Off- highway, online

The Big Three automakers made big news in February by announcing the formation of a single Internet portal for conducting business-to-business e-commerce-“B2B.” Although no such megaportal exists for the off-highway industry, a number of separate Internet sites offer similar services to the agricultural and construction segments.

Call it the “Big One”: Covisint, a B2B integrated supplier exchange through a single global Internet portal created Feb. 25 by the Big Three-Ford, General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler.

Temporarily titled NewCo, the joint venture was formally christened Covisint on May 16. The name Covisint (pronounced KOvisint) is a combination of the primary concepts of why the exchange is being formed, the principals said in a press release: “Co” represents connectivity, collaboration, and communication; “Vis” represents the visibility that the Internet provides and the vision of the future of supply chain management; “Int” represents the integrated solutions the venture will provide as well as the international scope of the exchange.