Freudenberg IT and Crossgate cooperate on electronic data interchange

Especially SAP customers will benefit from the new offering of Freudenberg IT, a globally active SAP service provider, and Munich B2B specialist Crossgate.

Munich, September 29, 2009. Crossgate AG, the worldwide B2B integration expert, and Freudenberg IT KG, the internationally active IT service provider for SAP and MES consulting and outsourcing, are to cooperate in the future on electronic data interchange (EDI). The more than 1,000 SAP customers of Freudenberg IT who wish to consolidate or reorient their IT environment can now access the Crossgate Business-Ready network and rapidly enter the field of electronic data interchange via a single interface. In addition, Freudenberg IT offers its customers all the services they need for linking to the Crossgate network. Initially, services offered under the cooperation will be available to Freudenberg IT customers in Europe and the USA in the automotive, machinery, production, consumer goods and trade sectors. In addition, the more than 40,000 companies connected to the Crossgate network are also to have access to the comprehensive Freudenberg IT service portfolio, ranging from consultancy through implementation to the commissioning of their SAP systems.

The new cooperation between Freudenberg IT and Crossgate offers smooth and trouble-free access to the world of electronic data interchange for customers of the SAP Business-All-In-One system for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as companies wishing to consolidate their IT environment, or upgrade or reorient their SAP ERP system. They will be able to access the Crossgate Business-Ready B2B network, already used for EDI by more than 40,000 integrated business partners, immediately from their SAP system via a single interface. Freudenberg IT will lay the technical foundations for linking to the Crossgate platform, ensuring technical and semantic integration of customers' SAP systems with the Business-Ready network. The processes modeled will then be transferred to Crossgate and fed into the Crossgate network. The Partner Profile Repository, which forms the core of the Business-Ready network, already includes partner profiles from more than 3,000 customer projects which have been completed, making data interchange considerably faster and easier. In future, Freudenberg IT customers will be able to interchange information such as invoice and order data with other companies automatically from system to system. Companies sending data will be able to deliver the data direct to the intended recipient via the Crossgate platform on a real-time basis without any change of media. Recipients will no longer need to log data from accounting vouchers manually. Different customer, supplier and article numbers will be automatically matched and reconciled.

Greater agility and improved competitiveness for customers
Michael Fichtner, CEO of Freudenberg IT, said: "Cooperation between Freudenberg IT and Crossgate will significantly expand our service portfolio in the field of integration management for EDI. We offer our customers in the SAP world genuine added value, allowing them to easily enter the world of electronic data interchange. In addition, existing Crossgate customers will have the possibility of benefiting from our comprehensive service portfolio, from consultancy through to implementation and operation of their SAP IT systems."

Stefan Tittel, CEO of Crossgate AG, said: "Electronic data interchange via the Crossgate B2B network is an excellent foundation for Freudenberg IT customers to improve their agility and become more competitive. They will save time and money in distributing documents, placing them in a better position in a troubled economic environment."

Crossgate:
Crossgate offers the world's first Business-Ready Network, guaranteeing 100% integration of business partners, clients and suppliers. A single connection to the Network means electronic data exchange with any business partner regardless of their technical capability. In addition, Crossgate's B2B-360° Services powered by SAP provide clients with direct access to all integrated business partners in the B2B transaction network via their SAP systems. With its legally compliant e-Invoicing Services, Crossgate also provides an innovative and 100% secure solution to cover the entire process of incoming and outgoing invoices, including signatures, global compliance monitoring, and secure automated long-term archiving. More than 40,000 business partners, representing over 10 industries, currently exchange documents and data via the Business-Ready Network.

In addition to its headquarters in Munich, Crossgate is represented at four sites in Germany, with operations in Atlanta, London, Milan, and Paris. Crossgate currently has about 250 employees. For more information, visit http://www.crossgate.com.