Pohong Iron and Steel Company -- POSCO -- Receives `Ken Sharma Award for Excellence' in Implementation Breadth and Depth Category.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 24, 2001

Recognized for Industry Best Practices in Value Chain Transformation

Pohong Iron and Steel Company (POSCO), based in Seoul, Korea and one of the world's largest steel companies, was today awarded the 'Ken Sharma Award for Excellence' in the Implementation Breadth and Depth category. POSCO was honored by i2 Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ITWO), the leading provider of dynamic value chain management solutions, the i2 User Group and Meta Group (Nasdaq:METG) for best practices in value chain transformation.

Named in honor of Ken Sharma, an i2 co-founder and one of the original visionaries of value chain management, the awards recognize companies and project teams involved in breakthrough best practices in all major industries around the globe. The award was open to the more than 1,000 customers with i2 deployments either planned, in progress or completed. A panel consisting of industry analysts from META Group reviewed the applications and chose winners in 10 categories.

"The POSCO Process Innovation project involves 11 modules of the i2 Supply Chain Management (SCM) solution, making it the largest number of modules installed in one steel company in i2's history," said Hiten Varia, i2 chief delivery officer. "The scope of the project signifies the dedication POSCO has to improving order promising accuracy and reducing order fulfillment lead-time for its customers."

POSCO was recognized for the positive impact the solutions implementation had on the depth and breadth of its value chain business processes and IT capabilities. The steelmaker shared the award with Toshiba Semiconductor Company and Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.

Other 'Ken Sharma Award for Excellence' winners were Solectron Corporation for Collaborative eCommerce; Metso Minerals for Customer Service; The Boeing Company for Value Tracking Methodology; Cypress Semiconductor for Joint Development; Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. for Overall Value; Caterpillar Inc. for Overall Vision; Gambro for Global Transformation; VF Corporation for Innovation; and Kawasaki Steel for ROI/Time to Value.

About Ken Sharma

Vice chairman of i2 from 1988 until his death in 1999, Ken Sharma's impact on the development of supply chain planning and the future of e-business continues to resonate today. Throughout his career, Sharma worked to define and refine the concepts of global optimization, multi-enterprise planning, master planning and supply chain planning.

His leadership and vision not only helped to make i2 the top provider of intelligent e-business solutions, but also to change the paradigms by which industries understand concepts such as supply chain planning and technology. Most important, even as Sharma changed the face of business, he never flagged in his dedication to customers. He said, "This work of mine has been a great source of satisfaction. If I've been able to help at least one person, that will be enduring."

About META Group

META Group is a leading research and consulting firm, focusing on information technology and business transformation strategies. Delivering objective, consistent, and actionable guidance, META Group enables organizations to innovate more rapidly and effectively. Our unique collaborative models help clients succeed by building speed, agility, and value into their IT and business systems and processes. Connect with www.metagroup.com for more details.

About i2

For more than a decade, i2 has been a leader in supply chain management. i2 has extended its technology and expertise to Dynamic Value Chain Management -- solutions to help companies collaborate on decision-making processes not only across functions within a single company, but across multiple companies. i2 solutions span the value chain interactions, including customer relationship management, supply chain management and supplier relationship management. Established in 1988, i2 is the only software solutions provider that measures, audits, and reports total value provided to its customers, with a mission to deliver $75 billion in value by 2005. Learn more at www.i2.com.

i2 is a registered trademark of i2 Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

About the i2 User Group

The i2 User Group is a volunteer organization made up of nearly 500 companies and their employees. Founded in 1997, the i2 User Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the issues and needs of the users of the entire suite of i2 products. Through networking and educational opportunities, the i2 User Group provides members countless opportunities to share information and experiences on the selection, implementation and effective use of i2 products. The i2 User Group will feature Ken Sharma Award for Excellence winners and their best practices on its website at www.i2-usergroup.org.