Supply Chain financial settlement may be enhanced with new Ariba acquisition

In a move to expand its global footprint, Ariba, Inc. announced that it has closed the acquisition of b-process, a privately-held provider of France’s largest electronic invoice network and one of the largest e-invoicing networks in Europe.

According to spokesmen, this will also extend Ariba’s position in the market for e-invoicing software.

The e-invoicing market is in an early stage, with only a small portion of paper invoices being converted at this point to electronic format,” said Tim Minahan, chief marketing officer, Ariba. “And that share is unmistakably expected to grow in the near future.”

In an interview with SCMR, Minahan noted that Ariba and b-process will deliver a platform that enables companies to automate invoice management in more “geographies.”

This is Ariba’s second acquisition in a little over a year, following its $150 million purchase of Quadrem.

Certified by an independent accounting firm to handle value-added tax and invoicing regulatory requirements in 24 countries, b-process delivers a software set for e-Invoicing that is used by large buyer customers across industries, including: Carrefour, EADS, Eurocopter, Gefco, IATA, Marmara, Saint-Gobain and Vinci Energie, The solutions accept invoices in any type of structured format files, including positional, EDI, XML and PDF, allowing buyers and suppliers to connect to the B-process commerce network and begin processing invoices immediately, regardless of the AP, ERP, or other back office systems they are using.

SC
MR