BEIJING, China, May 3 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Ninetowns Internet Technology
Group Company Limited (Nasdaq: NINE), China's leading provider of online
solutions for international trade, today announces that it has entered into a
strategic partnership with Thomas Publishing Company, LLC's subsidiary Thomas
Industrial Network, Inc. ("Thomas"), developer of catalog publishing solutions
for industrial manufacturers, service providers, and distributors. Following
Ninetowns' recent vertical search engine acquisition, this new partnership
with Thomas is another synergistic step in the development of Ninetowns'
business-to-business ("B2B") vertical search strategy, and enhancement of our
position to become the leading B2B search and service provider in the
international trade marketplace.
This strategic partnership is expected to enable manufacturers and service
businesses in China to publish detailed product and service information on
Ninetowns' developing B2B search and service platforms. Users can expect to
access this information via customized, searchable catalogs online, allowing
these businesses to compete more effectively in the global market across
numerous industry categories, as well as significantly increasing the amount
of qualified search inquiries. The catalog publishing technology developed by
Thomas and licensed by Ninetowns has already been deployed by many customers
in the United States, and combines sophisticated catalog display and search
capabilities that can easily be manipulated by individual customers while
generating significant online marketing advantages.
Ninetowns' Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Shuang Wang commented, "This
partnership builds on Ninetown's foundation of focused vertical search
technology gained through our recent acquisition, and our extensive experience
in providing international trade e-filing services. The synergies from our
partnership with Thomas provide us with a clear competitive advantage in the
B2B market and will enable us to expand our future service offerings for our
users. We look forward to capitalizing on the new opportunity presented by
the partnership with Thomas, while remaining committed to our core strategy of
leveraging our dominant market position and customer base, maintaining the
value of our B2G offerings and generating new revenue streams through our
next-generation B2B search platform."
Thomas' VP of Business Development, Erik Mikisch said, "Chinese
manufacturers, like many U.S. companies, have not fully taken advantage of
available technology to effectively market online to prospects and customers
worldwide. For these Chinese companies to grow, it is critical to have
detailed and meaningful information available to engage and connect with
potential buyers 24/7."
About Thomas Publishing Company and Thomas Industrial Network
Thomas Industrial Network, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Thomas
Publishing Company, LLC. For over a century, Thomas Publishing has been
dedicated to providing industrial buyers and engineers with the product,
service and supplier information they need to make informed purchasing
decisions. This information was provided in print and, since 1995, on the
Internet. Using best practices in industrial website development, Thomas
creates websites for industrial companies with searchable online catalogs, e-
commerce capabilities, and downloadable CAD drawings. Thomas also publishes
the Internet's leading vertical destination sites for buyers of industrial
products and services. Several million visitors each month on the various
Thomas websites, including http://ThomasNet.com, represent decision-makers
from companies of all sizes, Fortune 500 companies, the government, and the
military.
About Ninetowns Internet Technology Group Company Limited
Ninetowns (Nasdaq: NINE) is the leading provider of online solutions for
international trade, with its key services in automating import/export e-
filing, as well as in providing effective and efficient business-to-business
search. Ninetowns has been listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange since December
2004 under the symbol "NINE". More information can be found at
http://www.ninetowns.com/english
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release include forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use
of forward-looking terminology, such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend,"
"estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "project" or "continue" or the negative
thereof or other similar words. All forward-looking statements involve risks
and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, customer acceptance and
market share gains, competition from companies that have greater financial
resources; introduction of new products into the marketplace by competitors;
successful product development; dependence on significant customers; the
ability to recruit and retain quality employees as the Company grows; and
economic and political conditions globally. Actual results may differ
materially from those discussed in, or implied by, the forward-looking
statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this
release and the Company assumes no duty to update them to reflect new,
changing or unanticipated events or circumstances.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Helen Wu or Ms. Lisa Zheng
Investor Relations
Ninetowns Internet Technology Group Company
(+86-10) 6588-2256
ir@ninetowns.com
Investor Relations (US):
Mahmoud Siddig, Director
Taylor Rafferty
+1 (212) 889-4350
ninetowns@taylor-rafferty.com
Investor Relations (HK):
David Dambro, Director
Taylor Rafferty
+852 2167 2006
ninetowns@taylor-rafferty.com