MINNEAPOLIS – June 11, 2008 – Prograde, a Cincinnati-based print distributor that provides integrated marketing and fulfillment services in 48 states and 14 countries, is the first company to go live on Four51's   e-commerce and business management platform. For distributors interested in a no-cost, end-to-end business management system, Four51 has partnered with SAP to deliver a system that combines the Four51 commerce engine with the SAP Business One back-office software.

"This integration takes our workflow and order processing to the next level," said Dan Schroer, president of Prograde. "Our transactions, from the customer's order submission all the way through to fulfillment, are paperless – all handled via a Four51 storefront that's plugged directly into SAP Business One accounting software. Prograde has used both e-Quantum and Webb/Mason's DemandBridge offering, and this level of integration simply can't be achieved with those systems."

Four51 is an open e-commerce platform that connects buyers, distributors and suppliers of indirect goods such as printed materials, promotional products and office supplies. The integration with SAP Business One will improve print distributor operations, inventory management, reporting, and vendor management. SAP Business One is implemented at more than 15,000 small and medium-sized businesses worldwide, and Four51 is used by more than 1,500 print distributors.
 
"Four51's technology has really changed the way we do business," Schroer said. "We've eliminated the need to re-key orders into multiple systems and the need to put a salesperson's hands on every order. Beyond these efficiencies, we now have a better handle on crucial business intelligence that helps us succeed and grow."

Prograde has used Four51's platform since 2001, when e-commerce solutions in the print industry were seen as little more than web-to-print applications for taking orders. Today, progressive companies like Prograde see web-to-print as a valuable feature in a broader supply chain management context, enabling trading partners to conduct commerce efficiently across an open, Internet-based platform.

"It's all about driving dead cost out of the entire supply chain by using technology to move orders efficiently," Schroer said. "Web-to-print and online catalogs are simply a component of a frictionless flow of commerce."