RosettaNet Press Release
RosettaNet and Edifecs Join Efforts to Expand PIP® Documentation Efforts

Edifecs Professional Services Enhance Documentation Production of RosettaNet Partner Interface Processes®

For Release April 2, 2001

BELLEVUE --

RosettaNet, a leader in global e-business process standards, and Edifecs, a premier provider of software that helps companies accelerate the building of standards-based B2B trading-partner networks, today announced an extension to their previous relationship for documenting RosettaNet Partner Interface Processes ® (PIPs ® ).

The agreement provides for the extension of development efforts by Edifecs Professional Services to help RosettaNet rapidly develop, document and submit PIPs to its membership for deployment throughout their supply chains. This collaboration to date has in part helped the RosettaNet consortium reach two recent critical adoption milestones, making PIPs one of the most rapidly developed and deployed XML business process standards today. This successful alliance has delivered nearly 50 unique PIPs to the RosettaNet membership of information technology (IT) and electronic components (EC) companies around the world.

"We're pleased to extend this relationship with Edifecs to continue documentation of our set of PIPs this year," commented Jennifer Hamilton, CEO for RosettaNet. "This service has helped to expedite our PIP production and enabled RosettaNet standards to move rapidly from development to deployment -- providing ready-to-use PIPs to partners and the public for use in e-business processes."

Edifecs Delivers Solid Results
Edifecs participates in RosettaNet workshops, Web discussions, the RosettaNet Implementation Framework (RNIF) development team, and RosettaNet partner conferences, providing domain expertise with regards to business protocol modeling, e-business architecture and standards development. Edifecs participates in the documentation of business transaction and information exchange requirements, as identified by RosettaNet partners. Edifecs, in collaboration with the RosettaNet PIP development team, takes these requirements from the RosettaNet membership and constructs business collaboration and information models using Edifecs' Business Collaboration Framework UML/XML modeling architecture and methodology, and generates draft PIP specifications. PIP specifications are reviewed, refined and released by RosettaNet according to the PIP assembly-line methodology, and then validated by RosettaNet partners. To date, Edifecs has assisted in the specification and documentation of 48 unique PIPs since December 1999, as well as 30 PIP maintenance releases.

"We're honored to continue our alliance and development work with RosettaNet," commented Sunny Singh, CEO of Edifecs. "Effective and powerful XML e-business standards and process models are central to any company's ability to quickly and effectively execute partner relationships. We're delighted to contribute our standards development expertise to the RosettaNet membership to help advance PIP adoption and deployment throughout the IT, EC, and semiconductor manufacturing (SM) industries."

About PIPs
PIPs define business processes between supply-chain companies and their trading partners. PIPs fit into six Clusters, or groups of core business processes, that represent the backbone of the supply chain. Each Cluster is broken down into Segments -- cross-enterprise processes involving more than one type of supply chain company. Within each Segment are individual PIPs. PIPs are specialized system-to-system XML-based dialogs that define business processes between supply chain companies. Each PIP includes a technical specification based on the RosettaNet Implementation Framework (RNIF), a Message Guideline document with a PIP-specific version of the Business Dictionary and an XML Message Schema, or DTD.

About RosettaNet
RosettaNet is an independent, non-profit consortium dedicated to the collaborative development and rapid deployment of open Internet-based business standards that align processes within the global high-technology trading network.

More than 400 companies representing over $1 trillion in annual Information Technology, Electronic Components and Semiconductor Manufacturing revenues currently participate in RosettaNet's standards development, strategy and implementation activities. A complete list of partner companies and more information on RosettaNet can be found at www.rosettanet.org.

About Edifecs
Edifecs is a leading provider of software that helps companies accelerate the building of standards-based B2B trading-partner networks. The Edifecs solution suite encompasses the CommerceDesk ® and SpecBuilder ® product families, and a Professional Services group with demonstrated expertise in XML and EDI standards -- all designed to reduce costs and time-to-market for companies building trading networks or participating in trading exchanges. The Edifecs solution is helping companies around the world eliminate the most significant bottlenecks to conducting e-business with their trading partners and increase scalability options.

Founded in 1996, Edifecs serves an installed base of more than 1,000 customers including Microsoft, IBM, Ingram Micro, Eastman Kodak and Dura Automotive. The company partners with numerous B2B providers such as GE Global eXchange Services, and Sterling Commerce, and is a technology partner for more than 30 industry consortia including RosettaNet, ebXML, UN/CEFACT, CompTIA, and OBI. Based in Bellevue, Washington, Edifecs is privately held, with investment from GE Global eXchange Services. More information can be found at http://www.edifecs.com or +1.425.895.3020.