Concentra Ships New Version Of SellingPoint, The Industry's Most Advanced Technology-Enabled Selling Solution.

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 1997--

Enhancements include an Oracle ERP integration, new versions of

QuotePoint and ProposalPoint, and support for ActiveX automation 

Concentra Corporation (NASDAQ:CTRA), a leading provider of solutions that transform the way companies create and sell products, services and systems, today announced SellingPoint(R) 3.2, an enhanced version of its technology-enabled selling system. SellingPoint 3.2 includes the Oracle ERP Integration, enabling customers to streamline front- and back-office processes by linking SellingPoint directly to Oracle Applications(TM).

"The integration to Oracle's ERP system adds significant value to SellingPoint users," said Bill Hills, senior analyst at Aberdeen Group, a Boston-based research firm. "In addition to first-rate sales configuration technology, they can now take advantage of integration to a leading ERP supplier."

SellingPoint is the best sales solution for all of a company's products, services and systems, from simple to complex. Designed to enable a single sales force to effectively sell a full range of products, SellingPoint enhances the buying experience by instantly providing each customer with the most compelling reasons to buy a company's products. In fact, SellingPoint goes beyond basic configuration to consultative selling, allowing sales representatives to easily assess and provide not just a valid configuration, but the best solution for every customer.

The most significant enhancement to SellingPoint 3.2 is the introduction of the Oracle ERP Integration, which enables SellingPoint to link with Oracle Applications, Oracle's ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. The integration will help Concentra customers reap an additional return on investment in SellingPoint and Oracle Applications by streamlining the bi-directional flow of front- and back-office information to mobile-access SellingPoint users.

SellingPoint, in conjunction with the Oracle ERP Integration, gives salespeople instant access to accurate pricing, product-order and quote information at the point of sale. At the same time, the integration allows order information to be passed instantly to the back office from a salesperson's laptop or PC, speeding the manufacturing process. The integration also lets businesses capture critical data about customers' needs and wants, which can be used to enhance the efforts of almost every division in the enterprise, including marketing, finance, design and manufacturing.

In addition to offering the Oracle ERP Integration, the release of SellingPoint 3.2 offers new versions of Concentra's QuotePoint(TM) and ProposalPoint(TM), SellingPoint applications that let salespeople instantly create quotes and proposals for products, services and systems.

The new QuotePoint features easy-to-use menus that help salespeople quickly find and incorporate appropriate discounts, access spare-part information and create special orders that are not part of the initial configuration. ProposalPoint now offers multiple language support as well as enhanced functionality that lets salespeople easily maintain existing proposals and build proposal templates.

Other SellingPoint 3.2 enhancements include:

-- Sophisticated configuration of multiple units or parts into networks or assemblies. SellingPoint 3.2 builds on Concentra's reputation as the industry leader in solutions for simple to complex products, services and systems by providing the capability to offer the correct individual products (unit-level configurations) within the overarching solution (systems-level configurations). For example, SellingPoint lets salespeople compile the perfect elements of a network-the optimal hubs, routers, switches and the like-then configure how these elements can best work together to optimize the network as a whole.

-- Full support for ActiveX automation. With Microsoft's de facto standard, COM, SellingPoint's use of ActiveX(TM) speeds integrations between SellingPoint and external applications (e.g., two-dimensional drawing packages, Visual Basic applications and legacy automation servers). A new ActiveX control also lets salespeople display drawings of products, services or systems within any application that supports ActiveX, including Visual Basic applications.

-- An enhanced SellingPoint interactive development environment. The improved icons, toolbars and overall organization of SellingPoint's drag-and-drop development environment enables developers to quickly and easily build and maintain product, service or system models.

SellingPoint Modules

SellingPoint brings enterprise-wide knowledge of products and processes to the point of sale so that complex sales operations such as needs assessment, product definition, configuration, financing options, quote and proposal generation, and order submission are streamlined, efficient and accurate. Companies that purchase SellingPoint can expect a number of significant benefits, including rapid training of sales staff, increased sales and profits, reduced order errors and costs per sale, and a rapid return on their investment in SellingPoint. SellingPoint 3.2 offers a complete suite of applications for consultative selling:

-- WebPoint(TM) provides a fully interactive system for unassisted

selling over the Internet. -- QuotePoint(TM) generates multiple product quotations for complex

products, services and systems, including relevant discounts,

taxes, shipping costs, etc. -- ProposalPoint(TM) creates custom-tailored sales proposals. -- CatalogPoint(TM), fully compatible with WebPoint, provides an

easy-to-use environment for searching and ordering products,

services and systems. -- FinancePoint(TM) lets salespeople develop and present customized

purchasing alternatives at the point of sale. -- Generative Specification Environment(TM) lets designers quickly and

easily deploy and maintain SellingPoint and quickly integrate

SellingPoint with other applications.

Pricing and Availability

SellingPoint 3.2, available immediately, is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows(TM) 95 and NT. SellingPoint ranges in price from $2,500 to $5,000 per seat based upon volume.

About Concentra

Concentra Corporation is a leading provider of sales and engineering solutions that transform the way companies create and sell products, services and systems. Companies worldwide in the aerospace, automotive, industrial products and high technology industries are using SellingPoint, Concentra's advanced technology-enabled selling system, to gain a competitive advantage by quickly and accurately meeting each customer's needs. Concentra's ICAD(R) System is a knowledge-based engineering solution that automates product design and engineering from concept through production. Concentra is headquartered in Massachusetts with offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, contact Concentra Corporation, 21 North Avenue, Burlington, Mass. 01803-3301, Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone], [e-mail] or http://www.concentra.com . -0-

SellingPoint and ICAD are registered trademarks; QuotePoint, ProposalPoint, WebPoint, FinancePoint, CatalogPoint, Generative Specification Environment and ICAD are trademarks of Concentra Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Schwartz Communications Concentra

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