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EMPTORIS ACQUIRES SUPPLIER ASSESSMENT
COMPANY VALUEDGE

Acquisition Extends Leadership Position and Product Suite with Automated Supply Auditing and Measurement Capabilities; Deepens Expertise in Supply Chain

BURLINGTON, MA, Jan. 3, 2005 - Emptoris, the leading provider of Enterprise Supply Management solutions for Global 5000 companies, today announced that it has acquired Valuedge, the leading provider of supplier assessment solutions. This acquisition extends Emptoris' enterprise supply management suite with leading edge functionality, giving Emptoris a software solution unique among its competitors. It expands value for customers by giving them tools for improving supplier quality and helping them make informed, cost-effective decisions about their supply base, and it also deepens Emptoris' supply chain expertise.

Expanding upon Emptoris' suite, which includes spend analysis, online supplier negotiation, optimization-based bid analysis, contract management and supplier performance management, the addition of Valuedge's supplier assessment application enhances companies' ability to improve supplier quality. By allowing companies to audit supplier business processes and practices thoroughly, accurately and quickly over the internet, and track and improve supplier performance, enterprises can look beyond current needs to assess future capabilities of suppliers based on their strategies, processes, people and technologies. The result - companies improve not just the total cost but also the quality and value of the goods and services procured from suppliers, both now and in the future.

"Maturing sourcing strategies coupled with global inflation and supply constraints are forcing companies to find new ways to collaborate with suppliers to remove waste and drive the next wave of cost and productivity improvements," said Tim Minahan, SVP Supply Research and Strategy at Aberdeen Group. "Supplier assessment is key not only to identifying the right supply partners but also for determining opportunities to eliminate waste, capture innovation, and drive continuous improvement across the supply chain."

"This acquisition will ensure Emptoris' leadership in the enterprise supply management space," said Avner Schneur, Emptoris' president and chief executive officer. "With the combination of Emptoris and Valuedge, our customers will benefit from advanced supplier analytics for identifying, evaluating, selecting and measuring suppliers, while maintaining the ease-of-use and global reach our internet-based applications provide."

The acquisition also deepens Emptoris' supply chain expertise with the addition of Sherry Gordon, the founder and CEO of Valuedge, to the Emptoris team as Vice President of Supplier Performance Intelligence. Ms. Gordon, who brings over 30 years of manufacturing and supply chain management experience, is a pioneer in enterprise measurement and process improvement techniques. Before founding Valuedge, she ran the New England Suppliers Institute. Ms. Gordon also worked for manufacturing and distribution companies and major consulting firms. In addition to supply chain management, she has a functional background and expertise in quality, purchasing, and materials.

About Emptoris
Emptoris is a leading provider of powerful enterprise supply management solutions for Global 5000 companies. By implementing Emptoris 5(tm), a suite of Web-based solutions, enterprises can quickly identify and prioritize procurement and vendor savings opportunities, negotiate significant cost savings with vendors, and track contract compliance and supplier performance improvement. Emptoris customers include American Express, Boeing, Fleet Financial Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline, Motorola, Owens Corning and Samsung America. Emptoris, a privately held company, is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts.

About Valuedge
Valuedge is a leading provider of supplier and enterprise assessment solutions. Using Valuedge assessment tools, enterprises can audit supplier business processes and practices thoroughly, accurately and quickly over the Web and track and improve supplier performance. Benefits include lower costs, higher quality and better customer responsiveness. Valuedge, Inc., was a privately held company in Lexington, Massachusetts.

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