General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) today announced a new major initiative to help its minority suppliers compete successfully in the fast-moving world of business-to-business e-Commerce. The GM Supplier Diversity Group’s Exchange Enabling (e2) program will provide a number of systems and services geared toward helping its more than 600 minority suppliers to make full use of the power of the Internet.
“This is a major initiative that will help GM’s minority suppliers close the technology gap and help them succeed in the B2B world,” said Harold Kutner, group vice president, General Motors Worldwide Purchasing. “It is another example of our Supplier Diversity Group’s comprehensive approach to supporting minority business enterprises.”
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The new program will offer suppliers technical and financial resources that will help them connect to GM’s proprietary e-Commerce initiative, GM TradeXchange, which was announced late last year, as well as providing connectivity to the Internet. Planned support includes assistance with the acquisition of necessary computer hardware and software, connectivity support, catalog creation and training. In addition, resources will be offered to allow minority suppliers to manage more sophisticated ongoing e-Commerce operations.
GM’s partners in this program include Commerce One, the Empowerment Foundation, and Direct Sourcing Solutions, Inc. (DSSI). Commerce One and GM will work together to provide the software infrastructure required to enable minority suppliers to fully participate in the GM TradeXchange at a substantial savings. The Empowerment Foundation will assist with distributing donated PC equipment (refurbished and Internet ready), catalog development and maintenance services, training, project management and ongoing administration. DSSI will provide technology and process consulting services.
“DSSI and the Empowerment Foundation are pleased to offer comprehensive assistance to the minority community in a way that offers ongoing benefits. We not only want these suppliers to succeed in today’s B2B world but to excel,” said B.P. Thacker, president of DSSI and founder of the Empowerment Foundation.
“General Motors is the recognized leader in developing initiatives to support minority business enterprises,” said Mark Hoffman, president and CEO, Commerce One. “As part of the Supplier Diversity Group’s e2 program, Commerce One will support GM’s minority suppliers by making our industry-leading B2B infrastructure and solutions available to them.”
“For some minority suppliers, there have been financial, technical and knowledge barriers that have prevented them from engaging in B2B e-Commerce,” said Dave Bing, president and CEO, The Bing Group and a member of GM’s Supplier Diversity Council. “This program helps remove those barriers and significantly increases opportunities for minority business enterprises to succeed in the new economy.”
