"The company is launching six B2B portals by March 31, 2001," Satyam Webexchange president Ram Mohan AV told The Financial Express.

The six B2B portals slated to be launched in the next two months will coverareas like machine tools, maintenance, repair and operation supply (MRO), office supply, international trade, electrical equipment and a portal for application service providers (ASP), he said.

The company is launching a B2B information technology enabler for machine tool business, `MachineWebex.com' during the eight-day machine tools and manufacturing exposition at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi commencing from January 15. "The portal will be inaugurated by finance minister Yashwant Sinha on January 16," he added.

"The B2B e-marketplace, developed by Satyam Webexchange with the support of Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA). The portal will provide an e-marketplace and a collaboration hub that together support a true collaborative commerce framework for the manufacturing industry," IMTMA president Shrinivas G Shirgurkar said. The portal will provide an ideal e-commerce platform and an international exposure to the Indian machine tool industry, he said adding that about 400 members of IMTMA will be able to take advantage of the B2B portal.

B2B platforms will not only save transaction time but also help manufacturers to interact with both their suppliers and customers, Mr Mohan said. Satyam Webexchange is already operating seven B2B portals. "Our portals are catering to the need of various sectors including auto, chemical, plastic and the tea industry," he said.

Mr Mohan said that the company was currently having three B2B portals providing various industry related services. "`FormsIndia' is a portal where one can access various government related forms. while the B2B portal, `Seek&Service' is dedicated to provide services related to industrial supplies, `FirmSeek' is a site which provides legal, accounting and income tax related services," he added.

Speaking about the revenue model, Mr Mohan said: "The registration fee is a source of revenue, initially. But the business transactions will eventually become the major source of revenue." The company charges a fee for every transaction carried through the portal.