BuildNet and Cameron Ashley to Partner in E-Business Solution; Building Material Distributor Will Be a Strategic Investor and Serve as a Beta Site.Business/Technology Editors RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK Research Triangle Park, research, business, medical, and educational complex situated in central North Carolina. It has an area of 6,900 acres (2,795 hectares) and is 8 × 2 mi (13 × 3 km) in size. Named for the triangle formed by Duke Univ. , N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 7, 2000 BuildNet, Inc. a leading e-business, technology and project management software provider for the home building industry, announced today that Cameron Ashley Building Products, Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CAB) will be a strategic minority investor in and participate as a beta test A test of new or revised hardware or software that is performed by users at their facilities under normal operating conditions. Beta testing follows alpha testing. Vendors of packaged software often offer their customers the opportunity of beta testing new releases or versions, and the partner with BuildNet. As BuildNet is rolled out in 2000, the system will enable participants to engage in 24-hour electronic commerce, allowing them to place orders, check inventory availability, delivery and payment information on a real-time basis. "We are extremely excited to have been selected as a beta site An organization or group that is beta testing hardware and/or software. See beta test. for the roll-out of BuildNet," said Ronald R. Ross, chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Cameron Ashley. "BuildNet has achieved `First Mover' status by assembling the critical mass of premier homebuilders and suppliers to create the first end-to-end e-business solution for the building industry. We believe the selection of Cameron Ashley as a beta site testifies to our commitment to advance technological innovation in the industry, and places us in very esteemed company." Mr. Ross added, "We are in the final phases of installing our state-of-the-art, $23 million enterprise resource planning See ERP. (application, business) Enterprise Resource Planning - (ERP) Any software system designed to support and automate the business processes of medium and large businesses. system. Completing this project is a critical first step in developing our electronic commerce capability. The teaming up with BuildNet as a beta test partner will allow us to jumpstart our e-business initiative by providing linkage to the largest home builders and contractors in the country along with many of our major vendors. We believe this will ultimately translate into improved service for our customers and enhanced productivity in our operations." "BuildNet began the process of building an Internet-based community in May, 1999, when it aggregated a one-third market share of builders," said Keith T. Brown, BuildNet Chairman, "and since that time forward-looking companies in the building materials Building materials used in the construction industry to create . These categories of materials and products are used by and construction project managers to specify the materials and methods used for . supply chain, like Cameron Ashley, have seen the benefits of reaching that community through an Internet-based e-business system that seamlessly links the builders' back offices to their own back offices and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) An integrated information system that serves all departments within an enterprise. Evolving out of the manufacturing industry, ERP implies the use of packaged software rather than proprietary software written by or for one customer. systems. We welcome this partnership and look forward to working with Cameron Ashley to bring maximum efficiency to the home building industry." About Cameron Ashley Cameron Ashley Building Products, Inc. is a distributor of a broad line of building products that are used principally in home improvement, remodeling remodeling /re·mod·el·ing/ (re-mod´el-ing) reorganization or renovation of an old structure. bone remodeling and repair work and in new residential construction. The Company distributes its products to independent building material dealers, professional builders, large contractors and mass merchandisers through a network of 165 branches located throughout the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and Canada. Product lines include roofing, millwork, pool and patio enclosure materials, insulation, siding, steel products, industrial metals and a variety of other building materials. More information on Cameron Ashley Building Products can be found on the World Wide Web at www.cabp.com. About BuildNet BuildNet, a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., is one of the $240+ billion home building industry's largest e-business, technology and project management system providers. BuildNet's Internet-based e-business platform is being developed to provide home builders access to an integrated on-line network designed to change the residential construction market by availing every aspect of a building project to real-time, on-line, integrated e-business links, from the builders' back offices to the back offices of a wide range of product suppliers. (This is commonly called "business-to-business e-commerce.") Through its five project management systems, BuildNet products currently manage the construction of around one in three homes built in the U.S. BuildNet is also actively building alliances with the building industry's manufacturers, suppliers and large builders, and has recently signed e-business agreements with such companies as GE Appliance, Owens Corning and CertainTeed. More information on BuildNet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.buildnet.com. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. (c) 1999, 2000 |
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