B2B E-Commerce Newsletter - May 3, 2011

The B2B E-Commerce Newsletter consists of the best articles, including the links to the original source, that I come across in my daily research on issues related to global e-invoicing, EDI, B2B E-Commerce, e-billing and cloud procurement.  I hope you find it useful.

Now for the news:

Ninety-seven percent of businesses believe that effective use of e-invoicing would help companies to achieve operational efficiency but adoption is hampered by the inability to offer suppliers the possibilities to transact electronically and suppliers being forced to use multiple portals


http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110406005742/en/Basware-Businesses-Globally-Cite-E-Invoicing-Key-Unlocking

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Western Union and 3i Infotech, an information technology and business process outsourcing (BPO) company, have signed an agreement to deliver complete electronic billing and payment solutions to clients of both companies.

http://payments.banking-business-review.com/news/western-union-3i-infotech-to-deliver-e-billing-and-payment-solutions-050411

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City governments within Massachusetts have adopted e-billing programs for the delivery of real estate and property bills.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110405005632/en/Paper-Tax-Bills-Replaced-E-Bills-Time-Massachusetts

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Swiss federal communications office Bakom has introduced electronic bills with effect from 01 April. Bakom customers can use the e-bill function if they have an online account with PostFinance or a bank. Bakom is the first government office to offer the e-bill service, which will be rolled out across all federal administrative offices by end of 2012.

http://www.telecompaper.com/news/bakom-launches-electronic-billing-for-customers

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The first quarter of 2011 has been very successful for the Estonian Post eInvoicing Centre compared to the same period last year, with turnover increasing by nearly 300 percent.  The operator said that public sector entities were playing an important part in the growth of e-verification with hundreds of companies already using the service.

http://www.hellmail.co.uk/postalnews/templates/postal_industry_news.asp?articleid=2911&zoneid=3

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In a recent European conference survey, a poll demonstrated that an overwhelming majority of corporations are now demanding e-invoicing services from their banks.

http://www.finextra.com/community/fullblog.aspx?blogid=5167

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J.P. Morgan said that its global Order-to-Pay e-invoicing and payment processing (EIPP) network grew nearly thirty percent in the past year, indicating that businesses are increasingly seeing the value in automating accounts payable processes.

http://www.4-traders.com/JPMORGAN-CHASE-4831/news/JPMORGAN-CHASE-J-P-Morgan-s-Order-to-Pay-Network-Crosses-100-000-Supplier-Threshold-as-More-Business-13592137/

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Water Bureau officials in Portland, Oregon are trying to switch to monthly electronic billing statements in an attempt to cut down on expenses.


http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/2011/04/45_million_water_meters_are_no.html

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Corporations in Europe are asking banks to provide electronic invoicing services.  Also, 85 percent of corporations would adopt electronic invoicing if their banks had e-invoicing capability.

http://www.ebillingnews.com/general/articles/corporates-demand-e-invoicing-from-banks.html

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There is a widespread understanding that e-invoicing leads to operational efficiency.  However, because many networks between company and client do not support e-invoicing integration, rapid growth in this technology has been hampered.

http://www.basware.com/News_and_Events/News/Pages/BusinessesGloballyCiteE-InvoicingasKeytoUnlockingOperationalEfficiency.aspx

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Companies like FEDEX and UPS are supporters of electronic billing as it allows clients to more easily review orders, is less expensive than mailed receipts, and promotes “green” business practices.

http://www.corpmagazine.com/technology/green/itemid/3786/electronic-invoicing-supports-green-lean-shipping

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North America is dominating the world in electronic invoicing practice.  However, Europe is likely to take the lead in coming years.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/e-invoicing--e-billing---from-evolution-to-revolution-118827439.html

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Hubwoo a leading global provider of Cloud Procurement services powered by SAP® software, and Crossgate, a global leader in business-to-business (B2B) integration and e-Invoicing compliance, has announced the launch of a strategic global alliance.

http://www.crossgate.com/about-crossgate/press-item/article/hubwoo-and-crossgate-announce-global-alliance/

Recent Articles and Podcasts by Kevin Benedict

Business Network Transformation and EDI Revisited
EDI and B2B Expert Podcast Series: Hubwoo's Rinus Strydom, Part 1

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Kevin R Benedict EDI and e-Invoicing Veteran, SAP Mentor, Analyst and Blogger
Join the SAP EDI and SAP Information Interchange group on Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2884582&trk=anet_ug_grppro

*Full Disclosure: I am an independent consultant that has worked with and for many of the companies mentioned.