Jaguar Land Rover Signs B2B Outsourcing Agreement With GXS

GXS, a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solutions announced that Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has signed an agreement for GXS Managed Services. A subsidiary of Tata Motors Limited, India’s largest vehicle manufacturer, JLR was seeking a B2B provider that could provide a flexible and scalable infrastructure, enabling the company to continue working with more than 850

electronic data interchange (EDI)-based suppliers around the world. GXS Managed Services is a comprehensive suite of B2B outsourcing services that provides the on-going management and maintenance of a company’s global B2B e-commerce network and transactions.

After being divested from Ford Motor Company and sold to Tata Motors Limited in 2008, JLR sought to quickly and cost effectively re-establish its EDI-based, B2B e-commerce operations with no delays in production or supply chain operations. With suppliers throughout North America as well as Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), JLR supports a variety of global EDI standards including VDA, ANSI X12 and EDIFACT, along with its own proprietary messaging standard. Outsourcing the management of their supplier EDI environment to GXS gives JLR access to cutting-edge B2B capabilities quickly and easily without requiring major investments in hardware, software or human resources. GXS is focused on establishing JLR’s B2B environment quickly, ensuring business continuity and enabling JLR to remain focused on its core competency of manufacturing luxury cars.

“Maximizing cost savings is part of the picture for nearly every company in Europe right now,” said Jon Keating, vice-president of GXS EMEA. “But that is not the whole story. There is an increased interest in B2B outsourcing as companies review how best to harness their IT and supply chain infrastructures. GXS Managed Services enables businesses like Jaguar Land Rover to be ready to tap into new market opportunities whenever and wherever they emerge across the globe.”

GXS’ B2B outsourcing services enable JLR to automate the movement, translation and validation of messages with its suppliers. GXS Managed Services is GXS’ fastest growing product segment with clients from a variety of vertical industries including automotive, manufacturing, high tech, retail, consumer products, financial services and logistics.

With more than 40 years of automotive industry experience, GXS has one of the largest B2B networks in the world, supporting an unmatched automotive customer base that includes eight of the top ten global OEMs, 70 percent of the world’s Top 100 suppliers and 85 percent of the top 20 suppliers in EMEA. GXS participates in a number of automotive industry bodies around the world including North America’s Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) and Europe’s Odette and Galia associations. GXS offers localized sales, consulting and technical support throughout the United States, EMEA and Asia.

“Savvier manufacturers are now going beyond cost cutting. The automotive industry leaders, for example, are actively restructuring and streamlining to be prepared for what comes next,” said Mark Morley, director of automotive industry marketing at GXS. “The current environment, with its emphasis on shrinking capital expenditure, favors the sort of business process outsourcing that only a global company like GXS is able to offer.”

GXS Managed Services is a comprehensive B2B outsourcing solution that provides companies with the people, processes and technologies necessary to maintain complex B2B e-commerce programs. With B2B outsourcing from GXS, companies can build and grow B2B networks without making additional investment in hardware, software or human resources. GXS has more than 40 years’ experience in B2B e-commerce as well as 20 years’ experience in supporting full-service B2B outsourcing programs. GXS Managed Services customers represent a variety of industries including consumer products, financial services, high tech, manufacturing and retail. More than 220 companies currently use GXS Managed Services around the world, including BB&T, Henkel, Miller Brewing Company, Shinhan Bank, Sun Microsystems and WH Smith. GXS provides customers with world-class B2B program management including trading community management, global supply chain visibility, transaction management, data translation, systems administration and supplier performance reporting.