SSL INTERNATIONAL DEPLOYS PEOPLESOFT'S DEMAND PLANNING SOLUTION.

PeopleSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq:PSFT) has announced that SSL International, a global leader in healthcare products, has deployed PeopleSoft's Demand Planning solution at 14 of its global locations. As a result, SSL has dramatically improved forecast accuracy by enabling collaborative planning across multiple regions and product areas.

SSL International, a manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, including brands such as Scholl and Durex, employs more than 7000 people in 30 countries. SSL replaced its legacy planning system with PeopleSoft Demand Planning to integrate planning and forecasting. SSL uses PeopleSoft Demand Planning to enable its customers, suppliers and employees around the globe to share forecasts and order information. As a result, SSL's regional users can make immediate adjustments to forecasts and develop a plan that represents an accurate view of total demand. A comprehensive view of demand enables SSL to reduce operating expenses and inventory carrying costs through more accurate management of production scheduling and inventory.

"We believe that forecasting is the foundation of a synchronized supply chain," said Jim Hourigan, vice president of IT and Logistics of SSL International. "Since we deployed PeopleSoft Demand Planning, forecasting tasks that used to take two full days are being completed in half of a day. The accuracy of our forecasts has already improved by 20 percent."

SSL plans to include a total of 32 worldwide commercial units in this new planning process. SSL can fully implement PeopleSoft's Demand Planning solution in six weeks at each location.

"As businesses attempt to achieve higher returns through inventory reduction, the risk of stock outs increases," said Mike Frandsen, general manager of PeopleSoft's Supply Chain Management division. "PeopleSoft's Supply Chain Management solutions help organizations precisely match supply with demand. Intelligent inventory management reduces operational costs without sacrificing customer service."

PeopleSoft Demand Planning is a part of the PeopleSoft Supply Chain Management suite of solutions that also includes Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), Customer Fulfillment Management and Manufacturing.

PeopleSoft (Nasdaq:PSFT) is a leading provider of application software for the real-time enterprise. PeopleSoft pure Internet software enables organizations to reduce costs and increase productivity by directly connecting customers, suppliers, partners and employees to business processes on-line, in real time. PeopleSoft's integrated, best-in-class applications include Customer Relationship Management, Supply Chain Management, Human Capital Management and Financial Management. More than 4,700 organizations in 107 countries run on PeopleSoft software.