E-Commerce Startup Enables Global Wood Trading

MEDIACOM-RELEASE-LINGUS

LOCAL E-COMMERCE STARTUP ENABLES GLOBAL WOOD TRADING

Christchurch, NZ. 7 March 2000. - A Christchurch e-business claims to be leap-frogging other offerings in the world by providing a sophisticated business-to-business e-commerce platform for the global wood industry.

Created by John and Rodney McVicar, two former executives of the McVicar Timber Group, LIGNUS is an electronic marketplace that enables qualified members to buy and sell wood products online.

"There have been fledgling attempts at creating online wood marketplaces overseas, but most are primitive and clumsy to use. They don't have the ability to transact business between buyers and sellers securely and it is difficult to avoid trampling over valuable existing industry relationships. LIGNUS provides a whole new level of service and is far more mature in meeting the industry's needs," says John McVicar.

Organisations wanting to trade wood register with LIGNUS via their website, and once qualified can communicate, negotiate and conclude business online in a secure managed environment with other members.

"The power and low cost reach of the Internet combined with the depth of wood industry expertise available in New Zealand has allowed us to create an electronic trading platform that we believe will become a significant part of the global wood industry," says Mr McVicar.

New Zealand Timber Industry Federation Chief Executive Wayne Coffey says "LIGNUS promises a major break through in sales and marketing technology for the wood industry.

"With nearly half our timber now going offshore, our log harvest doubling and customers in all corners of the globe, a diverse product like timber is a huge challenge in terms of marketing communications and efficient business.

"Just in time is now fundamental to competing in international markets. Efficiency and speed in matching the needs of buyers and sellers through a system such as LIGNUS means New Zealand wood companies can compete despite our great physical distance from markets.

"We will be encouraging and supporting all of our members in our major markets (New Zealand, Australia and the United States) to work with LIGNUS."

Christchurch software company JADE is providing the e-commerce technology behind LIGNUS, and is running the system on computers at its Christchurch operations centre.

For more information visit www.lignus.com

ABOUT LIGNUS

LIGNUS is an electronic sales and purchasing agent for the global wood industry which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can speak many languages. Members use LIGNUS to get in touch with buyers and sellers all over the world to negotiate and conclude deals faster and easier.

LIGNUS is the most sophisticated online trading platform available today. Designed specifically for the wood industry, LIGNUS uses the Internet as a low cost global network to link members around the world.

The McVicar family have been in the wood industry for four generations. Established in 1945, McVicar Timber Group is one of New Zealand's largest privately owned wood processing and forestry companies. LIGNUS is independent of McVicar Timber Group.

ENDS...

MEDIA RELEASE FROM LIGNUS

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