Trade
Service Corporation Acquires O/PUS®
Trade Service Corporation has reached an agreement to acquire O/PUS®, ECI²’s supplier content division. Trade Service has been providing product and price updating service to office products dealers since 1917 though its acquisition of Moore Services. The company offers a wide selection of wholesaler and manufacturer content, including The Moore File, one of the industry’s leading multi-vendor item catalogs.
As office products dealers expand their business and increasingly leverage the Internet for online sales, content becomes more important than ever. Dealers will benefit from having O/PUS content managed by an independent third party with long-standing relationships with industry suppliers and buying groups. Trade Service will leverage the power of the OPdb® multi-vendor catalog database and O/PUS’ technology (SIMPLE, Super Index, O/PUS Scanalog, etc.) to provide the most advanced content services and technology available to the office products industry.
Both ECI² and Trade Service are committed to ensuring that the acquisition of O/PUS is virtually transparent to our mutual customers in terms of quarterly item file loads and product support. To this end, ECI² has agreed to continue to develop and support the OPdb database and other O/PUS products on behalf of Trade Service. The two companies will also collaborate in the development of new content and data-management tools to benefit dealers.
This means that you can look forward to the same quality content and high levels of support you have come to expect. John Bobo and his team here at ECI² will continue to develop and enhance the various O/PUS products on behalf of Trade Service, ensuring that the software remains tightly integrated with your ECI² business system.
In addition ECI² will continue to provide technical support for these products on behalf of Trade Service; you will continue to work with your current support team for issues relating to quarterly item file loads, vendor price files, and or other O/PUS products, just as you do today.
We recognize that you may have questions about this acquisition. We have included a short FAQ below. You will also be receiving more information directly from Trade Service within the next few days, followed by a phone call from a Trade Service representative who can answer any additional questions that you may still have.
What will happen to existing O/PUS products and services etc.?
Trade Service has acquired all rights in the O/PUS products and services and will continue to offer the OPdb multi-vendor database and other O/PUS products. As explained above, these products will be developed and maintained by John Bobo and the rest of the O/PUS team on behalf of Trade Service. You will also be able to take advantage of existing Trade Service offerings that complement the current O/PUS products.
If O/PUS is now part of Trade Service, who will support the software and help me with my quarterly updates?
In addition to software development, ECI² will continue to provide technical support for the O/PUS products on behalf of Trade Service as part of our ongoing relationship. You will continue to work with your current ECI² support team for any issues relating to quarterly catalog loads, vendor price files, and or other O/PUS products.
What about the O/PUS PSN service? Will I still be able to download my updates via the Internet?
ECI² will continue to host and maintain the PSN service on behalf of Trade Service. You will be able to download quarterly OPdb updates and vendor price files just as you do today.
Are O/PUS products still included in my ECI2 software package?
The OPdb multi-vendor database, the PSN service, all loading software, the O/PUS Toolbox application set, and database management tools such as FileMapper, TechMapper, and the Contract Wizard are now owned by Trade Service. As such, these products are no longer included in any ECI² product packages.
Going forward, will there be an additional cost for O/PUS products?
As the O/PUS products such as OPdb updates and O/PUS PSN are now owned by Trade Service, all matters pertaining to cost and pricing of the O/PUS products will be determined by Trade Service. You should begin receiving additional information directly from Trade Service within the next few days.
Will my monthly fee from ECI² change?
Some customers were receiving OPdb updates and O/PUS PSN access as part of their monthly software package. Trade Service has agreed to provide our customers with additional content as part of the sale agreement. Trade Service’s buying group cost data and cross-reference of superstore product numbers, normally sold as separate products, will soon be integrated into the OPdb® multi-vendor catalog. All O/PUS subscribers that sign up with Trade Service will have access to this information, a $1,500 value, at no additional charge.
Dealers who subscribe to O/PUS through Trade Service will also be eligible to receive additional benefits directly from ECI². Customers who sign up for O/PUS with Trade Service will be receiving a letter from us with more information about the offerings and their specific options.
Why did ECI2 sell O/PUS?
Not only was 2005 ECI²’s most successful year to date, but with projects like Cozumel—our new Web storefront—and a new business system architecture that incorporates SQL databases and the Microsoft® .NET programming framework, we are producing some of the most exciting software in our history. This sale reflects an increased focus on our core business—management software and supply chain automation solutions. It will enable us to make additional investments in business system development and position ECI² for continued growth. And, for the benefit of our dealers, it puts the business of product and pricing business in the hands of an industry leader, Trade Services.
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