Butler Manufacturing Company and OneBuild Announce Strategic Alliance; Building Industry Leader Selects OneBuild for Materials Marketplace Solution for Butler Builders.

Business Editors/Internet & Construction Writers

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 2000

Butler Manufacturing Company, the Kansas City-based leading producer of pre-engineered metal building systems, announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with OneBuild. The Mountain View, California online procurement company will assist Butler in creating a materials marketplace to enable electronic procurement for Butler Builders(R), the leading network of non-residential building contractors.

Through its strategic alliance with OneBuild, Butler plans to streamline and expand the opportunities for their customer's procurement activities. OneBuild provides a customizable, highly secure B2B marketplace where Butler Builders worldwide, and all their partners in the supply chain, can easily and efficiently manage their materials procurement needs.

By selecting OneBuild as a Commerce procurement solution, Butler will be able to rapidly implement this service for the benefit of its 1,400 Butler Builders and associated subcontractors, who will participate in the Butler marketplace.

Clyde E. Wills, President of Butler's Buildings Division said, "We are excited to partner with a company that provides total procurement solutions. OneBuild adds significant value by providing Butler and Butler Builders with a complete E-Commerce solution."

"It is refreshing to work with the OneBuild team, which possesses an in-depth knowledge of the construction industry. Their business model works very well in our highly competitive and service intensive industry."

Abbas Syed, President and CTO of OneBuild said, "We are extremely pleased with this alliance. Continued endorsement from industry leaders such as Butler bolsters OneBuild's leadership position in the construction materials procurement area. OneBuild offers an all-encompassing, ready to use solution, built upon highly scalable technology that integrates the entire value chain from manufacturers to specialty contractors in a global marketplace."

With rapid growth in major global customer demands, Butler and Butler Builders will now be in a position to more efficiently supply the on-going, multi-site building needs of international companies. OneBuild will support Butler's efforts to fully integrate the entire supply chain, from manufacturers to buyers.

About Butler Manufacturing Company

Founded in 1901, Butler Manufacturing Company currently operates manufacturing, engineering, and service centers throughout the United States and fifteen foreign countries. Butler is the world's leading producer of pre-engineered metal building systems and architectural products for the non-residential construction market. The company's products are primarily sold, installed, and serviced through approximately 3,500 independent dealers in the United States and throughout the world.

About OneBuild

Mountain View, California-based OneBuild has created the business-to-business construction materials marketplace that is rapidly becoming the choice of both buyers and sellers. As the only Internet company specializing exclusively in construction materials procurement and sales, OneBuild offers buyers and sellers a real solution that is backed by the company's proprietary technology based on open standards. OneBuild provides a unique resource for purchasing or selling construction materials in a high-trust, high-security environment and offers easy-to-use tools that significantly improve the efficiency and reduce the time currently spent executing and tracking purchases and sales.

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