Summary of Operational Progress
(Updated as of July 12, 2002)
Highlights of Progress Made During the First Twenty-One Months
Since the Company Began Operations
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Rate of Growth
Over the First
21 Months
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Total
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| Participating Businesses Added:
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Per Month
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As of 7/12/02
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Buyers |
25
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520
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Foundries |
21
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442
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Suppliers |
9
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196
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Request-For-Quotes* Placed by Buyers
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33
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695
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Foundries Agreeing to Pay Commisions
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8
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167
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Supliers Agreeing to Pay Commissions
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3
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50
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In addition to the accelerating the growth of E-Commerce activities on its site,
the Company also:
- Qualified for Ohio Technology Investment Tax Credit, November 2000, allowing
all Ohio investors to receive 25% tax credit on their investment in the Company.
- * Please note that the RFQ's are all done in a collaborative manner. The
time period between RFQ to P.O. ranges from a few weeks to several months, typically.
Out of approximately 700 quotes for various parts, less than 5% have closed with
over 75 still being quoted, the rest either the need went away or the projects
were cancelled. Also, note that Buyers include 350,000+ manufacturers (just in
the U.S.), sellers include 3,000 foundries in the U.S. (12,000 worldwide) and
suppliers of materials and services are 18,000+ in the U.S.
Highlights of progress (10/3/00 - 7/16/02)
We are proud of what we have accomplished in the first 21 months of operation.
Highlights are summarized below:
- buyCASTINGS, Inc. purchased the buyCASTINGS assets from EMTEC on Oct. 3,
2000.
- Developed all investor Offering documentation - Close Corporation Agreement,
Subscription Agreement, and Disclosure Letter for all pre-seed investors.
- Partnered with ITaC and AGM to redesign the site.
- The metal casting marketplace of the future, with a new look, new logo, and
new features launched at a foundry trade show in Dallas, Texas on Oct. 15, 2000.
- Negotiated partnerships with two legal and one accounting firm for discounted
rates and deferred payment terms.
- Hired a Chief Strategic Officer on a part-time retainer basis.
- Foundries' Terms and Conditions Agreement placed on-line Oct. 25, 2000.
- buyCASTINGS brochures developed & printed.
- Details on how buyCASTINGS cuts costs and adds value for the Buyers placed
on-line Oct. 27, 2000.
- Contracted with an HR firm to handle payroll, healthcare benefits, taxes,
etc.
- Purchased a general business insurance policy.
- Oct. 28, 2000: The following pages were added to the site:
- Foundry Benefits
- Foundries Reduce Cost and Expand Markets
- Supplier Benefits
- Suppliers Reduce Cost and Access New Markets
- Buyer Benefits
- Buyers Cut Costs and Add Value
- Advertising Rates
- Advertising Request Form
- Fees
- Oct. 29, 2000: The following pages were added under Frequently
Asked Questions:
- Buyer/Designer Benefits Through the buyCASTINGS Marketplace, What Are They?
- Buyer/Designer buyCASTINGS Marketplace, What is it?
- Foundry Benefits Through the buyCASTINGS Marketplace, What Are They?
- Foundry buyCASTINGS Marketplace, What is it?
- Supplier Benefits Through the buyCASTINGS Marketplace, What Are They?
- Supplier buyCASTINGS Marketplace, What is it?
- Oct. 29, 2000: The following page was added under buyCASTINGS
NEWS:
- B2B E-Marketplace Launched for the Metal Casting Industry.
- Nov. 6, 2000: A Supplier Agreement Acceptance Form and Supplier Agreement
were added to the Suppliers Section.
- Did a small direct mailing of about 200 "postcards" to Buyers.
- Hired part-time assistant for Dayton-Office.
- Opened a Cleveland based office by hiring a commission-only Sales/Market
Coordinator.
- Began mass e-mail campaign to recruit Suppliers.
- Experimented with sales by trying a couple of commissioned sales reps
- Experimented with marketing by trying direct mailings, mass e-mails, trade
shows, conferences, phone calls.
- Nov. 10, 2000: The following upgrades were made to the site:
- Filed application for tax credit and made a presentation to ITEAC Board.
- Nov. 9-11, 2000: Attended E-Business conference in LA, California and visited
with a potential large Customer/Investor/Partner in San Diego, California.
- Nov. 11, 2000: Ohio approved buyCASTINGS for Investor's Tax Credit.
- Nov. 16, 2000: The following upgrades were made to the site:
- We now accept IonGate payments. This payment method is being integrated into
the site for yearly fee payments.
- You may now purchase and pay for Button Ads, Strip Ads, and Banners in the
Suppliers Universe and Foundry Universe from the Advertising Rates page.
- Nov. 22, 2000: The following upgrades were made:
- Foundries and Suppliers sign-up process revised to include the options to
pay by credit card though IonGate, sending e-mail with a Purchase Order Number,
or requesting an invoice.
- December 11, 2000: The following upgrades made to the site:
- Three new FAQ's were added:
- How buyCASTINGSWorks - Buyers
- How buyCASTINGSWorks - Foundries
- How buyCASTINGSWorks - Suppliers
- The Buyer Agreement Form placed on-line.
- Foundries signed-up with us have grown to 250+ from 200.
- Traffic on the site has increased 40% since we upgraded it.
- Request for quotes: 25 received, 20 in process now.
