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Product category: Decision support software
News Release from: Webplan Corporation
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 18 December 2003

Accomplishments and strong momentum for
Webplan

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Webplan Closes Year of Key Accomplishments and Heads into 2004 With Strong Momentum

Webplan Corporation, a leading provider of adaptable Operations Performance Management software, today announced that changes made to its business direction in 2003 - including a drive toward delivering exceptional value to manufacturing customers through Operations Performance Management software - has gained acceptance with both manufacturing customers and strategic partners, laying the foundation for growth in 2004 and beyond "Manufacturers need to be more proactive in today's competitive market," said Karen Peterson, Vice President and Research Director, Enterprise and Supply Chain Management, Gartner

"To accomplish this, they need innovative ways to solve supply chain problems and effectively manage their operations performance, allowing them to measure day-to-day decisions against corporate objectives." Today, leading Fortune 500 manufacturing companies use Webplan software to make manufacturing decisions.

Despite the fact that manufacturers have ERP systems and many have Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems, most continue to use batch reports and spreadsheets to manage their operations performance.

This has proven to be an inefficient and error-prone method of supporting decision-making, resulting in reliance on "educated guesswork" rather than accurate analysis to align decisions with strategic objectives.

"What Business Intelligence did for financial decision-making, Webplan software does for manufacturing decision-making," said Douglas Colbeth, President and CEO, Webplan.

"While maintaining a very strong balance sheet, Webplan is undertaking to grow the company to meet its leadership potential in the Operations Performance Management market, a segment of the Enterprise Performance Management market.

According to AMR Research, 'Enterprise Performance Management spending will be strong, supporting market growth of approximately 23 percent.

By 2006, this market should grow to $12.2B.'" (Enterprise Applications Outlook for 2003: The Performance-Driven Enterprise, AMR Research, January 31, 2003) Key Management Additions Webplan has made key management additions to strengthen an already solid team and to fully capitalize on the company's longstanding and proven technology leadership.

In 2003, Douglas Colbeth, former Spyglass CEO, joined Webplan as President and CEO, in addition to his role as Chairman of the Board.

Webplan also added sales and marketing expertise to build on its technology leadership.

Former J.D.

Edwards executive, Ron Ariana, was appointed Executive Vice President, Field Operations, to expand global presence through direct sales and indirect channel programs.

With a track record of building winning marketing strategies that translate end user requirements and market demand into the final product, Randy Littleson, joined Webplan as Vice President of Marketing.

Significant Customer Wins In 2003.

Webplan added market-leading manufacturing companies across several key verticals to their customer list.

These included Coty, a global manufacturer and marketer of personal fragrances, cosmetics, and skin treatments, and Thomas Built Buses, a manufacturer of commercial transit buses, school buses, and specialty vehicles.

The Asia Pacific region has also shown major growth potential for Webplan.

Casio Computer Company, Ltd., Japan, a producer of highly sophisticated consumer electronics, corporate system equipment, as well as electronic components; Giant Manufacturing Company Ltd., Taiwan, the largest bicycle producer in the world; and The Hana Group, one of South East Asia's leading independent Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) providers are among recent additions.

Expanded Distribution Model.

Via Strategic Partnerships Webplan expanded its distribution model to include both direct and indirect sales on a global basis.

Webplan joined forces with Cognos, the world leader in corporate performance management, as a Strategic Technology Partner.

"Manufacturers need accurate and timely information not only at the financial and corporate level, but also at the operational level," said Rob Rose, Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Business Development, Cognos.

"Webplan software delivers a view into operations and the real-time planning capabilities that our manufacturing customers need to make informed strategic decisions and to align day-to-day operational decisions with corporate goals." Agreements were also established and strengthened with several leading VARs in the Asia/Pacific region including Atos Origin and ITRI.

Webplan also developed and strengthened strategic partnerships with leading technology organizations including Cognos, Intel, Microsoft Japan, Red Prairie, and Agile.

These partners will strengthen Webplan's value proposition in areas of product, integration, scalability, and sales.

Prestigious Awards In 2003.

Webplan was recognized for maintaining its strong position in the market.

It was awarded Start Magazine's Technology and Business Technology Enabler Award for its leading-edge solutions used by the Raytheon Integrated Defense System to solve their business challenges.

In addition to this award, Webplan was named to the Branham 300, an annual review of the top Canadian Software Organizations; the MSI Magazine's Top 100 Software Vendors, and iSource Business Magazine's list of Top 100 Enterprise Software Providers.

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