– OpenText, a global leader in Enterprise Information Management (EIM) announced that Bestop, a manufacturer of soft tops and accessories for Jeep Wrangler and other sport utility vehicles, has selected OpenText to manage its digital supply chain. Using OpenText B2B Managed Services, Bestop will be able to connect all of its customers through the OpenText Trading Grid in order to build and grow its business network for enhanced supply chain visibility.

Founded in 1954 as a small trim shop, today, Bestop Inc designs and manufactures automotive soft tops and accessories for small sport utility vehicles, such as the Jeep Wrangler and several other automobiles, selling to original equipment manufacturers and in the automotive aftermarket. Recently, Bestop underwent a change in ownership when controlling interest in the company was sold to private equity firm Kinderhook Industries. Having previously relied on B2B integration services from its parent company, after the divestiture Bestop, Inc needed to implement a new solution quickly to connect its trading partner network. “We knew we needed a solution that would allow us to continue to interact with our trading partners and not disrupt our current supply chain,” said Darren Pastore, IT director at Bestop. “With a proven track record in the automotive industry and past business experience with OpenText, we knew the company could offer exactly what we needed to stay on track.”

The OpenText team worked closely with Bestop and became valued advisors to the company. The team guided Bestop through its B2B integration process, concentrating on meeting the key service and performance factors.

Pastore noted, “Our relationship and rating with our customers is critical to the success of our organization. With OpenText, we anticipate a seamless transition from our current provider with zero business disruption. OpenText also offers several services that may provide value to our organization going forward.”

In addition to OpenText B2B Managed Services, Bestop will leverage OpenText Active Documents, an application for the OpenText Trading Grid, to track the status of all of the EDI and XML documents exchanged with business partners. Active Documents tracks and records each step in a document’s lifecycle, eliminating the “black hole” often associated with B2B integration.

Pastore concluded, "Although we are just getting started, the project team has been proactive, responsive and friendly as we prepare for project kick off. We look forward to a successful implementation and go live.”

OpenText Managed Services leverage OpenText™ Trading Grid™, a powerful cloud-based B2B integration network for enterprises to connect to their business partners quickly, securely and efficiently. OpenText Trading Grid is highly scalable and can manage the digital business for an entire multi-national B2B ecosystem or handle a smaller subset of selected projects, regions, or trading partner relationships. Part of the OpenText Cloud, OpenText Trading Grid allows companies to exchange documents using EDI, XML, fax, and email to automate purchase-to-pay business processes. The OpenText Cloud processes over 18 billion transactions per year for more than 64,000 customers around the world.

The OpenText Cloud is a key element of the OpenText EIM strategy, enabling organizations to discover and manage information to spur growth and innovation and decrease time to competitive advantage. The platform consists of comprehensive and integrated product suites including Content Suite, Process Suite, Experience Suite, Discovery Suite, Information Exchange, and Analytics.