Cincom announces expanded technology and marketing relationship with Oracle.

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 1996--

-- Cincom(R) joins Oracle's Cooperative Applications Initiative(TM)

-- Cincom's Business CONTROL(TM) Applications to be integrated with

Oracle Applications(TM)

-- Cincom works with Oracle's CAI to offer "best of breed"

solutions to manufacturers of highly engineered products

The BUSINESS CONTROL SYSTEMS(TM) group of Cincom Systems(R), Inc. today announced that it has signed an agreement with Oracle(R) Corporation that includes Cincom in Oracle's Cooperative Applications Initiative (CAI).

Cincom, a leading solution provider of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for manufacturers of highly engineered products, will provide its customers a rich variety of software that complements and adds value to Oracle's products.

Through the CAI, Cincom will work with Oracle to deliver integration between its business CONTROL application software and Oracle Applications. Customers can create a comprehensive, yet focused solution that targets their specific business needs.

Benefits of the CAI Program

In today's business world, customers need solutions to complex problems -- solutions that no single company's application can provide. While Oracle Applications satisfy most customers' requirements in the areas of financial, manufacturing, and personnel management, Oracle works with companies such as Cincom to deliver other critical, industry-specific components of the enterprise solution.

"We are excited to be working with Cincom to deliver world-class manufacturing applications," said Polly Sumner, vice president of Worldwide Business Alliances for Oracle. "Most importantly, this relationship delivers the true value of open, scalable systems to users and provides them with an extended range of business solution functionality."

Under the terms of the CAI program agreement, Oracle will provide development support to Cincom for Oracle Applications and related products. Cincom will develop applications that integrate with Oracle Applications and deliver these products to manufacturers in their markets.

Winning Business in the Global Marketplace

Cincom's CONTROL:Acquire(TM) is a suite of applications that enables a client to manage the business acquisition process from initial prospect identification through generation and production of the final proposal or quotation, and on to Oracle's manufacturing, order entry and costing applications. The suite consists of four components: Configurator Workbench, Estimating, Proposal Management, and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Planner.

Supporting the Highly Engineered Marketplace

Cincom's CONTROL is a portfolio of manufacturing applications that addresses the complete business cycle of companies that build highly engineered products. CONTROL is a complementary product to Oracle Manufacturing(TM) and Oracle Financials(TM).

Positioned for the Make-to-order, Make-to-project, and Engineer-to-order environments, CONTROL fits into an Oracle Applications product portfolio that, along with GEMMS(TM) from Datalogix(R), covers most of the manufacturing spectrum.

The capabilities of CONTROL to automate the planning process for disassembly and repair provide particular benefits in support of DoD logistics.

Highly engineered products are those configured or assembled on a client-specific project basis. Highly engineered industries include: aerospace, defense equipment, complex electronics, instrumentation and control, machinery, heavy equipment, telecommunications, power engineering, transportation, and repair and refurbishment. Cincom will work with Oracle to deliver solutions to this demanding arena.

Best of Breed

"Oracle's choice of Cincom as a CAI member for highly engineered markets confirms to us what hundreds of very successful customers have already proven," said Tom Nies, president of Cincom Systems, Inc. "Since Oracle is determined to provide `best of breed' solutions to the markets it serves, Cincom is pleased that Cincom's CONTROL is part of the solution for highly engineered manufacturing companies. More and more companies are implementing Oracle and Cincom to help them face global competition, dramatically lower costs, and become more responsive to the demand for shorter product cycles. Working closely together, Oracle and Cincom will now jointly offer a comprehensive solution for these companies."

About Cincom Systems, Inc.

Cincom has been developing and marketing quality software for more than a quarter of a century and is now among the world's largest independent software companies, serving clients in 72 countries. Cincom software applications integrate the information needs of business to support individual and enterprise-wide decision making. The company provides flexible, scalable applications for the complete business cycle from initial inquiry through configuration, estimating, quotation, proposal, manufacture, assembly, and installation to post-sale activities. Cincom also offers complete solutions for object-oriented and fourth-generation language application development, client/server and object-relational database, workflow automation and document solutions.

Cincom's portfolio of business applications, products and services supports business needs of companies who manufacture highly engineered products -- especially those that assemble, build or engineer to customer specifications. For more information about Cincom and its products, contact the company by e-mail at [e-mail], by phone at 800/543-3010, or visit the company's World Wide Web site at http://www.cincom.com.

BUSINESS CONTROL SYSTEMS, Cincom, CONTROL, and CONTROL:Acquire are trademarks of Cincom Systems, Inc.

Oracle, Cooperative Applications Initiative, Oracle Applications, Oracle Manufacturing and Oracle Financials are trademarks of Oracle Corporation. GEMMS is a trademark of Datalogix International, Inc.

CONTACT: Cincom Systems, Inc., Cincinnati

Ron Hank, 513/662-2300

E-mail: [e-mail]