ICG Commerce Aids Indalex With Indirect Materials Purchasing

Indalex Aluminum Solutions Group has embarked on a strategic procurement initiative with help from ICG Commerce Inc., a Jenkintown, Pa.-based procurement services provider. The initiative targets Indalex's purchase of indirect materials. The Deerfield, Ill.-based manufacturer, which extrudes engineered aluminum components, wanted to centralize a fragmented procurement function that resulted from a series of mergers and acquisitions, according to ICG Commerce. The procurement services provider helped to both establish preferred supplier relationships and connect buyers and sellers through RealExchange. RealExchange is a fully hosted technology platform that provides all Indalex buyers a single point of access to preferred supplier catalogs and streamlines the buying and payment process. It is integrated with Indalex's J.D. Edwards & Co. and Lawson Software ERP systems. Indalex buyers are using RealExchange to purchase from 28 preferred suppliers in categories that include chemicals, electrical supplies, general industrial supplies, janitorial supplies, lumber, office supplies and packaging. "I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get up and running on RealExchange, and more and more I'm finding that it saves me a significant amount of time placing orders," says Linda Liguori, Indalex purchasing manager. "Once you put your rules and parameters in place, everything flows very smoothly through the exchange." Indalex's near-future plans include implementing ICG Commerce's electronic vendor-managed inventory services, ICG Commerce commented.