Business-to-business e-commerce software and services provider Global eXchange Services Inc. announced Thursday the $30 million acquisition of HAHT Commerce. The deal is expected to close next month.
HAHT develops demand chain software. GXS, formerly part of General Electric Co.s chain of businesses, operates a huge B2B e-commerce network that manages 1 billion transactions a year for more than 100,000 trading partners.
What HAHT will bring to the table is software capabilities for product information management and data synchronization—or product lifecycle management, as its referred to in other industries—to help retailers manage product information from “concept to consumer,” GXS officials said, in Gaithersburg, Md.
With the addition of HAHT, GXS plans to deliver a combined suite that includes software to integrate data into and out of back-end systems and management tools to enable accurate publishing and syndication of product information, in addition to its current transaction and trading partner enablement capabilities.
With more companies collaborating electronically on product information with partners and suppliers, data synchronization has become an increasingly important issue—particularly as companies look to move away from expensive electronic data interchange and value-added network file transfer to standards-based Internet transactions.