Data2Logistics, Transentric Form Strategic Alliance; Better Access to Shipment Data Will Save Money for Rail Customers.

Business Editors

FORT MYERS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 22, 2003

Data2Logistics LLC, a Platinum Equity company that is the nation's leading provider of freight audit and payment services and highly specialized rail services, has signed a strategic alliance with Transentric LLC to provide services that will offer better access to rail shipment data and save money for its customers.

Transentric, a leading provider of electronic connectivity, supply chain management and software services, will provide Data2Logistics and its customers with access to its Web-based shipment visibility solution, ShipmentVision(TM).

"This agreement will greatly benefit our rail customers, because we'll use the data mined from Transentric to recover rail car mileage revenue due to them," said Harold B. Friedman, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Data2Logistics. "An alliance with an experienced technology leader like Transentric provides Data2Logistics and our customers with enhanced capabilities in the intelligent messaging arena. It will allow us to operate more efficiently and improve the services we provide to our customers."

With Transentric's Web-based tools, Data2Logistics will be able to easily obtain rail car location messages (CLM) for its rail car mileage revenue management services. It also will improve data collection and documentation for dwell time analysis for managing consignee detention and for the audit of rail car demurrage and storage charges.

"Our rail freight cost containment business is now positioned to improve rate negotiation services based on visibility to our customers' trip histories and product volumes mined from Transentric's data," Friedman said.

Data2Logistics' customers also will be able to sign up for Transentric's ShipmentVision, which will allow them to have their shipments proactively traced and receive ETAs or alerts if delivery times will not be met. This product may be used for motor carrier shipments, as well.

With this alliance, Transentric's transportation customers will be able to use Data2Logistics' services, which include rail car mileage revenue management, rail freight overcharge recovery, consignee detention management and demurrage and storage charge auditing.

"Transentric's customers will now benefit from the value-added services that Data2Logistics can provide based on the visibility to the valuable data that we capture," said Jim Damman, president of Transentric. "Our customers now have a single source for shipment visibility, fleet optimization solutions, revenue recovery services and rail freight cost containment services."

Data2Logistics

Data2Logistics (www.data2logistics.com) recovers, controls and reduces shipping and freight costs through freight bill processing, pre-audit and payment, post-audit and information management. Data2Logistics, headquartered in Fort Myers, Fla., serves more than 1,000 clients, including many Fortune 1,000 companies, in dozens of industries. The company processes more than 120 million freight bills worth over $10 billion annually. Data2Logistics spends a significant percentage of its annual revenues on technology and has developed advanced, Web-enabled freight data processing, analysis and reporting tools. It is a Platinum Equity company.

Transentric LLC

Founded in 1987 and located in St. Louis, Transentric specializes in solving complex business integration and supply chain management issues. Transentric's software and services provide shipment and inventory visibility by delivering critical real-time information to trading partners. Delivering highly flexible business integration solutions, Transentric makes it simple for organizations to exchange information with one another. Transentric customers include Starbucks, Quaker Oats, CSX and Landstar. For more information about Transentric products and services, visit www.transentric.com.

Platinum Equity

Platinum Equity (www.platinumequity.com) is a global M&A&O(SM) firm specialized in the merger, acquisition and operation of mission-critical services and solutions companies. Since its founding in 1995, Platinum Equity has completed over 40 transactions, building a portfolio of 19 market-leading companies with 18,000+ employees, more than 600,000 customer sites and revenues approaching $4 billion. In 2002 Platinum Equity was named the 44th largest private company by Forbes.