Valdero Introduces Multi-Tier Demand Visibility Application; Manufacturers Now Have the Ability to Respond to Changes in Demand and Manage Inventory in Multi-Tier Distribution Environments.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 2003

Valdero(C) Corporation, a leading provider of Supply Chain Execution software, today announced the release of Multi-Tier Demand Visibility, the latest product in its suite of Supply and Demand Chain Execution applications. The product offers manufacturers an unprecedented advantage -- the ability to get closer to the true picture of customer demand through visibility across complex multi-tier sales and distribution networks. As a result, manufacturers are more responsive and have an opportunity to accelerate revenues; cut excess and obsolete finished goods inventories; and, avoid price protection and stock rotation claims.

"Multi-Tier Demand Visibility offers a new way of managing business for manufacturers with very complex, multi-layered distribution channels," said S. Singh Mecker, Valdero's president and CEO. "Computer and peripherals manufacturers will benefit from the product, as well as companies in industries such as consumer electronics, semiconductor and medical device manufacturing. It represents a tremendous opportunity for us."

The Benefits of Demand Visibility

Manufacturers are constantly impacted by fluctuations in demand and must be able to quickly adapt to changes in order to minimize potential inventory shortages or excesses because sales forecasts are never 100% accurate, manufacturers need real-time visibility into actual sales information to adjust production and fulfillment activities to get the right products to the right place at the right time.

As Vinay Asgekar reported in AMR's December 2002 Alert, "Many industries, such as High-Tech and Fashion Apparel, have highly volatile demand patterns and are constrained by long lead-times in supply channels. Most of these companies have limited and incomplete views of their channels, products, partners, and inventory positions in the extended supply chains to tap coherent demand indicators, and are plagued by information delays through the channels."

Real-Time Supply and Demand Matching

Valdero has designed a suite of applications that solve the range of problems inherent to extended supply and demand chains. Valdero provides supply chain execution software that enables supply and demand matching by providing real-time visibility and intelligent execution on both the demand and the supply sides. By delivering real-time visibility into inventory positions internally and with suppliers, contract manufacturers and distributors, Valdero's applications help minimize inventory exposure by driving down excess and obsolete levels and ensuring that supply meets actual demand. Operations, manufacturing, supply chain and sales professionals have easy and immediate access to all of the necessary information to run a high velocity and efficient supply and demand chain.

Multi-Tier Demand Visibility fits into a robust series of products that include Supply Demand Matching, and Multi-Tier Supply Visibility. The Multi-Tier Demand Visibility product provides manufacturers with tools to manage products through the demand cycle by:

-- Tracking Distributed Demand - Enables real-time visibility of actual demand across multiple tiers and channels of complex distribution networks.

-- Monitoring Excess Finished Goods - Analyze inventory sell-in and sell-thru to avoid price protection and stock rotation penalties from excess finished goods in multiple distribution channels.

-- Providing Continuous Demand Management - Ability to monitor customer demand throughout your entire distribution channel to improve responsiveness and customer fill rates.

About Valdero

Valdero Corporation (www.valdero.com) is the leading provider of enterprise class software applications for Supply Chain Execution. Valdero creates high velocity supply and demand chains through real-time visibility, collaboration and execution. With Valdero, businesses can reduce excess and obsolete inventory, reduce operating costs and order cycle times. Valdero's solution can be implemented in as little as three months. Applicable across manufacturing companies in the high technology, medical device and consumer markets, Valdero is currently in use at industry-leading companies such as Advanced Fibre Communications (AFC), Extreme Networks, Juniper Networks, net.com, and Enterasys Networks. Based in Palo Alto, California, Valdero is a privately held company backed by premier venture capital firms including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mohr Davidow Ventures, Trinity Ventures, and Integral Capital Partners. For more information visit www.valdero.com.

Note to Editors: Valdero and Intelligent Supply Chain Control are trademarks of Valdero Corporation. All other brand, product, and company names used herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.