BDP launches comprehensive upstream Vu of international order execution

PHILADELPHIA and SINGAPORE, November 18, 2009 - BDP International has expanded the capabilities of its Web-based BDPSmart customer service portal with an application that provides procurement and inbound logistics managers with unparalleled visibility of each milestone in the life cycle of a purchase order.

With BDPSmart Vu, importers can globally manage their vendors and suppliers upstream from one central site. All of a customer's internal organizations can now participate in the management of the order including buying agents and personnel in sales, finance, logistics and regulatory affairs.

BDPSmart Vu is designed to help facilitate and illuminate origination activities, communications and functions related to inbound orders, reduce per-unit costs and ultimately improve users' competitive position in the marketplace. It complements BDP Smart, a customer service portal the company launched in 2008. BDP Smart provides strategic information as well as tactical frontline decision support information in one accessible place. It allows customers to visualize the logistics process and provides a suite of performance measurement reports.

BDPSmart Vu will provide upstream visibility of information about the status of purchase orders, including the critical initial stages, which can contain inaccurate data with regard to handling, shipment contents and classification, breaches in the specifications of purchase order agreements and inefficient use of transport equipment, said BDP President and CEO Richard J. Bolte, Jr. The absence of visibility and early warnings of exceptions can mean missed deadlines and lost revenues. Conversely, upstream visibility of suppliers' performance raises the value of the procurement and inbound logistics functions from tactical to strategic.

Providing more comprehensive information for importers, their origin suppliers and BDP personnel,Vu will remove repetitive work tasks, errors, unnecessary production of paper copies, faxing and mailing to multiple locations and other time and cost factors associated with the purchase order management portion of the international order execution process.

Vu features a personally configurable dashboard and intuitive navigation to real-time data, including products ordered/remaining volumes, case quantities, changes, alerts and exceptions to the specifications of purchase order agreements, container utilization and built-in confirmation of milestones configurable to each user's key performance indicators and operating procedures.

Beta testing among select BDP customers and some 1,300 vendors has resulted in broad-based adoption. The tests confirmed the application's efficiency and ease of navigation, which can minimize or eliminate the need for additional training.

For more information, contact Arnie Bornstein, executive director, marketing & corporate communications, BDP International. Phone: 215-629-8493, 610-247-2430. Email: abornstein@bdpnet.com

About BDP

BDP International is one of the leading privately held freight logistics / transportation management firms based in the U.S.It operates freight logistics centers in more than 20 cities throughout North America and a network of subsidiaries, joint ventures and strategic partnerships in 121 countries. The company serves more than 4,000 customers worldwide. Clients include BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, Loreal, Heineken USA, Honeywell, Johnson & Johnson, Revlon, Trek Bicycle, Wacker, and others. BDP provides a range of services, including ocean, air and ground transportation; lead logistics process analysis, design and management; export freight forwarding; import customs brokerage and regulatory compliance; project logistics; warehousing/consolidation/distribution; and Internet shipping transaction/tracking management systems. For more information visit: www.bdpinternational.com.