Retarus is the New Ford Certified VAN Provider in Europe

MILAN -

- Ford Restructures EDI Processes

Ford will implement significant changes for its EDI processes at the end of this year. As of January 1, 2010, clients and suppliers must establish EDI connections with Ford via OFTP either on their own or through a “Ford Certified VAN Provider”. Effective immediately, Retarus is one of only five companies throughout Europe that received the “Certified VAN Provider” certification from Ford.

The BT EDI*Net, used by Ford for electronic data exchange, will be deactivated as of 12/31/2009. The X.400 Protocol used until now will no longer be supported and all suppliers must use OFTP for EDI connections in the future. OFTP connections may either be established directly using the corresponding software or via a Ford Certified VAN Provider. When connecting through a Certified VAN Provider, suppliers will be able to maintain their established X.400 connections to Ford, eliminating the need for cost-intensive system upgrades. Retarus is one of only five certified companies in Europe and the sole Ford Certified VAN Provider for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

About Retarus

Retarus has developed and operated managed services for electronic business communication and business process automation since 1992. The portfolio provides for efficient communication processes with maximum levels of security and highest levels of performance. Retarus operates its solutions as a managed service within its high-performance data centers. Retarus’ services are used by over 3,000 international clients across every industry, including Allianz, Adidas, Bayer, Continental, Edeka, Honda, Linde, O2, Puma, Revlon, Santander, Sony, and Zeiss. Retarus employs 185 people; its headquarters are located in Munich. Retarus International: Lyon, Madrid, Milan, Zurich, Vienna. Contact: retarus GmbH, Peter Kopfmann, Aschauer Strasse 30, D-81549 Munich, Tel: +49-89-5528-1404, Fax: +49-89-5528-1401, peter.kopfmann@retarus.de

Source: Retarus GmbH

Contact: retarus GmbH, Peter Kopfmann, Aschauer Strasse 30, D-81549 Munich, Tel: +49-89-5528-1404, Fax: +49-89-5528-1401, peter.kopfmann at retarus.de