Carriers, Tradiant announce transport e-commerce pact

Nine of the world's leading ocean carriers are joining forces with Tra
diant, a Silicon Valley technology company, in an unprecedented partne
rship that will enable importers and exporters worldwide to greatly si
mplify the process of containerized transportation at a significant co
st and time savings.

The carriers are joining with technology leader Tradiant in a multi-m
illion dollar partnership to launch a new initiative (currently code-n
amed Global Transportation Network or GTN) in early Q1 2001. This is
a totally neutral technology platform that will facilitate transaction
s between the various parties involved in international trade.

Carriers involved in the partnership include: APL; CP Ships, the cont
ainer shipping business of Canadian Pacific Limited, which includes AN
ZDL, Canada Maritime, Cast, Contship Containerlines, Lykes Lines and T
MM Lines; Hanjin; Hyundai; K Line; Mitsui OSK Lines; Senator Lines; Ya
ng Ming; and Zim Israel Navigation Company.

Negotiations are currently underway with other transportation provide
rs that also may join as founding partners.

"This will fundamentally change the process of getting goods around t
he world," the carriers said. "Our common objective is to leverage th
is Internet platform and drive superior customer service and lower tra
nsactions costs for both customers and providers. This is truly reali
zing the promise of the Internet. What sets this partnership apart is
the powerful combination of transportation and technology expertise th
at puts the customers' needs first."

Don Orris, CEO of Pacer International, a leading intermodal and logis
tics company, said, "We are very excited to see such a strong industry
initiative that is broad-based, neutral and multimodal, and offers te
chnology-driven solutions for customers' transactional needs."

About the Partnership
The agreement includes several major elements the carriers say will b
e critical for success:
* Carriers will contribute industry expertise and customer knowledge,
and Tradiant will offer its proven technology to launch GTN.
* This initiative ensures that a trusted, third-party service provide
r is maintaining neutrality and security for both customers and carrie
rs.
* A recognized, experienced management team will head the effort, led
by Tradiant CEO Aaron Sasson, a 20-year technology industry veteran.


"In today's e-business world, with an emphasis on supply chain veloci
ty, transportation execution becomes a highly critical component of th
e global supply chain. This is an intriguing initiative between a pow
erhouse set of global ocean carriers and a transportation execution ve
ndor focused on platform technology, connectivity, and applications th
at span the transportation value chain," said Michael Bittner, Researc
h Director of Supply Chain E-fulfilment at AMR Research.

"We have spent the past year working closely with our customers to de
termine their challenges, needs and the potential benefits offered by
various technology solutions," said the carriers. "Most of the existi
ng B2B models were too narrowly focused - like auctions and exchanges
- and failed to meet the underlying needs of our customers, who told u
s they wanted a unified Internet-based platform that simplified their
interactions with carriers globally. After much investigation, we beli
eve we now have the winning solution for us and for our customers in t
his partnership."

How it will Work
GTN will leverage Tradiant's proven e-commerce platform, which alread
y includes such core transactional capabilities as booking, track and
trace, and scheduling. In addition to these functions, GTN will provi
de extended capabilities tailored for shippers and carriers, including
rate and contract management, cargo forecasting and allocation. Thes
e products are already in place.

"We see tremendous value in using Tradiant's contracting product to s
tore and amend our ocean contracts online with our carriers," said Dan
LaBrash, Manager of Purchased Transportation for Allied International
.

Additional products will be added to the platform during subsequent r
ollouts.

Benefits
Customers and transportation providers have been clamouring for a bet
ter, proven way to conduct business through a neutral, secure technolo
gy platform that also supports multiple business models. GTN allows a
standardized booking, documentation and tracking system while providi
ng better and more efficient customer support. Other industry benefit
s include:

* Significant efficiencies and cost savings: A recent study conducte
d with Andersen Consulting estimates that cost savings from these proc
ess improvements and efficiencies alone could result in 5-10 percent s
avings for carriers and customers across a range of industries. GTN f
rees carriers from the huge capital costs associated with advanced tec
hnologies and resources required to create proprietary technology meth
ods.
* Standardization and ease of use: GTN will automate core transactio
ns and make it easier for customers to conduct business with multiple
providers using common standards.
* Secure and confidential access: GTN will provide a secure and conf
idential environment for customers and carriers to conduct business ov
er the Internet.

"We welcome the development of this new technology," says Kevin Higgi
ns, director of global logistics for WAL-MART Stores, Inc. "We have b
een working with our carriers and service providers to drive new and i
nnovative solutions, and we fully support the recent e-commerce develo
pments announced by leaders in this industry. Tradiant's products sho
uld help greatly improve operational efficiencies for us and our carri
ers."