GAITHERSBURG, MD and ATLANTA, GA -- 12/08/09 -- GXS and Inovis, leading providers of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce services and software solutions, today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to merge. Inovis brings with it approximately 16,000 customers from a range of industries including retail and consumer products, financial services, transportation/logistics and automotive. The combined company creates a leading global provider of B2B e-commerce services and gives the company an even greater global presence.The merger of GXS and Inovis will further streamline customers' global B2B deployments and provide them with a comprehensive range of B2B integration software and services-based solutions. GXS is a leading B2B e-commerce services provider with a strong focus on helping customers optimize their global supply chains through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) and software-based portfolio that includes B2B messaging services, supply chain visibility, product master data management and B2B Gateway software. Inovis is a leader among B2B Gateway software providers and has a strong portfolio of complementary software and services including managed file transfer, supply chain visibility, product catalog, B2B Gateway and multi-enterprise master data management software. "Today's merger announcement marks a turning-point in the B2B e-commerce industry," said Bob Segert, president and CEO of GXS. "GXS sees strong potential for further growth in B2B managed services and B2B integration software. ...

... or something like that...  The title comes from an old song by Simon & Garfunkle, a "folk-pop" duo from the 60s and 70s...  They gave us a LOT of hit records in their years together - and Paul Simon certainly had a string of hits after they split.  Art Garfunkle didn't do as well, but he still stayed busy and active in the recording industry. I always think of the old adage about "stopping and smelling the roses" when I think of that old song (BTW, it's "FEELING GROOVY")...  Which then leads to thinking about "tunnel vision"...  And all of this came up today because of a comment made to a previous post that fairly SCREAMS "sales pitch!" and ... well, I've never been a fan of the heavy-hitting sales pitch. Years ago, I actually was in sales - I was selling new (and used) Chrysler and Plymouths for a dealer in the San Francisco Bay Area.  This was in the late 80s and I only did it for a few months.  I had to get out of there because, while I love cars - I'm a certifiable car nut - I couldn't deal with all of the high-pressure tactics that so many sales people used.  It actually kind of shocks me to think about how ...

Jim Croce sang once about “… if I could save time in a bottle…” – and I just wonder where time goes…  Yes, it’s been a LONG time since you’ve seen the crazed writings I create on these pages.  Has the silence been golden? Of have you been secretly pining away for more wit and wisdom from the one and only; is it writings from this one that you have been yearning for…?  Or do you really just not care one way or the other and you’re just about to go read something else…?  I guess I’d better get to the topic, huh? I know its ground I’ve covered before, but it’s still a fertile field to … darn, what’s a good word for plow that starts with an “F”…?  How about farm…?  It’s still a fertile field to farm…  There.  I got some alliteration in. But I’m rambling on (again?) about changes and not doing things the “new” way because it’s too difficult.  Or it requires us to think of a different way of doing things that maybe – just maybe – we don’t want to think about.  It’s about adapting to change and dealing with the change that comes along as newer (and better?) ways of doing things come along. OK… since the last time we talked, ...

I just read this article – well – a pair of articles – over on MSN – about the 25 WORST cities for finding a job and the 25 BEST cities for finding a job.  Truly interesting stuff; however the methods used to create the article are – at best – flawed.  The flaw is that they only use the unemployment rates, as compiled and published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics – a federal agency that is responsible for researching and compiling labor economics and statistics… The list of the bad cities includes quite a few cities located in California.  But if you were to look at the list – and if you’re not from California – you’ve probably NEVER heard of many (if ANY) of those cities.  Here’s the list: 1.    El Centro, Calif.        2.    Yuma, Ariz.                3.    Flint, Mich.                4.    Merced, Calif. 5.    Yuba City, Calif.       6.    Modesto, Calif.       7.    Visalia, Calif.             8.    Monroe, Mich. 9.    Palm Coast, Fla.       10.  Stockton, Calif.          11.  Fresno, Calif.              12.  Bakersfield, Calif. 13.  Hanford, Calif.           14.  Redding, Calif.           15.  Muskegon, Mich.     16.  Jackson, Mich. 17.  Rocky Mount, N.C. 18.  Saginaw, Mich.          19.  Madera, Calif.            20.  Detroit 21.  Elkhart, Ind.                22.  Sebastian, Fla.           23.  Kokomo, Ind.             24.  Rockford, Ill. 25.  Niles, Mich. 11 of them are from California.  But, of those 11 – only one is NOT located in the Central Valley area of California.  And the ...

On another one of My readling places - the EDI-L group on Yahoo - and the topic came up about "who pays" for what...  The topic-starter was looking for some kind of "best practices" in the EDI world when it comes to new implementations.  I think a lot of the people are viewing this from the "dating" point of view - that the person who asks for the date is the one that pays for the date...  Basically, if I was to call you up and ask you to go out with Me to dinner and a movie - or drinks and dancing - or supper and se...  wait, keep that one quiet... anyway, if I'm doing the asking, I should be doing the paying... But that's not truly the case when you're talking about EDI.  When it comes to EDI, I'm doing the asking - "Hey!  I'd like to send you our PO and get an ASN and an Invoice back, electronically.  Are you game?" - but you're doing the paying...  At least in My world - the world of retail trade.  I'm requesting you to change the way that we do business and accept My orders for your products electronically - instead of via fax or mail or carrier pigeon or crazy, downtown bike ...