CHICAGO, Aug. 16-- W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE: GWW) today announced a strategic alliance agreement with Intelisys Electronic Commerce, LLC. As part of this agreement, Grainger is integrating its online catalog of more than 210,000 products into the Intelisys i-Procurement solution. Grainger is the leading provider of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies, services, and information. Intelisys is a global leader in Internet procurement solutions. The alliance will enable buyers to benefit from an automated purchasing process that is faster, cheaper, and paperless.
"This partnership joins Grainger's leading business-to-business Internet
and logistic solutions with Intelisys' expertise in procurement software. It
helps Grainger lead the way in adapting Internet technology to the world of
MRO and makes Grainger's products available to anyone, anytime, anywhere,"
said Donald Bielinski, Grainger group president. "The real winners are
Grainger's customers both existing and new."
The average cost of generating and approving a purchase order is $150,
according to studies from the National Association of Purchasing Management.
The Intelisys I-Procurement solutions reduce these purchasing costs, cut out
the paperwork, and help companies manage procurement more effectively.
"Intelisys and Grainger are both dedicated to providing global companies
the most efficient way possible to purchase non-production goods and services
via the Internet," said Lloyd F. O'Connor, Intelisys' CEO. "For companies to
ultimately maximize their ROI from automated procurement systems, these
systems must deliver complete support and be easy to use. This new
partnership allows us to continue exceeding our customers' expectations."
The new alliance with Intelisys is the latest step in Grainger's Internet
commerce strategy. The company is currently processing orders through its
Grainger.com® Web site at an annualized run rate of $100 million. To date,
Grainger has invested almost $35 million in Internet commerce capabilities and
anticipates ongoing investment to maintain its first-mover advantage.
Strategic technology alliances, along with the company's two Web sites at
Grainger.com and OrderZone.com(SM), are key elements of Grainger's digital
strategy. As a result, Grainger products and services will be available to
every organization wishing to do business electronically.
About Intelisys Electronic Commerce, LLC
Headquartered in New York, Intelisys is a pioneer in providing complete
Internet-based procurement applications that internetwork buyers with all of
their suppliers. Intelisys has developed solutions to enable both large
private and public entities to efficiently manage and dramatically reduce the
high costs attributed to the procurement of non-production goods and services.
Intelisys was formed in 1996 and is affiliated with The Chase Manhattan Bank.
Intelisys' clients include among others, Ford Motor Company, Texas
Instruments, Telstra, Western Geophysical, a division of Baker Hughes, The
Chase Manhattan Bank, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the States of
Idaho, New York, Texas, and Utah. Intelisys can be reached by calling
1-888-294-4PRO or via the Web site, http://www.intelisys.com.
About Grainger
W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) with 1998 sales of $4.3 billion, is the leading North American provider of maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supplies, services, and related information to businesses and institutions. GWW shares
are traded on the New York and Chicago stock exchanges. For more information,
visit Grainger online at http://www.grainger.com.
CONTACT: Staci Dolgin-Rubinstein of Grainger Internet Commerce,
847-573-2666, or email, dolgin-rubinstein.s@grainger.com; or Dan Romanoff of
PR 21 for W.W. Grainger, Inc., 312-396-9752, or email, dan_romanoff@pr21.com