---

IBS Announces Licensing Agreement With Treadways Corporation

10 September 1998

IBS Announces Licensing Agreement With Treadways Corporation; Tire Distributor Selects IBS to Support Its Growth

    FOLSOM, Calif.--Sept. 9, 1998--International Business Systems (IBS-US), the worldwide leader of wholesale distribution software for the AS/400, and Treadways Corporation, a leading distributor of tires and tire-related products, today announced the signing of a licensing agreement for IBS inventory, distribution management, and financial accounting software.
    "This new contract demonstrates the strength of the IBS commitment to delivering a world class solution designed specifically for large, multi-site wholesale distribution enterprises," said Kevin Beresford, IBS executive vice president, business development.
    According to Dan Wire, president of Treadways Corporation, "IBS provides a comprehensive solution to help Treadways manage inventory and order processing at multiple locations."
    In recent years, Treadways Corporation has grown through acquisition. In 1995, Treadways Corporation doubled in size through the acquisition of El Dorado Tire. The following year, the company more than doubled in size again by acquiring Jetson/Telstar Tire Company and Laramie Tire.
    "Using the IBS system among all of our multiple divisions, we hope to increase operational efficiency and lower the transaction costs involved in distributing our tire-related products," said Wire.
    The Treadways implementation is expected to go live in the first quarter of 1999 at the company headquarters in South San Francisco and 17 additional sites throughout the U.S.

About Treadways Corporation


    Treadways Corporation, a distributor of tire-related products with annualized revenues of approximately $230 million, is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation. It employs approximately 180 people and serves retail and wholesale tire distributors.
    Headquartered in South San Francisco, Calif., the company has five divisions: Sumitomo Tire in South San Francisco, Calif.; El Dorado Tire in Troy, Mich.; Jetson/Telstar Tire Company and Laramie Tire, both in Norristown, Pa.; and a Canadian subsidiary company.

About IBS-US


    IBS-US sells, implements, and supports enterprise application solutions for many of today's leading wholesale distributor markets -- empowering organizations to accelerate the delivery of information across the full range of business functions.
    Customers worldwide rely on IBS' suite of software modules to automate supply-chain processes and gain a competitive advantage through improved operational efficiency. With annual worldwide corporate revenues exceeding $200 million, IBS has U.S. offices in Reston, Va. and Folsom, Calif., and a total of 1,500 employees worldwide.
    Additional information about IBS and its family of software solutions is available via the Internet at http://www.ibsus.com.