Press Releases
CONTACT: Jean Barnes
Covast Corporation
(404)812.7157
jbarnes@covast.com
Stuart Smith
Red Nine PR
404.261.0707
ssmith@redninePR.com Covast Highlights Its Support for Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004 at Tech·Ed 2003 Strengthened Relationship of Covast and Microsoft Enables OSRAM SYLVANIA to
Embrace Internet EDI DALLAS, Texas June 2, 2003 At Microsoft Tech·Ed
2003, Covast, a premier member of the BizTalk Server Partner Program, highlighted
its support for Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004, the foundation for Microsofts
Jupiter vision, and introduced OSRAM SYLVANIA, the worlds
second largest lamp manufacturer, as a new, joint customer of its EDI Accelerator
product and Microsoft BizTalk Server.
Covasts flagship EDI Accelerator enables complex electronic data interchange
(EDI) support within BizTalk Server. As a testament to the success of the products
working in tandem, Covast has chosen Tech·Ed 2003 as a platform to announce
joint customer OSRAM SYLVANIA.
It was important for OSRAM SYLVANIA to base new integration projects on Extensible
Markup Language (XML), while preserving its existing trading communities and
business processes, which are based on EDI.
I was given a challenge by our business team to propel our e-commerce
XML initiative, while ensuring that we could continue to support our existing
EDI trading partner relationships, said Michael Cipoletti, SAP EDI/XML
Technology Manager for OSRAM SYLVANIA. The combination of Covasts
EDI Accelerator with Microsoft BizTalk Server enables OSRAM SYLVANIA to properly
manage the co-existence of EDI and proprietary file formats with new, open standards
such as XML. Our seven-year-old legacy EDI system could not do that; the challenge
required both BizTalk Server and the EDI Accelerator.
For the past two years, BizTalk Server has handled the companys complex
mapping, reconciliation, data interchange, and messaging requirements. The vast
majority of OSRAM SYLVANIAs sales and distribution processes are enabled
electronically, using XML and EDI technologies along with the website http://www.mySYLVANIA.com.
In January of 2003, OSRAM SYLVANIA chose Covasts EDI Accelerator in combination
with BizTalk Server to engage in Internet EDI. This initiative will greatly
reduce costs chiefly by reducing the need for the companys value-added
network (VAN) connections for select customers and vendors. VAN costs constitute
about $25,000 per month for OSRAM SYLVANIA, which processes an average of 100,000
XML/EDI transactions per month, a daily average of $2.5m in invoiced sales revenue.
OSRAM SYLVANIA is a great example of how Microsoft and Covast enable
our joint customers to more easily connect to trading partners, creating additional
productivity and enabling them to attain a truly connected business, said
Sanjay Manchanda, group product manager for E-Business Servers at Microsoft
Corp. Covasts support of BizTalk Server 2004 means that customers
can continue to rely on these two robust products for complex EDI transactions
that are necessary to their business. This is a great benefit for customers.
Currently using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2002, OSRAM SYLVANIA is evaluating
the BizTalk Server 2004 product, which is being highlighted at Tech·Ed
2003 as the foundation of Microsofts Jupiter vision. Jupiter
brings together the existing E-Business Servers (BizTalk Server, Content Management
Server and Commerce Server) into a more unified environment.
About Covast
Covast provides the only integrated EDI solution for the BizTalk Server environment.
The combination of Microsoft BizTalk Server and the Covast EDI Accelerator delivers
the ultimate B2B solution - enabling companies to easily integrate their EDI
infrastructures with internal applications and providing a gateway for connecting
trading communities. With its European headquarters in the Netherlands and its
U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, Covast has strategic relationships with partners
and customers including Microsoft, HP, Akzo Nobel, Grampian Foods, SMI Steel
and Oldcastle. For more information, visit www.covast.com.
About OSRAM SYLVANIA
Headquartered in Danvers, Mass., OSRAM SYLVANIA is the North American operation
of OSRAM GmbH. Together with our parent company, we are the second largest lighting
and materials enterprise in the world, serving customers in more than 140 countries.
We manufacture and market a wide range of lighting products, including automotive,
electronic and magnetic ballasts, and precision materials and components for
industrial and commercial users, original equipment manufacturers and consumers,
sold primarily under the SYLVANIA brand name, but also under the OSRAM brand.
For further information, please refer to our Web site at www.sylvania.com.
NOTE: The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
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