Companies With Complex Supply Chains and Multiple Locations Extend Processes Beyond The Warehouse; Optum Customers in a Range of Industries Find Collaboration the Key to Enabling, Coordinating and Optimizing Operations.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Citing additional customer demands, outsourcing, channel complexity, RFID mandates and other pressing issues, supply chain executives responsible for complex warehouse environments are looking to on-demand, open-standards supply chain execution solutions from Optum to enable, coordinate and optimize business processes.

In a recent Client Advisory Board (CAB) conference, customers representing a range of industries from jewelry and retail to jet engines and automotive parts met for two full days to discuss Optum's current offerings and to collaborate with Optum executives and product managers to realize even greater efficiency in their operations.

"Optum has always worked closely with us, as a partner, to help us meet our business goals and serve our major customers in our supply chain," said Merv Tarde, CIO at Interstate Batteries, an Optum customer. "We look forward to implementing the solution enhancements discussed at the meeting and plan to participate in the CAB meeting next spring."

Optum's Client Advisory Board, made up of more than 50 warehouse and logistics executives, are in constant contact to discuss the future of supply chain execution and help all Optum customers extend supply chain execution beyond the four walls of their warehouses.

The conference included presentations and discussions between Optum's executives and CAB members on a variety of topics important to customers as they seek to remain competitive in the current, fast-paced environment. The conference also included insight from leading analyst firm AberdeenGroup.

"Enterprises must look beyond the four walls of the warehouse in order to meet the pressures imposed by today's extended supply chains and shorter fulfillment requirements," said Beth Enslow, vice president, enterprise research at AberdeenGroup. "Research shows that companies who integrate their warehouse, yard, satellite facilities, contract manufacturers and trading partners see greater efficiency in their operations."

The most recent CAB meeting was the 11th such conference held by Optum over the last five years and the company plans to continue holding them on a regular basis.

"We have a deep commitment to helping our clients integrate, synchronize and manage execution across the extended supply chain," said Kevin Hart, president and COO of Optum. "Our client advisory board has proven to be an invaluable tool for maintaining constant contact with, and feedback from, the companies we serve."

About Optum

Optum is a leading provider of on-demand, open-standards supply chain execution solutions that enable, coordinate and optimize business processes both within the four walls of an enterprise, and across the multi-tier supply chain network. By leveraging Optum's market-leading ECO eXecution Solutions and proven deployment methodology, companies transform their supply chains into highly responsive and adaptive value-generating networks.

Optum has surpassed 1,000 global deployments. Customers include market leaders such as Avnet, Bausch & Lomb, Dillen, Eagle Global Logistics, Home Shopping Network, InterState Battery, Invacare, LearJet, Lucent, NCR, Pier 1 Imports, Rheem, Ryder, StorageTek, TNT, Tyco Electronics, UniSource, VeriFone and Zales.

Optum's more than 20 years of proven supply chain experience, leading technologies and unmatched customer value ensure that companies realize improved working capital control, faster order-to-cash cycles, and a lower cost of deployment and ownership. For additional information, visit Optum on the Web at www.optum.com.