FEMSA Logistica and Oracle Establish Strategic Alliance
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2000--Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A. de C.V. (NYSE:FMX) (BMV:FEMSA UBD) ("FEMSA"), announced today that its subsidiary, FEMSA Logistica, has established a strategic alliance with Oracle in order to create the most comprehensive eMarketplace for logistics and transportation in Latin America -- Solistica.com -- to mutually benefit those companies requiring transportation services and those providing transportation services and products to the industry.
At a press conference held during the Oracle Open World event in San Francisco, Ca., representatives of FEMSA Logistica informed that the primary objectives of the strategic alliance between FEMSA Logistica-Oracle, through Solistica.com, are to improve productivity, service levels, and costs throughout the transportation cycle, and to maintain their leadership in the industry by offering FEMSA Logistica's services through the Internet.
For the announcement, Jose Gonzalez, executive vice-president and CEO of FEMSA Logistica, Manuel Lamadrid, CEO of Solistica, and Jorge Villatoro, commercial director of Solistica, were present. Oracle was represented by Fernando Prieto, CEO of Oracle de Mexico, and Javier Cordero, commercial director for industry of Oracle de Mexico.
Jose Gonzalez, executive vice-president and CEO of FEMSA Logistica, stated: "The target market we are pursuing offers enormous opportunities to increase efficiencies, and this is where we are going to contribute and assist these companies."
He added: "Our vision is to offer tools which allow for integrated management of the processes involved in the transportation cycle addressing all of the phases, from planning, execution, and control, to measuring performance and evaluating results. The applications and development that our alliance partners such as Oracle will provide, play a major role in this solution, as well as the visibility and opportunities derived from Internet."
"The alliance Oracle-FEMSA Logistica aspires to give the transportation industry a powerful tool that facilitates business between the major protagonists of the transportation market in the region. With our participation, Oracle seeks to leverage the knowledge of FEMSA Logistica in the transportation businesses to the maximum, incorporating the best practices and e-Business solutions that Oracle offers in Solistica.com; developing, in this way, the best alternative in operation and technology for the business and industrial communities of Latin America," said Javier Cordero, commercial director for industry of Oracle de Mexico.
In addition, Fernando Prieto, CEO of Oracle de Mexico said: "Solistica.com represents the first B2B site for transportation and logistics in Latin America that will provide its clients with a Virtual Market based on the most advanced technology available today; this will integrate carriers, and service and product providers to the shippers, facilitating business transactions among them."
With this strategic alliance, which represents the beginning of a long-term relationship between the two corporations, the presence of a solid support platform and the use of the latest technologies are assured. FEMSA Logistica contributes to this alliance with industry knowledge and experience, broad coverage, efficiency, and infrastructure. Likewise, Oracle offers their leadership in the market of e-Business solutions, software development, and state-of-the-art technology.
FEMSA is the largest beverage company in Mexico, exporting to the United States, Canada, and selected countries in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Founded in 1890, and headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, FEMSA is strategically integrated and operates through the following subsidiaries: FEMSA Cerveza, which produces and distributes recognized beer brands such as Tecate, Carta Blanca, Superior, Sol, XX Lager, Dos Equis and Bohemia; Coca-Cola FEMSA, one of the two anchor bottlers for Latin America, produces and distributes soft drinks including Coca-Cola, Coke Light, Sprite, Fanta, and Quatro.
FEMSA's Strategic Businesses division supports the beverage businesses and is comprised of: FEMSA Empaques (packaging), FEMSA Comercio (commerce), and FEMSA Logistica (logistics).
FEMSA Logistica has more than 30 years of experience in distribution and transportation operations and more than 1,500 employees; it has 19 service centers located throughout the Mexican Republic, directly operating a fleet of more than 1,200 ground transportation units and more than 500 boxcars by railway.
FEMSA Logistica currently provides services to businesses and industries in diverse sectors such as beverages, electronics, automotive, foods, and metals, among others. For more information about FEMSA Logistica, please visit http://www.fl.com.mx.
Oracle provides the software that powers the Internet. For more information about Oracle, please visit http://www.oracle.com.
CONTACT:
FEMSA
Maria Elena Gutierrez, +52/8-328-6243
megutsan@femsa.com.mx
or
Laura E. Solano, 52/8-328-6150
lsolmar@femsa.com.mx
or
Solistica
Jorge Villatoro, 52/8-328-6329
javilari@logistica.femsa.com.mx
or
ORACLE
Luz Maria Murguia, 52/-5-262-5661
luz-maria.murguia@oracle.com