Issue 260, June 15, 2000
Danzas AEI said today it has been named by InternetWeek magazine as the transportation logistics industry?s premier e-business provider in the publication?s first-ever survey of top 100 U.S. e-business companies. According to the ?InternetWeek 100? survey, Danzas AEI e-business services were superior to those offered by FedEx Corp., UPS and the U.S. Postal Service, among others. The survey selected the top 10 U.S. e-business providers in each of 10 industries.

According to InternetWeek, Danzas AEI?s e-business success is based on ?giving customers what they demand: the latest and most detailed information on materials being transported or (on) inventory being managed. Danzas AEI?s web (AEI Interactive) and legacy applications offer customers everything from simple access to the status of a shipment to end-to-end supply chain management.?

?We are honored to receive this award from such a respected publication,? said John L. Luludis, Danzas AEI vice president and chief information officer. ?We believe it validates the soundness of our e-business strategy, which is to offer a robust fulfillment platform that facilitates the international movement of goods purchased online.?

?The core challenge facing global e-business companies today is providing customers with the ?landed cost? of an international transaction,? said Eric S. Vargas, Danzas AEI, vice president, logistics applications. The landed cost is the total cost of an international transaction after shipping; customs and other charges are factored in. ?International shipping is a complex process that requires a knowledge of global transportation and distribution patterns, an array of tax and customs regulations, and trade-related issues unique to each country,? said Vargas. ?E-businesses and their customers need to be aware of the rules that govern their transactions. They also must know the transaction?s landed cost, which involves more than just shipping charges.?

Vargas cited a survey by leading Web consultant Forrester Research that 46 percent of total orders placed on the sites of 50 companies were rejected because the orders came from foreign consumers. The survey findings were reported in a separate story in InternetWeek. ?We believe the success of our e-business model stems from our vast experience serving global markets and our powerful IT applications that allow e-businesses and their customers to quickly obtain the information needed to make an intelligent and cost-effective business decision.?

?Our e-business model was not based on a ?build-it-and-they-will-come? approach,? said Luludis. ?We started by surveying our customers, asking them about their e-business plans, and the needs and expectations of their customers. We then built our system around those responses. It is truly a customer-centric, e-business strategy. That is why it works.?

Danzas AEI recently unveiled LOGIS-XM, an exception management system that tracks each shipment, alerts the customer to those shipments that fail to meet in-transit benchmarks or ?exceptions? and prompts the user to take immediate corrective action. This tool also consolidates historical data so that it can be analyzed to improve distribution flow.

The complete InternetWeek article is available on line at www.internetwk.com/100/trans.htm

Please note that due to the complex nature of the subject matter, Danzas AEI cannot be responsible for actions taken by the reader in reliance on the information contained herein without prior consultation with Danzas AEI.