LONDON - WaterDesk.com Europe, an Internet based business-to-business
global marketplace for the water industry, announced today that its site
is live and has completed its first transaction between Wessex Water,
a highly rated water and wastewater company, and a supplier of MRO equipment
that is listed on the WaterDesk.com site.
"We are very excited that WaterDesk.com Europe has gone live and is completing
e-commerce transactions for UK customers," said Shaun Kingsbury, managing
director of WaterDesk.com Europe. "We have an expansive UK catalogue of
products and services available on our site and intend to quickly bring
other buyers and suppliers to our marketplace."
In addition to completing the transaction, WaterDesk.com has linked to
the Wessex Water back office system and automatically updates Wessex's
accounting, procurement and delivery systems each time a transaction occurs.
"We are pleased to bring e-procurement to Wessex Water and believe there
are a number of efficiencies to be gained by using the WaterDesk.com system,
including lower administrative costs and a reduction in the potential
for incomplete or inaccurate order forms, which can add to project delays
and costs," said Colin Skellett, CEO of Wessex Water.
WaterDesk.com is an Internet based business-to-business global marketplace
designed to greatly improve procurement efficiency and revolutionize the
way the water industry interacts. WaterDesk.com currently offers two desks
in the global marketplace - MRODesk and EquipmentDesk. MRODesk offers
procurement of maintenance, repair and operations equipment and supplies.
EquipmentDesk supports procurement transactions requiring dynamic pricing,
to include auctions and reverse auctions.
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This press release includes forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Although Azurix believes that its
expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance
that these expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations
reflected in the forward-looking statements include, among other things:
the ability to enter new water and wastewater markets in the United States
and in other countries; the timing and extent of deregulation of water
and wastewater markets in the United States and in other countries; regulatory
developments in the United States and in other countries, including environmental
and tax legislation and regulations; the timing and extent of efforts
by governments to privatize water and wastewater industries; the extent
of success in securing new service contracts, acquiring water and wastewater
assets and developing and managing water resources, including the ability
to qualify for and win bids for water and wastewater projects and contracts;
the ability to access the debt and equity markets during the periods covered
by the forward-looking statements, which will depend on general market
conditions and our credit ratings for our debt obligations; and other
factors identified in Azurix's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
