Transora Showcases Results From Pilot Auctions; Plans To Roll Out Services By the End of the Year

Transora teams with FreeMarkets and eBreviate to bring together nearly 40 industry suppliers to fulfill bids for H.J. Heinz Company, Procter & Gamble and Sara Lee Corporation

CHICAGO (November 15, 2000) Transora, the leading global business-to-business eMarketplace serving the consumer goods industry players, today released results from two pilot auctions for investor companies H.J. Heinz Company, Procter & Gamble and Sara Lee Corporation. In separate auctions executed by eSourcing specialist eBreviate and eMarketplace provider FreeMarkets, the pilot results illustrate Transora's plan to roll out procurement and product catalog services by the end
of 2000.

"These pilots are among many that Transora has underway to test technology and supporting services Transora is bringing to the consumer packaged good industry. We have additional tests
going on of our technology in areas such as on-line order management and Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and ReplenishmentÒ (CPFR)," said Judy Sprieser, Transora CEO. "We're pleased with the level of participation and the flawless execution of the transactions these pilots have demonstrated."

Honey Auction
Executed by FreeMarkets as a trial for Transora, more than 25 suppliers participated in a honey auction for companies including H.J. Heinz in both North America and Europe. FreeMarkets leveraged its technology, global database of suppliers, sourcing information, and market making services to enable suppliers to bid on a contract to deliver millions of pounds of honey in their regions. The auction yielded average savings of nearly $US1 million on the buy, which is valued at just over $US4 million.

"The results of this pilot auction clearly demonstrate the value FreeMarkets can bring to exchanges. The FreeMarketsâ B2B eMarketplace has a proven track record of delivering substantial savings to buyers on a wide range of goods and services, including core commodities such as honey," said Jason Reneau, director of consumer business at FreeMarkets. "We're very pleased to deliver the same results to Transora and its member companies that we've delivered to consumer goods and other Global 1000 companies since 1995."

Printed Materials Auction
Twenty-seven suppliers participated in an indirect auction of printed materials executed by eBreviate for Sara Lee, Procter & Gamble and H.J. Heinz. Using multi-currency tools, suppliers from seven European countries placed more than 450 bids in their own currencies. All told, the total spend was $US2.3 million. The consumer packaged goods companies are expected to save 22 to 25 percent over their typical procurement procedure for these indirect materials.

"The multi-currency tools eBreviate introduced to the Internet negotiation were integral to its acceptance by both suppliers and buyers," said Niul Burton, Co-Founder & President, eBreviate. "It's a 'win-win' situation because now suppliers are achieving success using the online procurement process and Transora's investors have established a European supplier pool."

By working through Transora, suppliers will gain access to a much larger customer base and benefit from lower procurement and customer acquisition costs through a full range of services.
Manufacturers will benefit from improved customer service with retailers and wholesalers. Pilot results show that retailers and wholesalers will be able to simplify their ordering process and
improve order accuracy. All participants in the value chain will benefit from increased connectivity, enhanced automation and improved inventory management.

Transora Services
Looking forward, Transora's goal is to provide other value-added services, including Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and ReplenishmentÒ(CPFR), linking manufacturers, retailers and suppliers at many points across the value chain. Among the companies who have made significant investments in Transora are The Coca-Cola Company, Diaego PLC, The Earthgrains Company, Kraft Foods, Inc, The Procter & Gamble Company, H.J. Heinz Company, Sara Lee Corporation, Parmalat and Unilever, NV.

Currently, Transora is hosting several symposiums in the U.S and Europe to enable suppliers to understand and make the best use of Transora's services. Earlier this month, Transora hosted its third U.S. symposium at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Future symposiums are scheduled at the Austria Centre in Vienna on Wednesday, November 29 and at the Catalonia Palace of Congresses in Barcelona on Thursday, December 7. For more information on symposiums, visit www.transora.com.

About FreeMarkets
FreeMarkets is the leading B2B eMarketplace. FreeMarkets combines its industry-leading technology platform with unparalleled sourcing information and world-class services to deliver huge savings to customers. FreeMarkets has executed over 6,800 online auctions for more than $US10.5 billion worth of goods and services to date, and created estimated savings of nearly $US2.0 billion for its customers. The FreeMarkets B2B eMarketplace enables buying organizations to source products from more than 150 supply verticals. More than 7,000 suppliers from over 55 countries have participated in the FreeMarkets B2B eMarketplace. The Company also operates FreeMarkets Asset Exchange, the leading B2B eMarketplace for surplus assets and inventory. FreeMarkets can be found on the Web at www.freemarkets.com. FreeMarkets is a registered trademark of FreeMarkets, Inc.

About eBreviate
eBreviate, an EDS company, combines leading-edge technology, with market-driven content and in-field services to deliver the best eSourcing solutions to global businesses, governments, and net markets. Located in Walnut Creek, California, with regional offices in Plano, Texas and London,
England, eBreviate enables purchasing organizations to become razor sharp and rigorous in what they buy, from whom they buy it, and under what commercial terms. eBreviate's integrated and automated eSourcing processes take out time, cost, and inefficiency from the procurement cycle. This automation brings greater productivity and accountability to purchasing, while optimizing the way buyers and suppliers qualify, negotiate, and evaluate their business relationships. eBreviate can be found on the Web at www.ebreviate.com.

About Transora
Transora is the world's largest open, standards-based business-to-business (B2B) e-marketplace for the global consumer products industry. Comprised of more than 50 major industry consumer packaged goods companies, Transora allows all industry participants -- suppliers, manufacturers and retailers/distributors -- to optimize value chain operations and improve total business productivity via the Internet. Transora will unleash companies to do what they do best. To find out more about Transora, visit www.transora.com.

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