Consignia Signs $1.5 Million Deal With GE Global eXchange Services.

Business Editors

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2001

GXS will provide UK's postal service with enterprise integration

technology

GE Global eXchange Services (GXS), a leader in B2B E-Commerce, today announced that it has won a major contract with Consignia, formerly

Consignia will deploy GXS technology to provide improved enterprise integration capabilities across the Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide divisions as well as Consignia's network of Post Office branches.

"As we enter an increasingly commercial environment we need to be even more flexible and fleet of foot, and the GXS enterprise integration capabilities are vital in terms of boosting our strategic agility," Steve Lucas, delivery support director, Business Systems, Consignia. "GXS is the long-term partner that will deliver this important business agility via software and services that address both our legacy technologies and our future plans."

The need for Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide divisions and the network of Post Office branches to integrate their different systems is essential to help Consignia fulfil its ambitions. Critical data that once existed on separate systems, such as product catalogues, customer details, invoices and parcel tracking, can now be retrieved through one integrated communication tool. Integration provides Consignia with the ability to adapt to change, such as new product or service offerings, and handle high levels of data volume worldwide.

Consignia has purchased GXS's Enterprise System(TM) to handle the messaging between all of their external business partners and across internal applications. It will also provide the platform for future business-to-consumer communication.

Enterprise System will help Consignia by delivering key benefits including:

-- Business efficiency through reduced inventory levels, shortened payment
cycles and enhanced customer service via critical, real-time information.

-- Integration - two completely different information technology (IT)
environments can be merged so they act as one communication system.

-- Handling high volume messaging - between all external business partners and
internal applications - up to 70, 000 partners - worldwide.

About Consignia

Consignia is the holding company for the brands of Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worldwide and the Post Office. It is one of the largest employers in the UK, with around 200,000 people involved in its mail services and running the nationwide network of Post Office branches. Some 81 million letters and 500,000 parcels a day are handled by Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide and around 28 million people a week are served at Post Office branches.

About GE Global eXchange Services

GE Global eXchange Services (GXS) operates one of the largest B2B e-commerce networks in the world, with more than 100,000 trading partners. The network's 1 billion annual transactions account for $1 trillion in goods and services. With a presence in 58 countries, GXS applies Six Sigma quality processes to provide e-commerce solutions that help businesses around the globe remove costs from their supply chains. GE Global eXchange Services is a part of the General Electric Company, U.S.A., and is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md. (800) 560-4347. Visit our Web site at www.gegxs.com