SAP is buying business-to-business e-commerce services provider Crossgate for an undisclosed amount, the company said.
Crossgate is a long term partner of SAP, and boasts 40,000 business partners, with customers including BASF, Olivetti and mobile telco 3.
Its technology enables companies to fully network with trading partners via electronic data exchange (EDI), representatives said.
SAP said the acquisition will allow it to deliver rapid value to customers looking to collaborate, share data and automate processes that link customers, the company added.
Crossgate also boasts e-invoicing services which cover signatures, compliance monitoring, integrated with customers’ backend systems and finance processes, SAP said.
In 2008 SAP invested in Crossgate, which then entered a global reseller agreement that allowed SAP to offer its customers Crossgate’s B2B Content Engine as an SAP solution extension.
SAP has also been reselling SAP E-Invoicing for Compliance application by Crossgate, which allows companies to send and receive digitally signed, compliant PDFs or EDI invoices electronically, sources reported.
Peter Maier, GM, head of Line of Business Solutions, SAP said, “By acquiring Crossgate’s highly differentiated solution, we help our customers extend their end-to-end business processes running on SAP to their customers and partners.”
The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to complete by 1 November.
