For Immediate Release

EMERYVILLE, CA - October 23, 2000- TechniCon Corporation, a leading provider of customizable eCommerce software, today announced that the company will make available contract office furniture through the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform. TechniCon, an Ariba Ready supplier, has joined Ariba Supplier Link, the Ariba supplier partner initiative designed to make goods and services readily available to corporate buyers and B2B marketplaces on the Internet. Through its open Ariba Commerce Services Network, the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform provides TechniCon with a single, Internet-based point of access and integration with buyers and marketplaces worldwide.

The Ariba Commerce Services Network also provides TechniCon and its customers with seamless integration to efficient trading mechanisms and Internet-hosted commerce processes such as content management services, global supplier directories, sourcing tools, B2B auctions and reverse auctions, electronic payment and streamlined transaction services. TechniCon has also passed the requirements to become Ariba Ready, the Ariba initiative for communicating the integration capabilities of suppliers and other trading partners accessing the Ariba Commerce Services Network.

"Companies and dealers are looking for easier, electronic ways to order highly complex and variable products like contract furniture," said Jim Osberg, Vice President of Sales at TechniCon. "The combination of our industry leading CustomCommerce software and Ariba, offers corporate employees the ability to configure, visualize, and select approved office furniture over the web."

"We are pleased to welcome TechniCon to the rapidly growing number of supplier companies participating on the global Ariba B2B Commerce Platform," said Cindy Elkins, senior director, Supplier and Content Solutions, Ariba. "By making contract office furniture from multiple manufacturers through TechniCon readily available to all organizations on the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform, TechniCon will provide its customers with the opportunity to conduct business more efficiently and to reap the global economies of scale of B2B eCommerce."

In addition TechniCon has announced that it will collaborate with Ariba on the continued development of Commerce XML (cXML), an open Internet standard for exchanging supplier content and transaction information between buyers, suppliers and B2B marketplaces. TechniCon will use cXML to make its CustomCommerce Electronic Catalogs available via the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform.

By integrating cXML into its website software suites, TechniCon will be able to leverage its eCommerce investments and maintain differentiation by making its eCommerce capabilities, content and brand presence directly accessible to its customers through Ariba Commerce Services Network. The Ariba solutions unique cXML "punchout" feature enables seamless integration between the buying process powered by the Ariba B2B Commerce Platform and TechniCon's web based sales process, providing a complete end-to-end solution.

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TechniCon is a service mark of TechniCon Corporation. Ariba is a registered trademark and Ariba B2B Commerce Platform and Ariba Commerce Services Network are trademarks of Ariba, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.