Center for Automotive Research Director Joins Apexon Advisory Board

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 29 -- Apexon Inc., provider of the manufacturing industry's first solution for strategically managing an extended enterprise of design, manufacturing and supply partnerships, today announced that Dave Andrea, director of the Center for Automotive Research's (CAR) Forecasting Group at the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan, has joined the company's advisory board.

Andrea brings an in-depth understanding of automotive industry trends and economics to the board. His experience spans executive-level appointments at a number of academic and analyst institutions including; CAR, CSM Worldwide, AutoPacific, Inc. and the University of Michigan's Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation.

``Dave is a renowned industry visionary whose views on emerging automotive trends have been woven into the strongest organizations today,'' says Ram ChandraSekaran, Apexon founder, president and chief executive officer. ``His advice and insight will provide us a unique opportunity to enrich our solution for enabling companies to meet quality, cost and time-to-market goals through better management of key business relationships.''

``Distributed operations, highly sophisticated designs and multi-tiered outsourcing are the hallmark of the automotive industry today,'' says Andrea. ``Companies need a way to both manage and leverage an increasingly diverse network of business relationships across the supply chain, and Apexon has developed a solution that meets this need head-on. I'm pleased to take part in further shaping the Business Relationship Management(TM) software suite as it is rolled out to one of its key markets - the automotive industry.''

Apexon's advisory board is distinguished by a seasoned group of e-business and operational experts, including K.B. Chandrasekhar, chairman and CEO of Jamcracker and founder of Exodus Communications; Chris Gopal, former managing partner of Ernst & Young's Global Supply Chain Practice and former vice president of operations at Dell; and, Dr. Charles A. Holloway, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

About Dave Andrea and the Center for Automotive Research

Part of the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM), the Center for Automotive Research organizes educational events and researches issues related to the future direction of the global automotive industry. The Forecasting Group, which Andrea oversees, focuses on automotive industry analysis that supports corporate strategy, investments and government policy development.

In addition to his position at the CAR, Andrea currently serves as president of the Detroit Association for Business Economics and on the Finance Committee for the Detroit Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Prior to joining CAR, he was chief economist with CSM Worldwide, a Michigan-based automotive forecasting and consulting firm. Before that, he was an equity investment analyst with Roney & Co., where he tracked automotive manufacturers and suppliers. Andrea also spent two years at AutoPacific, Inc., providing economic, sales, market and product technology trend analysis, and eight years with the University of Michigan's Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation. He holds a B.S. degree in business economics from Miami University of Ohio, and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.

About Apexon

Apexon enables manufacturing enterprises to strategically manage a complete spectrum of business relationships, from product development and manufacturing, to quality assurance operations. Its Business Relationship Management(TM) (BRM) enterprise software suite is comprised of six fully integrated applications for managing an extended enterprise of design, manufacturing and supply partners.

By bringing better communication and collaboration to how extended enterprise relationships are managed, Apexon helps companies and their business partners realize increased revenues, reduced costs and optimal efficiency. Apexon is privately held with investments from Menlo Ventures, David A. Stamm (co-founder of Clarify), Rolling Thunder Network, and Stanford University. The company is based in San Jose, Calif.

NOTE: Apexon and the Apexon logo are registered trademarks of Apexon. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.