News on 25 September 2000
Global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, has partnered
with b2b e-commerce company Zeborg, to attack the $190 billion facilities
operations market in the US.
The two companies say that the new venture, FacilitiesWork, will create
the first e-commerce marketplace designed to deliver product savings and
operational efficiencies in facilities operations.
FacilitiesWork will combine the purchasing power of Cushman & Wakefield’s
facilities management operations with Zeborg’s proprietary technology
and procurement expertise. More than a procurement web site say the partners,
FacilitiesWork will provide "sophisticated proprietary analytical
tools and monitoring capabilities to generate and sustain significant
cost reductions in indirect goods and services associated with facilities
operations. Clients will receive data-rich reports on their purchasing
performance and … gain greater control over their bottom line."
"As a growing global company, Cushman & Wakefield deals with
the challenge of maintaining thousands of properties with decentralized
purchasing of facility maintenance supplies and services," said Tom
Falus, president of Cushman & Wakefield’s Strategic Ventures
Group, "Zeborg was our clear choice of partners to help us derive
value from this inefficient marketplace. By creating FacilitiesWork, we
will dramatically improve the procurement process for C&W, other property
management companies and organizations across many industries."
FacilitiesWork is scheduled to begin operating on a limited basis next
month, with additional products and services expected in January 2001.
Zeborg says that instead of just relying on cost reductions from reduced
paperwork and faster cycle times, the company uses complex pricing mechanisms
for each market to generate and sustain significant reductions in product
costs.
Cushman & Wakefield plans to roll out a number of B2B e-commerce initiatives
over the next 24 to 48 months. It has already announced the European launch
of a real estate initiative (see News story).
- Read the views of William Florence, Healey & Baker's Head of Corporate
Management, on the internet and real estate in i-FM's new FM
Technology section.
www.cushwake.com.
www.zeborg.com.
