Ford reportedly said on Monday it was phasing out an internet-based purchasing software system after four years of trying to develop and integrate it with the automaker’s existing systems.
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“We are going back to the proven legacy systems that are still in place,” Ford spokeswoman Joan Witte told Reuters. “We made a business decision.”
Witte reportedly declined to reveal the amount Ford invested in purchasing and developing the software called eVEREST, which has been used to manage Ford’s business with automotive suppliers including purchases and payments.
Ford spent over $US200 million on the project, weekly trade publication Automotive News reportedly said on Monday, quoting sources familiar with the project. It also said auto suppliers had complained the software was slow and flawed, Reuters noted.
Witte, however, told the news agency that feedback from suppliers was not the only reason for scrapping eVEREST, which was provided by Oracle Corp. in 2000.
“There were many factors involved in our decision,” Witte reportedly said, but she did not give details.
Oracle spokeswoman Karen Tillman told Reuters the software firm continues to support Ford on its technology projects.
“Given our desire to honour a non-disclosure agreement in effect, it would be inappropriate for Oracle to comment on any specifics,” Tillman reportedly said, referring to the eVEREST system.
About 300 to 350 people working on the eVEREST project will be reassigned to other technology projects, Witte told Reuters.
