Emptoris Spends to Cut Costs

Emptoris Inc. is bolstering its sourcing automation software with new procurement capabilities gained in its acquisition of Zeborg Inc.

Terms of the acquisition, announced last week, were undisclosed.

New York-based Zeborg brings a focus on indirect spending to Emptoris, which has a fairly strong customer base in manufacturing where there is a need for tools to deal with procurement of goods used in production. Emptoris Sourcing Portfolio software identifies and prioritizes sourcing savings opportunities and tracks contract compliance and supplier performance.

Emptoris, of Burlington, Mass., is planning a tight integration between its namesake line of sourcing software and Zeborgs ExpenseMap spend management software over the next few months.

The integration will enable users to identify and prioritize sourcing savings opportunities, develop best-practice strategies for savings, execute sourcing activities designed to reduce costs, and track compliancy to corporate sourcing goals and policies, officials said. At the same time, an expanded development group should bring some new technologies to market.

With the acquisition of Zeborg, Emptoris will essentially double its revenue base, bringing its customer list to about 50 companies. With that, Emptoris will be positioned as one of the largest strategic sourcing software providers in the industry, according to Avner Schneur, president and CEO of Emptoris. With Zeborgs focus on retail and financial services, the acquisition will also give Emptoris inroads to new vertical markets, officials said.