New BPO Services from crossgate are powered by SAP® software, providing customers EDI solutions at the touch of a button

Through the worldwide cooperation, crossgate offers impressive service-oriented approach

Starnberg, Paris on 15 October 2007

crossgate today announced that its business process outsourcing (BPO) services for B2B integration are now powered by SAP® software. By meeting SAP’s certification criteria its service has been awarded the use of the “Powered by SAP” endorsement logo. Cross-automation specialist crossgate has already demonstrated its expertise in the field of electronic data exchange (EDI) and B2B integration. The new BPO services from crossgate – called B2B 360° Services – are available for use with SAP applications installed at customers’ sites as well as for the new SAP Business ByDesign™ solution. These services allow both large corporations and medium-sized companies to unite all business partners and engage in electronic data exchange at the touch of a button. Customers benefit from a direct connection to 34,000 business partners and a choice of 21.6 million potential process combinations.

The “BPO Services Powered by SAP” program helps BPO providers in the effective and standardized use of current SAP solutions for their service delivery. This reduces the risk often associated with the outsourcing of business processes. It also helps cutting operating and migration costs.

crossgate has offered its on-demand EDI service based on the SAP NetWeaver® Exchange Infrastructure (SAP NetWeaver XI) since 2006. Now that this service qualifies as “Powered by SAP”, crossgate will roll it out globally. In addition, crossgate is also enabled to operate the SAP-connectivity infrastructure on behalf of its customers, which helps them to focus on their core tasks by significantly reducing the complexity of their in-house IT.

One of the companies that already benefits from the merging of ERP data integration and EDI as an on-demand service is the leading chemicals company Lanxess. Since the beginning of 2007 it has handled electronic data exchange with its partners using the crossgate B2B 360° Services, which directly link into the SAPTM ERP application.

“crossgate’s service-oriented approach gives us lots of flexibility,” says Christian Günther, Head of IT-Application Management Non-ERP with Lanxess. “In our industry, we have to be flexible at all times, so we need a solution that is easy to use and quick to adapt and expand.”

“We are very proud that our BPO service successfully qualified as ‘Powered by SAP’,” says Stefan Tittel, founder and CEO of crossgate. “Our customers benefit in two ways: First, we help our customers adhere to their long-term SAP solution-based strategy. Second, our network will continue to expand at accelerated speed through the collaboration with SAP. And the more business partners are added to the network, the greater the benefit to each company. This benefit increases exponentially in relation to the number of companies involved, thus increasing synergy effects. We call this ‘the network effect’.”

Companies that are making strategic use of SAP applications and wish to exchange data electronically with business partners no longer have to invest in specific EDI-extensions made by third-party providers in order to leverage the connectivity capabilities of SAP-solutions. All possible processes are already mapped out in the large repository provided by crossgate, and the connection can be implemented quickly. crossgate’s on-boarding service also includes the entire rollout management: informing partners to be connected, partner support and implementation.

“It is absolutely key for SAP that our customers derive maximum value from our solutions,” explains Gerhard Oswald, member of the executive board with SAP. “We are pleased to include crossgate as a part of our ecosystem offering its BPO services powered by SAP software. crossgate’s service enabled by the SAP NetWeaver XI, connects our customers instantly to a large number of business partners that are already part of the network – without any additional investment. This provides true added value to them.”

crossgate AG in short:

crossgate is a specialist for B2B integration and cross automation – the cross-media automation of business processes within and between companies. The heart of the system is Europe’s biggest B2B transaction network (B.I.P.). It is already used by more than 34,000 companies to exchange documents and data regardless of format and across all media. The new B2B 360° Services give customers instant access to all business partners integrated on the platform. The transaction-based business model has become established in the fields of automotive, logistics, retail and industry. Customers include companies such as Audi, Brembo, CeramTec, Fiege, Hartmann, Lanxess, Philips, voestalpine Automotive, VW and Zumtobel.

crossgate was founded in Starnberg near Munich in 2001. The investors are the DAH holding company of the family of SAP founder Dietmar Hopp, Otto Wolff Industrieberatung und Beteiligungen GmbH and the Al-Jomaih Group. In addition to its headquarters in Starnberg, crossgate is represented at five locations in Germany, including Berlin, Cologne and Walldorf. The first national subsidiary was crossgate Italia S.P.A. in Milan, founded in 2006, other foreign branches are located in New York, London and Paris. The cross automation specialist currently employs a staff of about 200. The founder and Board Chairman is Stefan Tittel.