Verticalnet Captures Top Spot in Overall Functionality
AMR Research cites Verticalnet's sourcing and supply
chain application suite
AMR Research, a leading technology research firm, named Verticalnet as
the functionality leader in a report offering a detailed analysis of 17
strategic sourcing vendors, including some of the largest ERP and supply
chain companies. The report is based on an evaluation of the top 17 vendors
in the space against 200 functional requirements and more than 80 interviews
with current adopters of the technology. AMR Research projects that the
strategic sourcing market will grow from $350M in 2001 to approximately
$1.8B by 2006, representing a five-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
of 40 percent, driven by the maturing software and a growing awareness
of the compelling ROI.
"What separates Verticalnet from the pack is its ability to take its
componentized architecture, "many to many" data model (well suited to
direct material support, including time phased supply / demand), generalizable
workflow, and taxonomy management capability, in order to build a personalized
application that near-flawlessly executed the 17 process flows that
AMR Research used to test its 200 functional requirements," continued
Mitchell.
In the same report, Pierre Mitchell recommends, "Companies that want
a common application platform for both strategic sourcing, as well as
supply chain collaboration and execution, must include Verticalnet on
their short lists."
"We could not be more pleased with the results of the AMR 'deep dive'
strategic sourcing evaluation," stated Kevin McKay, president and CEO
of Verticalnet. "The decisions we have made over the past year, including
our migration to a focused software company, our acquisition and successful
integration of Atlas Commerce, and our commitment to investment in our
products have all been validated. Being positioned in functionality above
major software and sourcing vendors such as SAP, i2, Manugistics, Oracle,
Ariba, and FreeMarkets is a public affirmation of what we consistently
see in the market when we go head-to-head against these competitors."
McKay continued, "We have truly listened to our customers and prospects
regarding the need for ease of use, rapid deployment, and integration
with legacy and enterprise systems. We designed our product with the
basic premise that there will always be disparate systems across divisions,
suppliers, and buyers in any given supply chain network, and that meaningful
solutions will need to fully address the ability to manage information
across those systems. You can bet that we will use the results of this
study to drive increased market traction and accelerate revenue opportunities
at many of our identified prospects. "
Additional information about AMR Research's e-sourcing report can be
obtained at www.amrresearch.com.
"Its customers are impressive, and its management team ... is similarly strong. Given
its ramping traction, A-list of prospects, and rapidly decreasing cash
burn rate, Verticalnet could be back on track to find its golden road,"
said an AMR Research Alert dated July 1, 2002.