BOSTON, MA, PaperExchange.com, the global e-Marketplace and business solutions provider for the pulp and paper industry, today announced its acquisition of BoxDirect.com, the leading e-Marketplace focused on the corrugated container and paperboard packaging industry. The acquisition extends PaperExchange's planning and procurement services to a wider range of suppliers. In addition, buyers and sellers of corrugated packaging will benefit from new e-business information management and work flow tools. With the acquisition, PaperExchangeSM gains access to more than 150 BoxDirect supplier facilities and 400 registered BoxDirect customers, enabling the company to provide new choices and lower transaction costs for its customers. The current BoxDirect platform allows users to receive price quotes on packaging solutions by inputting information about their custom corrugated box jobs. These request-for-quotes (RFQs) are matched with optimal suppliers from the BoxDirect database, each of which has been pre-screened for quality. PaperExchange plans to evolve this platform to provide an array of technology solutions, including inventory management, supply chain management and other on-line tools to increase the efficiency and cost effectiveness of buying and selling packaging products. "This acquisition is a significant step in our company's growth, bringing new users to PaperExchange and allowing us to meet the needs of corrugated packaging buyers and sellers efficiently," according to Duane DeSisto, chief operating officer at PaperExchange. "The addition of BoxDirect enhances the PaperExchange marketplace, benefiting our customers by providing new levels of convenience, direct access to corrugated products, flexibility and choice." Brett Holland, founder of BoxDirect, will join the PaperExchange team. According to Mr. Holland, the acquisition creates the opportunity to create additional business solutions in the near future. "As part of PaperExchange, we plan to develop and deploy exciting new technology solutions to enhance the effectiveness of procurement professionals and the customer service capabilities of converters within the corrugated and paper industry," he said. PaperExchange.com, Inc. is the leading global e-Marketplace and business solutions provider for the pulp and paper industry. Bringing together strong domain expertise of leaders in both paper and paper-related technology, the company delivers a 24-hour-a-day e-commerce environment, providing new levels of efficiency and flexibility for buyers and sellers of all major grades of paper around the world. With members in more than 100 countries, PaperExchange guarantees that all paper transactions are secure, and transaction and membership data is completely confidential. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PaperExchange has offices throughout Europe.