- We have over 100 registered Buyers.
- 38 Suppliers listed in last 7 weeks, up from 0 in October.
- Signed an agreement with a shipping/freight company to give our customers
a preferred rate as well as a percent commission to buyCASTINGS.
- Presented at the Marketing Managers Meeting of the AFS in Orlando, Nov. 15-17,
2000.
- In discussions with the world's largest product development company to do
all their castings and that of their customers.
2001
- Got free press and articles published in Business News, Internet Week, and
completed a very long series of interviews over the phone for an article to be
published in the Ohio Business Magazine in Jan - Feb 2001.
- Worked with legal to develop, publish, and post the Privacy Policy on the
site.
- Negotiated and completed a comprehensive legal contract with ITaC, AGM, and
the Database consultants to provide technology support for the next three years.
- Ohio Business article featuring buyCASTINGS.com among other startup companies.
- buyCASTINGS Inc. Brings New Business to its Member Companies while Helping
Them Cut Costs - May 7, 2001
- buyCASTINGS Inc. Brings Energy Savings to its Member Companies - June, 15,
2001
- buyCASTINGS Inc. Brings New Business to its Member Companies while Helping
Them Cut Costs, update on company progress - July 24, 2001
- Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 1, completed and sent out to prospects and currently
foundries using buyCASTINGS - October 4, 2001
- buyCASTINGS, Inc. Teams with TechSolve to Help Manufacturers Get Lean by
Applying e-Commerce Tools - November 1, 2001
- buyCASTINGS, Inc. Brings Human Resource Solutions to its' Member Companies
- November 27, 2001
2002
- Just-In-Time Advertisements implemented through e-mails - January 1, 2002
- Second Newsletter mailed to all participants - January 1, 2002
- Sent second newsletter out to 2,500+ companies and 3,500+emailed- January
1, 2002
- Ability to view drawings/CAD files on-line - January 1, 2002
- The Winter 2001/2002 edition of the Newsletter
is on-line - Jan 28, 2002
- A link to the Inaugural Newsletter can be found on the Site
Map.
- February 8, 2002 - Established a Digital Fax - When you submit a Request
for a Quote on a casting and have drawings of the casting, you can now send the
drawings via digital fax which is then processed electronically for posting on
the buyCASTINGS.com Collaborative Engineering Site. The FAX number is listed on
the Directory page.
- BuyCASTINGS.com sets new record for New Visitors per week - 6700 with over
50,000 hits per month.
- buyCASTINGS looks to partner with casting reps - in discussion with several
potential partners to increase sales.
- buyCASTINGS hits the Trade Shows hard - attending and exhibiting at six national
trade shows with over 40,000 attendees - Nov. 2001 to Feb. 2002.
- April 3, 2002 - Visit the Collaborative-Concurrent
Engineering Site via the Buyers page or the
Site Map.
- April 8, 2002 - We welcome Lori Devoe to the buyCASTINGS.com staff.
- April 9, 2002 - The Upcoming Events
page has been updated. From the Industry
News page, please visit FoundryOnline.com for the latest developments in the
casting industry and in materials and process technologies. You may now access
a list of Foundry Equipment for Sale
from the Surplus Equipment page in the Product Showcase.

- May 3- May 7, 2002 - buyCASTINGS Booth at CastExpo - largest foundry show
organized by AFS every 3 years.
- May 20, 2002 - The buyCASTINGS.com Spring/Summer
CastExpo Newsletter is on-line.
- Foundry Member recognizes value in buyCASTINGS:
Interview with Todd Rogers - Sales Manager, Bescast Corp., Willoughby, Ohio
- Cost cutting ideas and opportunities
for buyCASTINGS participating companies.
- May 2002 - buyCASTINGS becomes the world's largest on-line marketplace for
the Metal Casting Industry with over 1000 participating companies.
- May 29, 2002 -
buyCASTINGS.com - A Success Story.
- May 30, 2002 - We welcome Mr. Gary Burrow to the buyCASTINGS.com staff. He
is local to Southern California. Please see our Directory
for contact information.
- May 31, 2002 - For your convenience, we have put up a section to provide
you with Printer Friendly Brochures (PDF Format) on various aspects of buyCASTINGS.com.
Links to this section can be found on the Home Page and the Site Map, Buyer, Foundry,
and Supplier pages.
- June 13, 2002 we welcome Permocast as an advertiser - Aluminum Castings and
Permanent Mold. Permanent Mold is a great alternative to Die or Sand Casting,
providing you, the customer, with high-quality castings at reasonable tooling
and part prices. Please visit their Web site from the Buyers page.
- June 24, 2002 - buyCASTINGS.com --
A New Institute Member With a New Idea for a Casting Industry in the New Millennium
-- Reprinted by permission from INCAST Magazine (Investment Casting Institute).
This article may also be accessed from the New Investors
and buyCASTINGS.com News pages.
- June 28, 2002 - buyCASTINGS submits and provides consulting services on two
federal proposals for funding partner and member organizations.
- July 3, 2002 - buyCASTINGS in discussion with potential partners for outsourcing
sales, for technology functions, and for purchase of castings for buyers who only
want offshore sources.
- July 16, 2002 - Read
Expanding Patternmaking Capabilities, reprinted with permission from the June
200 issue of Modern Casting.
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