Leading industrial distributor leverages Ariba Network to simplify buying for customers; boosts sales 359 percent

Company Website: http://www.ariba.com
LAS VEGAS -- (Business Wire)

The best way to attract and retain customers is to make it easy for them to do business with you. Recognizing this, Lawson Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAWS), an industrial distributor that helps companies improve operational performance , has bolted onto Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the world’s business commerce network.

“eProcurement simplifies our customers’ experience, which helps us strengthen our customer relationships and ultimately build market share,” said Christian Wiltrout, Vice President, Marketing and Product Management, Lawson Products. “Through the Ariba^® Network, we can streamline and enhance the procurement process for our customers and deliver the best possible service to them.”

Used by companies around the world to simplify inter-enterprise commerce and enhance the results that they deliver, the Ariba Network is the world’s largest web-based trading community. Using the network, businesses of all sizes can connect to their trading partners anywhere, at any time from any application or device to buy, sell and manage their cash more efficiently and effectively than ever before.

Lawson Products joined the Ariba Network more than a decade ago at the request of a key customer, and has since leveraged the community to:

• Create state-of-the-art catalogs that streamline the ordering process, fuel contract compliance, increase visibility into the entire order process and help ensure accurate and current pricing
• Deliver eQuotes to reduce order cycle times and eliminate errors
• Enable fast, accurate reconciliation between orders and bills through eInvoicing
• Provide greater exposure of its entire product line to its current customers
• Tap into a global community of buying organizations to drive new business

Lawson Products now serves more customers through Ariba than any other eCommerce platform. “With Ariba, we can onboard customers within 24 hours and begin transacting more efficiently with them. That is a major competitive advantage for us,” Wiltrout said.

“Trends in consumer technology are reshaping the way business buyers think about procurement,” said Jason Kurtz, Vice President, Ariba Network. “They want things to be fast, efficient and easy. But they need to be compliant. Through the Ariba Network, Lawson Products delivers a simplified experience that meets all of these requirements.”

For more information on the Ariba Network and the value it can deliver to your commercial organization, visit http://www.ariba.com/supplier/suppliernetwork/

About Lawson Products

Founded in 1952, Lawson Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: LAWS), is an industrial distributor of more than 300,000 different maintenance and repair supplies. Lawson Products serves its customers through a dedicated team of sales representatives and employees. The Company services the industrial, institutional, commercial and government markets in all 50 U.S. states, Canada and Puerto Rico.

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the world’s business commerce network. Ariba combines industry-leading cloud-based applications with the world's largest web-based trading community to help companies discover and collaborate with a global network of partners. Using the Ariba^® Network, businesses of all sizes can connect to their trading partners anywhere, at any time from any application or device to buy, sell and manage their cash more efficiently and effectively than ever before. Companies around the world use the Ariba Network to simplify inter-enterprise commerce and enhance the results that they deliver. Join them at: www.ariba.com

Copyright © 1996 – 2012 Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, the Ariba logo, AribaLIVE, Ariba.com, Ariba.com Network, Ariba Spend Management. Find it. Get it. Keep it. and PO-Flip are registered trademarks of Ariba, Inc. Ariba Procure-to-Pay, Ariba Buyer, Ariba eForms, Ariba PunchOut, Ariba Services Procurement, Ariba Travel and Expense, Ariba Procure-to-Order, Ariba Procurement Content, Ariba Sourcing, Ariba Savings and Pipeline Tracking, Ariba Category Management, Ariba Category Playbooks, Ariba StartSourcing, Ariba Spend Visibility, Ariba Analysis, Ariba Data Enrichment, Ariba Contract Management, Ariba Contract Compliance, Ariba Electronic Signatures, Ariba StartContracts, Ariba Invoice Management, Ariba Payment Management, Ariba Working Capital Management, Ariba Settlement, Ariba Supplier Information and Performance Management, Ariba Supplier Information Management, Ariba Discovery, Ariba Invoice Automation, Ariba PO Automation, Ariba Express Content, Ariba Ready, and Ariba LIVE are trademarks or service marks of Ariba, Inc. All other brand or product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations in the United States and/or other countries.

Ariba Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995: Information and announcements in this release involve Ariba's expectations, beliefs, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future and are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to Ariba as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to Ariba's operating and financial results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: the impact of the credit crises on Ariba’s results of operations and financial condition; delays in development or shipment of new versions of Ariba's products and services; lack of market acceptance of Ariba's existing or future products or services; inability to continue to develop competitive new products and services on a timely basis; introduction of new products or services by major competitors; the impact of any acquisitions, including difficulties with the integration process or the realization of benefits of a transaction; the impact of our disposition, including the potential disruption of our ongoing business; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; long and unpredictable sales cycles and the deferrals of anticipated orders; declining economic conditions, including the impact of a recession; inability to control costs; changes in the company's pricing or compensation policies; significant fluctuations in our stock price; the outcome of and costs associated with pending or potential future regulatory or legal proceedings; the impact of our acquisitions and dispositions, including the disruption or loss of customer, business partner, supplier or employee relationships; and the level of costs and expenses incurred by Ariba as a result of such transactions. Factors and risks associated with its business, including a number of the factors and risks described above, are discussed in Ariba's Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on February 7, 2012.

Contacts:

Ariba, Inc.
Karen Master, 412-297-8177
kmaster@ariba.com

Source: Ariba, Inc.