Baker Petrolite Selects DIcentral Corporation as Technology Partner to Manage Electronic B2B Data Exchange

Cites Breadth of Control and Calls Speed of Implementation a "Minor Miracle"


HOUSTON, July 30, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- DIcentral Corporation, a leading provider of hosted B2B data integration services, announced today that Baker Petrolite, a division of Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE:BHI), has selected them as a technology Partner.

Baker Petrolite needed to switch data integration providers, choosing DIcentral over its competitors for its ability to provide a level of user control comparable to on-site translation, speed of implementation, and the ease with which DIcentral's technology can adapt and expand over time.

"The fact that DIcentral was able to implement our Business Partners so quickly was a minor miracle," said Nancy Brown, Baker Petrolite's EDI Coordinator, "but DIcentral also greatly extended our PRISM system with an unparalleled level of user control. If I need to make changes to a file, a process that traditionally took days to complete, I can now search, correct and upload the new version within an hour using the DIgateway interface."

This increased control directly affects invoice aging, the timeframe from billing to payment. EDI itself shortens this aging over traditional invoicing, a process further streamlined by DIcentral's toolset.

"There is a direct correlation between increased control and aging," said Ms. Brown, "and DIcentral definitely helped shorten the EDI aging."

Thuy Mai, CEO of DIcentral Corporation, said, "DIcentral's B2B Integration platform helps companies to communicate with their Business Partners, enabling energy companies to cost-effectively automate and streamline business processes with their supply chain partners through the use of the Internet.

"With our hosted Internet services, Baker Petrolite can conduct e-commerce with its large Business Partners, and can connect in the future with many small and mid-sized vendors who are unable to afford the expensive financial and personnel resources associated with most other e-business solutions."

DIcentral Corporation is a privately held, venture-funded company with full-service facilities in Houston and an additional office in San Diego. DIcentral's Total B2B Data Integration Solution enables corporations of any size to achieve business-to-business (B2B) data integration without switching costs, without the investment in localized software and hardware technology, and without the costs of ongoing maintenance and management of B2B relationships.

Baker Petrolite (BPC) is a world leader in providing chemical technology solutions to the global hydrocarbon recovery and processing industries. BPC also consistently delivers value to customers in the steel, mining, utilities, agriculture, adhesives, plastics processing, paints and coatings businesses.

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CONTACT: DIcentral Corporation, Houston
         Peter Edlund, Manager/ Business Development and Sales
         (281) 480-1121 x106
         pedlund@dicentral.com 
         www.dicentral.com
 
         Baker Petrolite, Houston
         (281) 276-5400
         www.bakerhughes.com/bakerpetrolite