People, Process and Technology

A world-class mix

"If we are going to do this right,                         we need to assemble an A-team."

Joseph A. Sorisi CEO, B2X Corporation

Joseph A. Sorisi, CEO and former CTO of B2X Corporation, whose accomplishments include cutting edge technology and E-Commerce solutions for Fortune 500 companies, led the company's efforts to oversee the design, development and deployment of the B2X online trading platform and business services.

"Our immediate need was to assemble a diverse team of industry professionals experienced in all key business aspects of international trade: including order management, sourcing, production, quality assurance, customs & regulatory compliance, logistics and freight forwarding," Sorisi said. "This was the foundation of developing our business processes, e-commerce trading platform and business services."

Revolutionary E-Commerce Trading Technology The B2X technology platform was developed using leading industry leading blue chip suppliers, IBM, SAP and Oracle. B2X also leverages proprietary and patented software developed by B2X's veteran technology team, in addition to retaining Axis360, a leading interactive agency.

B2X.com’s Underlining Technology

In order to be the E-Commerce leader in the global trade marketplace, B2X.com was built using industry leading suppliers and software companies including IBM, Oracle and SAP. These partners have been proven to scale and are key enablers for many successful Fortune 500 companies.

B2X.com’s technology includes:

• E-Commerce Trading Platform (powered by IBM WebSphere Commerce & Portal Technology)
• Order Management System (fully integrated with e-commerce platform)
• Product Management and Classification System (follows GPC standards)
• Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP - supports supply chain management)
• SAP Financial System
• Tridion Web Content Management (WCM)

Features Unique to B2X.com:

• Free Registration (create personalized online business card)
• Browse products and their specifications
• Customize any product from catalog via DesignLab®
• Submit your custom design specifications
• Generate fully landed cost quotes (includes manufacturing to delivery)

State of the Art Infrastructure

The architecture of B2X.com is built upon a scalable, secure and reliable foundation leveraging state of the art technology.

• Operating System: Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• Storage: EMC Storage Area Network (SAN)
• Database: Oracle 10g Real Application Cluster (RAC) Architecture
  
  - RAC - Instance high availability
  - DATAGUARD - Data protection/Replication
  - ASM - Storage Virtualization
  - Grid Control - Enterprise Manager (i.e. monitoring, admin, etc.)
  
  
• Multi RAID Dual Core 64 Bit Clustered Servers
• Virtualization: VM-Ware

Transactions

One of B2X’s core technology needs was transaction processing. IBM’s WebSphere® Commerce Enterprise V6 was selected to handle these critical functions and capabilities while seamlessly integrating them with back-office systems. WebSphere Commerce, a unified customer interaction program, allowed B2X to conduct business directly with clients and indirectly with channel partners.

Portal Enable V6 and Sales Center were chosen to handle the presentation layer and back-office contact center capabilities for delivering an innovative, robust, dynamic and truly interactive solution. “Through the use of IBM WebSphere Commerce, transactions that used to take weeks can now be accomplished with a few keystrokes,” said Jess Knowles, IBM Sales.

Back-office Integration and Support

To drive the back-office capabilities, B2X selected SAP’s Business One Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Business One would provide a single data repository for everything connected to B2X’s financial and accounting functions.

“As soon as a financial event is triggered on the IBM system and written into XML, Business One processes the event and makes it available to B2X’s business department,” Ed Davey, Vice President, SAP Information System Group Inc. (ISGI) observed. “Business One also allows B2X financial personnel to set outbound parameters such as customer credit terms and letters of credit.”

Quality Assurance and Compliance

B2X addresses the complexities of global trade while keeping quality, safety and compliance as a main priority. Through arrangements with recognized China based safety and quality services providers, such as Intertek. B2X seeks to assure that imported products and factories bear the appropriate safety certifications as required by regulatory agencies.

"Our objective is to provide fast and                         efficient service for B2X customers..."

Tony Panzino Trade Lane Manager for DHL Global Forwarding

The Last Mile – Shipping, Fulfillment and Logistics

B2X partnered with DHL, the global market leader of the international express and logistics industry, to facilitate movement of cargo from foreign ports to U.S. addresses. Initially, DHL will serve as a custom house broker for B2X to clear goods from Asia and Europe through U.S. Customs. According to Tony Panzino, Trade Lane Manager for DHL Global Forwarding, the company’s role will grow as B2X’s global trading footprint expands. With DHL, B2X will solidify its position as the leading international trading and sourcing partner from order to delivery.

“DHL, over time, will be responsible for the management of purchase orders from B2X’s supplier, and the proper fulfillment of orders at supplier locations,” Panzino said. “Our objective is to provide fast and efficient service for B2X customers from overseas markets.”