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Published on: 7/14/2001
Last Visited: 7/15/2001
It does this by breaking down a market opportunity into separate parts , and then using specialized agent technology that uses the Extensible Markup Language to automatically match opportunities with resources , says Bill Adams , chief executive officer of G5.
Once the opportunity is characterized , VEB reaches into the supply chain through XML style sheets and actually builds virtual solution sets , says Adams.The system can identify the correct mix of manufacturers and processes for different purposes , such as to build a product in the least amount of time for the lowest price , or to ramp up production as quickly as possible from two units to 10 or 100 most quickly , says Adams.
In the past a contract manufacturer might say we can build that for you in three months , but the customer would just have to wait for it , notes Manley.But today the customers don't want to wait , he says.As small manufacturers , we all need to find ways to be more agile or flexible in order to bring the right amount of resources to bear on a project , to deliver it when the customer expects to have it , not when we would like to deliver it..
Another Agile Web customer , Dirigo Energy Inc. , Hershey , Pa. , utilized G5's technology and the Agile Web to test-market portable power generators ranging in size from 750 kilowatts to 1 megawatt.Unlike a large provider of power generation units , the relatively small Dirigo only needed two initial units for demonstration purposes.
It would cost 15 to 20 million dollars and at least two years to build a portable power generation unit factory just to create those first two units , says Adams.Instead , manufacturers like Jade and Global MetalForm , Scranton , Pa. , which makes custom sheet metal products , can work extra pieces into their production schedules to meet Dirigo's needs.If Dirigo's demand forecasts prove correct , it hopes to sell 200 generators per year.
G5 utilizes a range of collaborative electronic commerce technologies , including off-the-shelf products like Domino.Doc from Lotus Development Corp. , an IBM subsidiary , and custom products such as G5's new digital notary software that allows companies to notarize contracts and bills of lading directly over the Internet.Powering Home Depot.
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Dirigo's business plan , which still faces regulatory hurdles , would have a large retailer like Home Depot agree to buy power from it for a fixed cost over 10 years ; Dirigo , which owns the generators , would sell any unused power back to the grid , says Adams.
In theory , the benefit to California's power grid is two- fold : Home Depot no longer gets its power from the grid , while Dirigo increases capacity through the sale of excess power.
An e-marketplace by definition should be a hub of collaboration , where buying and selling supply chains meet to do more than just buy and sell products at the lowest price.But as many emerging e- marketplaces like Transora are learning , getting companies to sign up for an e-marketplace is the easy part.The hard part is getting them to actively participate.