Bestfoods Implements SSA's eBPCS And the Portfolio Solution Globally.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 1999--

Producer of Hellmann's, Skippy, Mazola, Boboli, Entenmann's Brands

Goes Live with BPCS in Nordic Region;

UK Operations to Go-Live on eBPCS in October 1999

System Software Associates (NASDAQ: SSAXD) today announced that Bestfoods Nordic has gone live with BPCS 6.0.04 on IBM's AS/400 at its sites in Kristianstad, Sweden, and Skovlunde, Denmark. Utilizing SSA's Portfolio Solution strategy, Bestfoods' UK is scheduled to go live on eBPCS with Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Configurable Enterprise Financials (CEA) in October 1999, with Multi-Mode Manufacturing (MMM) being implemented at seven UK manufacturing sites beginning in April 2000.

With 170 users at three factories, two distribution centers and two main offices, the implementation included SSA's CEA, MMM and SCM modules. A rollout is planned for two more sites in Nordic next year.

Bestfoods - maker of such household consumer foods brands as Hellmann's, Skippy, Knorr, Mazola, Mueller's, Entenmann's, Thomas and Boboli - is a US-based leading international food company. With annual sales of $9.8 billion, Bestfoods employs 45,000 professionals running 115 plants in 60 countries worldwide.

The Portfolio Solution strategy in action

"SSA offered much better scalability, it was easier to implement, less expensive, and it was also easier to adapt and change after the initial implementation," said Bestfoods Europe Senior Director of Finance, Willem Nijman. "We now have BPCS running alongside Hyperion for financial reporting and consolidation, Cognos for data warehouse querying and report writing, Oracle for financial analysis, and Microsoft Office for office automation."

"The most promising aspect," Nijman said, "is the fact that SSA has been listening to its customers all over the world and is willing to react to their needs and wishes, because that will no doubt have a direct impact on SSA's product and service quality as a whole."

Bestfoods relies on BPCS and eBPCS for unified, consistent business practices throughout its widespread operations. Bestfoods International, Bestfoods Nordic, Bestfoods Benelux BV, Bestfoods Hong Kong, Bestfoods Taiwan, Bestfoods Thailand, Bestfoods Malaysia, Bestfoods Beijing, Bestfoods Italia SPA, Foods - Ireland, Refinagoes de Milho - CPC, Bestfoods Hellas, Bestfoods Rathan Ltd., CPC Amino S.A., and Bestfoods France - all are live on eBPCS or BPCS.

About Bestfoods

Bestfoods, with annual sales of about $9.8 billion, is among the largest U.S. food companies. Bestfoods has operations in more than 60 countries of North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and its products are sold in about 110 countries. It is one of the most international of the United States food companies in terms of percentage of sales and earnings coming from outside the United States. In 1997, nearly 60% of its sales came from outside the U.S.

Bestfoods markets a broad array of leading consumer foods brands, including the following brands with more than $100 million in sales each: Knorr soups, sauces, bouillon's and related products; Hellmann's and Best Foods dressings; Mazola corn and canola oils; Skippy peanut butter; Entenmann's sweet baked goods; Thomas' English muffins; Oroweat, Arnold, and Freihofer's breads; Mueller's pasta products; Maizena corn starches; Boboli Italian pizza crusts; Alsa desserts; Pfanni potato products; and Pot Noodle instant hot snacks.

Bestfoods is the largest fresh premium baker in the US. The company markets its products through retail outlets and its strong worldwide foodservice business, which operates under the name Caterplan outside the United States. Bestfoods operates more than 115 plants around the world and employs about 45,000 people.

About SSA

System Software Associates is a leading worldwide ERP software and services provider with fiscal year 1998 revenue of $421 million. SSA has the largest installed base of ERP systems on the IBM AS/400 platform, has a growing presence on the Hewlett-Packard Unix platform and has aggressively developed an NT product with Hewlett-Packard. Headquartered in Chicago, SSA's principal product eBPCS, serves as a flexible core system that easily integrates third-party software. SSA is solidly entrenched in the industrial sector, providing best-of-industry solutions to the pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, automotive supply, chemicals, electronics, food and beverage, and general manufacturing industries. For more information, visit SSA's Website at www.ssaportfolio.com.

eBPCS is a trademark and BPCS is a registered trademark of SSA. Other products mentioned in this document are registered, trademarked, or service marked by their respective owners.