Saltare Unveils New Supply Chain Event Management Solution; Leap 2.0 Enables Companies to Optimize Utilization, Maximize Manufacturing Efficiencies and Increase Profitability.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2001

Saltare, Inc., a leading provider of Web-based collaborative supply chain solutions that empower businesses with Decision-Point Intelligence(TM), today announced the availability of Saltare Leap 2.0, an innovative, Java-based suite of applications that offer businesses a more comprehensive and intelligent look into the supply chain.

This real-time optimization solution for supply chain exceptions goes beyond the standard monitor, detect, and notify functionality of traditional supply chain event management tools by adding an intelligent response and execution element called Decision-Point Intelligence -- Saltare's real-time, event-driven, message-based methodology for rapidly identifying and intelligently resolving unplanned events along the extended supply network. By providing the industry's most comprehensive approach to supply network exception handling, Leap 2.0 allows users to maximize efficiencies and utilization, increase operating cash flow and keep strategic inventory, production and logistics plans on track.

"The newly defined SCEM market will take off in 2001, as companies focus on the velocity and agility of their supply chains," said Kevin O'Marah, service director of Supply Chain Strategies at AMR Research in the AMR Research Alert on Supply Chain Management, January 2001. "We believe SCEM will be extremely important as supply chains move from a single enterprise controlling multiple processes to multiple enterprises controlling a single process, distributed across trading partners."

AMR Research predicts that SCEM software will top $185 million in 2001, and conservatively, could represent 13 percent of the total supply chain execution software market, or $1.1 billion, by 2004, which represents an impressive 88 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate. SCEM will be a catalyst to the supply chain management market as users see how to wring more savings out of inventory and other assets in the supply chain.

"Companies are looking for better ways to elevate the performance of the supply network to optimize the utilization of manufacturing and logistics capacity, reduce inventory levels, increase cash flow and maximize revenue," said Dr. Cosimo Spera, CEO of Saltare. "Handling unplanned events rapidly and intelligently can have a significant impact on business. Saltare is delivering Leap 2.0 to allow companies to finally address this critical supply chain issue."

Saltare Leap 2.0

Saltare Leap 2.0 is a Java-based suite of applications that extends the life of traditional supply chain management systems to offer businesses a more comprehensive and intelligent look into the supply chain. Leap 2.0 combines a unique distributed optimization approach with an event-based, peer-to-peer architecture to rapidly identify and then break down complex supply chain problems into manageable pieces. Leap 2.0 then distributes contextual information and optimization capabilities across the trading network, enabling customers and suppliers to determine the right solution for each unique situation to maximize mutual gains.

Leap 2.0 coordinates the execution of five specific types of tasks: measuring and monitoring events across the supply network; alerting relevant parties of unplanned events and exceptions; developing optimized strategies to resolve those exceptions; and coordinating execution of the selected resolution strategy. From basic, real-time inventory visibility to the intelligent resolution of a complex, unplanned event, these tasks are integrated in different combinations to meet the entire spectrum of supply chain event management requirements. Leap 2.0 groups together a number of these task-collections and integrates advanced, situation-specific algorithms, offering three solutions to address the needs of distinct supply network disciplines, including:

      --  Leap Intelligent Procurement Solutions (Leap IPS): For both
        direct and indirect procurement, Leap IPS addresses the
        specific challenges faced by procurement managers. It provides
        a complete set of procurement management and exception
        resolution tools to support a number of purchasing methods and
        inventory management approaches, including: flexible extended
        VMI; CPFR; traditional and dynamic inventory management;
        managing replenishment against long-term contracts;
        negotiating purchases with known or new suppliers or
        conducting negotiations in any number of formats.

      --  Leap Intelligent Manufacturing and Operations Solutions (Leap
        IMOS): Leap IMOS utilizes optimization algorithms that have
        the unique capability of relating a market environment, driven
        by price and quantity, to a production environment managed by
        marginal cost and utilization, enabling companies to address
        capacity planning issues in ways never before possible.

      --  Leap Intelligent Logistics Solutions (Leap ILS): Leap ILS
        utilizes the innovative distributed optimization approach and
        contextual profiling capabilities to intelligently manage
        transportation capacity issues across the extended supply
        chain. Such issues include the optimization of partial and
        full loads, mode selection, re-routing, and in-transit load
        divergence.

About Leap

The Saltare Leap suite of Java-based applications combines a unique distributed optimization process with an event-based, peer-to-peer architecture to provide Decision-Point Intelligence for effectively monitoring, detecting and resolving unplanned supply chain and marketplace events in real-time. Leap offers the ease and intelligence companies need to facilitate controlled-yet-flexible collaboration among strategic suppliers, partners, distribution channels and customers. The product's self-learning agents dynamically adapt to changing market conditions, allowing the distributed optimization process to break down complex supply chain transactions into manageable pieces, and then distribute contextual information and optimization capabilities across the trading network. This enables relevant trading parties to pursue individual objectives within defined constraints and determine the best course of action to maximize mutual gain.

About Saltare

Saltare, Inc. (/sal-ta'-ray/ vb, Italian: to leap forward) is a leading provider of Web-based collaborative supply chain solutions that empower businesses with Decision-Point Intelligence. Decision-Point Intelligence is Saltare's real-time, event-driven, message-based methodology that allows companies to rapidly identify and intelligently resolve unplanned events along the extended supply network. This enables companies to reduce inventory levels, optimize utilization of manufacturing and logistics capabilities, increase operating cash flow and enhance inter-enterprise collaboration between customers, partners and suppliers. Headquartered in San Mateo, Saltare is a privately held company backed by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Sutter Hill Ventures and Weston Presidio. For more information call 650/345-1200 or visit the Saltare Web site at www.saltare.com.