arcplan, Inc. and Anderson Clayton Corp. Deliver Real-Time Business Intelligence to U.S. Cotton Growers; Web-Based Reporting Streamlines Decision Support, Helps Grower Retention.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

WAYNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2002

arcplan, Inc., a leading developer of business intelligence (BI) solutions, announced the successful deployment of its dynaSight BI platform at Anderson Clayton Corp (ACC). Anderson Clayton is a diversified cotton services company, offering cotton farmers with all services related to cotton processing including: ginning (a process that dries, cleans, removes the seeds, and bales the cotton), financial services, warehousing, brokerage, planting seed and wholesale seed supply.

ACC is using arcplan's dynaSight as a reporting interface to company and industry data stored in several Microsoft SQL servers and data warehouses. ACC's managers use dynaSight to access and benchmark key performance indicators for the company such as data needed to track production of their 18 gins. While the conversion to dynaSight has created dramatic productivity increases internally, Anderson Clayton is most enthusiastic about the platform's benefit to its growers.

More than 65 cotton growers tap into ACC's web repository for real-time market information, such as Grade Recap, Grower Ledger, Ginned/Unginned Loads, and Bale Book. This information is critical to crop planning, pricing strategies and ongoing operations.

ACC's conversion to dynaSight took a mere two months. Internally, "prior to using dynaSight, growers had to request reports on an individual basis by either calling or stopping by their gin. Often, by the time they received this information it would be out of date. Information changes throughout the day as cotton is ginned and financial transactions take place," according to Eric Vollmer, Anderson Clayton's MIS Manager.

"Now, with dynaSight, a grower can be out in the field and notice environmental factors such as pests or soil conditions that may impact the price of the cotton. They can go back to their field office - or in many cases, even check their laptop in the field if they have wireless access - and make adjustments to their operations right on the spot. That's the truest expression of 'real-time' decision support. Our growers have been uniformly supportive about the implementation of dynaSight - it's very intuitive and user-friendly."

ACC has realized numerous internal productivity gains as a result of implementing dynaSight. Prior to introducing dynaSight, it was a cumbersome and complex process for its MIS department to create specialized reports - whether for the growers or for internal users. Now ACC not only has many preconfigured reports at the ready, but should a user request a special report, "It's effortless for staff to create an application," Vollmer says. "dynaSight has helped us to become more responsive to our internal and external customer needs."

Added Vollmer, "We see this service as a way to improve communications with the growers and thus, retain growers. Once you lose a grower it can take three to five years to win them back. It enables ACC to be a more effective - and innovative -- strategic partner. Our growers can now print reports or export data to be used in their own computer systems. The response from our growers has been tremendous and we have been adding growers weekly."

About Anderson Clayton

Anderson Clayton Corp. through its offices and gins in California and Arizona provide farmers with all services related to the processing of cotton. Qualified farmers are financed for crop inputs through ACCO Finance Co. Eighteen gins (Upland and Long-Staple) provide ginning services to financed and non-financed growers. Warehouses in both States hold cotton for growers and merchants, pending sale or shipment. A first class brokerage service in both States (in Arizona through ACCO-Winburne LLC) finds markets for growers' cotton daily. Anderson Clayton is a major supplier of wholecotton seed to the feed and dairy markets in the Western United States. In September, 1997, Anderson Clayton Corp. was acquired by Queensland Cotton Holdings Limited, an Australian ginner and marketer of cotton.

About arcplan

arcplan Inc., headquartered in Wayne, PA, is a leading vendor of front-end analytic solutions for the OLAP and RDBMS market. arcplan's software dynaSight(R) permits direct access to many types of data sources, as well as quick and simple analysis and professional visualization of data for every hierarchical level. It fulfills the diverse needs and requirements of any comprehensive information system and can be applied in any IT infrastructure to create seamless and powerful analytical solutions. Customers include AIG, Anderson Clayton Corporation, BP Amoco, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Deloitte Consulting, Eastman Kodak, Federal Express, Geico, Novartis, Pharmacia, Petco, Phillips Petroleum, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Safeway Supermarkets, Sharp Electronics and Wyeth-Ayerst. Additional information on arcplan and its products can be obtained by calling (877)2-arcplan or via the company's Web site at www.arcplan.com.