Scientific marketplace OneZone says it’s not troubled by the closure of the New Zealand Ariba office.
The marketplace, which was launched late last year, is based on Ariba software, but OneZone head Catherine Calarco says most of her dealings have been with Ariba’s Singapore and US offices.
“It’s business as usual,” Calarco says, following the decision this month to shut Ariba’s two-person New Zealand operation.
OneZone has grown to have 22 suppliers and eight buyers with more than 1200 end-user purchasers. They’re in the health, education and research sectors and, according to Calarco, they’re doing “hundreds of thousands” of transactions a month.
Suppliers include Corporate Express, Dick Smith Electronics and Whitcoulls.
A buyer triallist is Gisborne Hospital, whose supply manager, Rex Richards, expects the marketplace to streamline purchasing. “We are using Onezone on a trial basis and so far have found it user friendly and feedback has been positive,” he says.
The University of Auckland, meantime, is moving from a trial of the marketplace in the arts faculty to a full rollout.