SeeCommerce Provides Retailers Early Warning of Supply Chain Performance Problems.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

FMI Show 2004

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2004

SeeChain 5.0 Analytics Engine Pinpoints Demand, Inventory and Forecasting Exceptions in Mountains of Point of Sale and RFID Data

SeeCommerce, the supply chain performance management company, today announced SeeChain 5.0, which enables retailers and consumer packaged goods suppliers to avoid costly out-of-stocks, overstocks, and forecasting errors. SeeChain 5.0 allows businesses to be alerted to supply chain performance exceptions that would otherwise remain buried in the huge volumes of data generated by Point of Sale (POS) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems. In addition, SeeChain 5.0 speeds up supply chain problem root cause analysis and resolution with new visualization and collaboration capabilities. SeeCommerce will demonstrate SeeChain 5.0 at the 2004 FMI Show (booth 3381).

SeeChain 5.0 helps prevent out of stocks by allowing retailers to constantly monitor key performance indicators (KPI) including shelf level in-stock percentage, forecast accuracy, and supplier performance. For example, when a promotional item's 'sell-through' measure materially lags or exceeds forecast, SeeChain automatically notifies all decision makers in the supply chain (retailer and suppliers). In addition, the SeeChain notification provides links to root cause data from operational systems so appropriate corrective actions can be taken as soon as changes in performance occur.

Avoiding Demand and Inventory Surprises

To anticipate and take action on unexpected fluctuations in store and item inventory and demand levels, SeeChain 5.0 features an enhanced data analysis and correlation engine that can process twice as much data per second compared to SeeChain 4.5. This capability enables retailers to quickly identify key store-level patterns from vast POS and RFID data warehouses, prioritize appropriate action plans, and more effectively react to problems and opportunities. SeeChain automatically alerts managers when pre-defined performance thresholds are violated, and provides links to root cause data that enables managers to address impending shortages or overstock conditions before they can negatively impact business performance.

Visualizing Supply Chain Problems

To accelerate root cause analysis and problem resolution, SeeChain 5.0 combines performance alerts with a visual representation of the company's internal and external supply chain hierarchy. This capability enables managers to rapidly assess and resolve performance issues by viewing alert details and accessing underlying operational data from the same web browser window.

In addition, SeeChain allows performance alert details - along with dynamic links to the supply chain hierarchy view - to be forwarded directly to authorized users inside and outside the company via HTML email. This allows co-workers and suppliers to instantly view and access, directly from their email client, performance exception information within the global context of the company's supply chain.

"Identifying and responding early to inventory and forecast performance exceptions can be the difference between avoiding big write downs and capitalizing on major revenue opportunities," said Parviz Hooman, senior vice president of research and development for SeeCommerce. "SeeChain 5.0 provides automated facilities that can pinpoint needles in the haystack of POS and RFID data stores to allow retailers to avert out-of-stocks, write-downs, and correctable forecast problems."

Collaboration Enables Front-Line Data Gathering

For faster front-line input on the source of supply chain problems, SeeChain 5.0 allows managers to document and take corrective action on performance threshold violations in four new ways:

-- Enter unstructured text

-- Specify a reason code

-- Apply a rating scale (e.g. from 1 to 10)

-- Or directly modify transactional data

User input data entered in SeeChain enables companies to identify emerging trends in supplier performance by aggregating key performance metrics such as reason codes and ratings.

Availability

SeeChain 5.0 is available immediately from SeeCommerce and its business partners worldwide.

About SeeChain

SeeCommerce enables business managers and trading partners to manage and continuously improve business performance across complex supply chains. The suite of SeeChain applications drives performance management, organizational collaboration, supply chain synchronization and workflow coordination throughout the entire supply network. The applications include SeeChain Supplier, SeeChain Demand, SeeChain Materials, SeeChain Production, SeeChain Inventory, SeeChain Fulfillment, SeeChain Logistics and SeeChain Financials.

About SeeCommerce

SeeCommerce is a leading provider of supply chain performance management applications. The company's products enable business managers and trading partners to continuously manage and improve business performance across complex supply chains. SeeCommerce customers are leaders in the automotive, electronics, and retail/consumer goods industries including Circuit City Stores, DaimlerChrysler, Flextronics, and Herbalife. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, SeeCommerce distributes its products through an international network of direct and indirect sales channels. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.seecommerce.com.

SeeChain, and the SeeCommerce design of an eye are registered trademarks and service marks of SeeCommerce. Unless otherwise noted, all other trademarks, service marks, and logos are the trademarks, service marks or logos of their respective owners.