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Web sites where workers can collaborate change the game for corporations
by saving time and money on everything from product design to mergers



BUSINESS PROCESS                       PAYOFF



Product Development: Companies         Using a collaborative system at
are making products more cheaply       11 General Motors Corp. factories,
and quickly by using the Web to        the company has cut the time it
synchronize the design process         takes to finish a vehicle mock-up
with suppliers.                        from 12 weeks to two weeks.



Supply Chain: Companies can use        By purchasing food ingredients and
shared Web sites to work closely       other goods via an online service
with contract manufacturers and        that allows it to interact with
suppliers--reducing inventories.       suppliers, H.J. Heinz Co. has cut
                                       its supplier costs by 10%.



Sales Channels: On Web sites,          Toshiba Canada Office Products
companies and their resellers          Group has reduced by half the
share technical information,           time it takes to process orders
conduct employee training, and         handled by its resellers and has
track sales leads.                     cut printing and mailing costs.



Transportation: Logistics ex-          Georgia-Pacific Corp. has saved
changes take the hassle out of         $600,000, or 19%, since June on
delivering goods by offering           a single cross-country route that
quick price quotes, truck avail-       it shares with General Mills Inc.
ability, and shared trucks.



Project Management: Law firms,         Deloitte Consulting can bring a
consulting firms, and banks can        new team member up to speed on
use electronic bulletin boards to      a project within a day or two
manage complex deals and projects.     rather than the three weeks it
                                       used to take.