Covisint to Speed Global B2B Deployment with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young

DETROIT - March 29, 2001 - Cap Gemini Ernst & Young  announced today that it signed a master services agreement (MSA) with Covisint. The  agreement provides for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young to continue the existing programs of strategic consulting, systems design and internal systems integration that it has worked on since the inception of Covisint in February 2000.

Under the terms of the agreement between the parties, teams of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young will work with Covisint in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and elsewhere to help ensure a smooth and rapid adoption of the exchange and the speed, efficiency and cost benefits it facilitates.  Some 100 professionals, based in the USA and Germany, will comprise the core Cap Gemini Ernst & Young team working on the initiative.

"Cap Gemini Ernst & Young has played a key role over the past year in helping us lay the strategic and technical foundations of Covisint," said Doug VanDagens, senior vice president, Strategy and Business Development, Covisint.   "The combination of their technical expertise, automotive industry knowledge, project management and consulting skills will be instrumental in the global development of Covisint."

 "Covisint is a significant B2B e-business enterprise by virtue of the massive benefits it offers the entire automotive industry in product development, procurement, and supply chain management," said Mark Hauser, Group vice president, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. "I am proud that our role in turning the Covisint vision into reality will not only continue but significantly expand as a result of today's announcement." 

The Cap Gemini Ernst & Young team assigned to Covisint includes professionals in a variety of disciplines including e-commerce strategy development, supply chain management, procurement, product development, support services and extended enterprise applications (EEA). The focus of their work is expected to include assisting Covisint in:

• Designing additional product and service offerings in areas such as internet auctions, quotation management tools, e-procurement, collaborative supply chain planning and collaborative product development
• Developing and enhancing the global infrastructure utilizing world-class applications technology.

Mike Wujciak, vice president and Americas automotive practice leader at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, added: " Interest in Covisint is building exponentially from all parts of the automotive world and the challenge ahead is clearly a significant one, but one that I am confident of meeting.  Cap Gemini Ernst & Young's knowledge of both Covisint and the clients we serve within the automotive industry will  ensure that the  adoption of new Covisint customers is both smooth and rapid." 

-ENDS-
 

About Covisint:

Covisint, LLC is a global, independent e-business exchange providing the automotive industry with leading collaborative product development, procurement and supply chain tools that give its customers the ability to reduce costs and bring efficiencies to their business operations. Developed by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Renault, Commerce One and Oracle, Covisint is currently located in Southfield, Mich. The organization has also established temporary offices in Stuttgart and Tokyo. For more information about Covisint, visit www.covisint.com.

About Cap Gemini Ernst & Young:

Cap Gemini Ernst & Young is one of the largest management and IT consulting firms in the world. The company offers management and IT consulting services, systems integration, and technology development, design and outsourcing capabilities on a global scale to help traditional businesses and "dot companies" continue to implement growth strategies and leverage technology in the new economy.  The organization employs more than 59,000 people worldwide and reports global revenues of about 8.5 billion euros (2000 pro forma).  More information about individual service lines, offices and research is available at www.cgey.com

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Contacts:

For Cap Gemini Ernst & Young:

Philippe Guichardaz, 33 (1) 47 54 50 45, phguicha@capgemini.fr

For Covisint:

Thomas Hill, Niehaus Ryan Wong, 1 (248) 926-6998, thomas@nrwpr.com