Mike, here's the best I can do for the moment, which is to steal from the other thread snippets of the posts that impressed me, all from the last few days:
I have been hearing great things about I2 and their ability to provide huge value to their potential customers in implementing and enabling Internet marketplace-type networks (like the HP marketplace).
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When I look at their p/s multiples relative to these other pure plays, it seems odd that people are betting on the pure plays and not cos. like I2 who have the valuable domain expertise in the overall supply chain market.
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i2 is definitely not ERP
I have been told though that their solutions are easily integrated with real ERP apps like SAP, Oracle, etc. Seems they have a middleware tool that, if evaluated carefully, could perhaps be the best middleware app in the market. I don't think people know much about how strong it is though.
To your other point, they have industry-specific templates that allow a faster impl. period. Also, relative to ARBA and CMRC, they have partnered with RightWorks that provides similar (if not better according to people with more knowledge than I on the subject) functionality on the procurement side.
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No, that is not right.
i2's solutions are based on planning and fulfillment optimization. Some data is sitting in ERP and some isn't. i2 finds the data wherever it is and optimizes the supply chain to create value. Crucial to ecommerce is the fulfillment piece and i2 has the franchise in optimized fulfillment solutions.
Middleware refers to allowing different apps to work together. i2 is a big piece of the pie, not just some glue.
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Lizzie, I know you like i2 so I am aware you know this but just to reiterate, the internet has changed i2 for the better. i2 used to have to go sell to each of a supply chains members (buyers & suppliers) and install software all over the place. You might say that this was too complex but the fact is that they learned a lot about how supply chains work. If i2 wasn't able to adapt, I would say they were a legacy company and the internet changed everything and i2 was caught in the old world. However, i2 gets it. i2 is quite an innovative company and realizes that the idea of a marketplace just made their lives 10x easier. Now all they have to do is host a website which all members log into and their fulfillment solutions can crunch the data and figure out how many widgets you need when, where and how its going to get there. This is huge. The Commerce Ones and Ariba's of the world have no idea how to fulfill complex ecommerce supply chains. i2 is already doing it at Sun and H-P. Its going to be interesting to see how all these transaction revenue dollars are going to be split amongst all the players.
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Tradematrix.com is their new intelligent portal. Its unclear how much ITWO wants to compete for being the CMRC/ARBA piece. i2's view of the world is that the efficient fulfillment of ecommerce is the tough part and they are the dominant player in this. These ORCL/Ford and CMRC/GM announcements were just that - nobody has figured out what is actually going to get installed and end up working. i2 as a partner should make a lot of sense to CMRC and ARBA.
My bet is that there are going to be some huge wins coming for ITWO and ARBA very soon. The skinny on the ORCL/Ford deal was that ORCL basically gave it away and then told everyone to expect big revenues down the road - kudos to ORCL for good execuation and great marketing. CMRC had to give up 20% of the company and make the GM deal exclusive to GM - therefore, they took themselves out of any other automotive deals. I would expect Daimler/Chrysler to now be an ITWO or ARBA or ITWO/ARBA win. ARBA's got some big stuff in the hopper. ITWO is likely to get the fulfillment optimization piece of many of the ARBA or CMRC manufacturing wins. Oracle hates i2 and ARBA so they are going to have to partner with others (however, those partners haven't been announced yet). ORCL will win deals based on price because the others can't compete on that (although CMRC apparently isn't against major dilution and exclusivity from other deals). Good move by CMRC cause they really have nothing to lose. I just wonder how they are going to be able to negotiate future deals from a position of strength after giving GM such a sweetheart deal
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Their business model is already there. The Internet marketplaces they have set up with HP and Sun have this transaction and subscription revenue model in place -- right now as I understand it.
Someone told me Dain Rauscher put out a report that listed i2 as one of the leaders in setting up these eMarketplaces, like the HP one i2 has already implemented.
Stay tuned for more announcements of these types of deals if this is true
So I was impressed by all the above. I wish some of those posters will come over here and maybe Teflon can invite them. They seem very knowledgeable.
Watcha think?
Jill |
