best-in-class e-sourcing software solutions through its products CombineNet ASAP® for advanced e-sourcing, CombineNet Spend Analysis, and CombineNet Contract Management. Using these Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based sourcing products, CombineNet customers can rapidly adopt proven solutions for increasing spend under management and improving enterprise spend insights. Now in its twelfth year in business, CombineNet is known for its track record in driving significant bottom-line and productivity savings for its clientele which includes: Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Reckitt Benckiser, Sears, Macy's, Rite Aid, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, SAB Miller, Hershey's, Smithfield Foods, Wendy's QSCC, UFPC/Yum! Brands, and many more Global 2000 firms.

SOURCE CombineNet, Inc.