NTE UNDERGOES MAKEOVER, ACQUIRES OPENSHIP

NTE UNDERGOES MAKEOVER, ACQUIRES OPENSHIP    The National Transportation Exchange, or NTE, on Monday introduced initiatives to strengthen is position in the ground-transportation industry.
   Those initiatives include:
   * Moving from a merge-in-transit company in the spot market, into a total transportation execution engine for companies that want to improve how they buy and sell transportation services.
   * Introducing Alternate Placement Service, which allows customers to move all freight tendered to NTE.
   * Acquired OpenShip, a Virginia-based developer of e-commerce solutions that has targeted the same companies as NTC. In the process, NTC acquires the Moai software license that OpenShip obtained last year. The software provides request for quote, contract management, reverse auction and rate optimization that will extend NTE's capabilities, the company said.
   NTE has also expanded its distribution channels through alliances with Yantra and FreightMatrix.com, logistics and software providers who are developing e-marketplaces which NTE said are in need of transportation execution solutions. NTE has already reached similar alliances with SAP Markets and Manugistics.