RiverOne and Syncata Form Alliance to Jointly Deliver Supply Chain Solutions for Electronics Manufacturing Industry

    WESTLAKE VILLAGE & EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--April 3, 2002--RiverOne Inc., a provider of real-time supply chain software solutions and value-added services to the electronics manufacturing industry, and Syncata Corporation, a business consulting and systems integration firm, today announced a strategic alliance by which the companies will provide an extended range of supply chain solutions and services to high-tech customers.
    The two companies will co-market and implement comprehensive supply chain solutions to support automated replenishment programs, such as vendor-managed inventory (VMI) and consigned inventory initiatives. RiverOne will contribute supply chain software and electronics industry expertise, while Syncata will provide supply chain management capabilities in the areas of needs assessment, business-process optimization and partner connectivity services.
    Together, the companies will help customer organizations identify process-improvement opportunities, evaluate their current practices and technology infrastructure, establish connectivity with their key supply chain partners, and create a privately shared environment in which business information can be exchanged in real-time across extended, multi-tier trading relationships. These joint solutions will identify and bridge the communication gaps that impede collaborative processes and will enable organizations to instantly share, visualize and act upon supply chain information.
    "Electronics manufacturers have increasingly been turning to outsourced inventory-management programs to reduce carrying costs and improve service," said Steve Rourke, who leads RiverOne strategic development initiatives. "As the performance of each supplier, third-party logistics provider (3PL), inventory hub and transportation company in a manufacturer's extended supply chain is now directly tied to the company's results, all participants must now have real-time inventory visibility across partner relationships. The joint Syncata-RiverOne solutions will uniquely address this opportunity by allowing all parties to view inventory levels across the supply chain, thereby enabling supply partners to anticipate and immediately respond to customer requirements, introduce performance metrics and identify best practices."
    "We see a tremendous opportunity for companies to reap measurable cost reductions, efficiency improvements and service-level benefits," said Rakesh Batra, Syncata's supply chain practice director. "However, the lack of unified communications standards and the numerous disparate systems and applications spread across the extended enterprise have been difficult to overcome -- until now. The Syncata-RiverOne solutions will provide companies with the best-practice capabilities needed to monitor and manage their extended supply chains and deliver the results they require today."

    About Syncata

    Founded in 1990, Syncata (www.syncata.com) provides business consulting, systems integration, and optimization services for the automotive, high-tech manufacturing and financial services industries. Using an industry-focused approach, Syncata leverages its offshore capabilities and in-house "Business Innovation Center" to deliver practical ROI-driven solutions that increase efficiencies, lower costs, and improve the levels of service, communication and connectivity within and beyond the enterprise. Over its 12-year history, Syncata has helped leading companies in the automotive, high-tech manufacturing and financial services industries collaborate more effectively with their business partners, make more accurate decisions, and respond faster to changing market demands.

    About RiverOne

    RiverOne Inc. (www.riverone.com) provides supply chain software solutions and services for the electronics manufacturing industry that improve key sourcing, procurement and order-lifecycle management activities and automate outsourcing business processes, such as inventory management and replenishment programs.
    Offered in the customer's choice of hosted or delivered-license model, RiverOne's solutions enable "outside the four walls" communications interactivity across extended, multi-tier supply chains, allowing partners to easily share business information and manage direct materials more efficiently throughout the product lifecycle. All information is securely exchanged, managed and transmitted through a customer-branded "e-Hub" using EDI, RosettaNet, XML and all other emerging communication standards. Each e-Hub provides a private environment that maximizes the existing technology infrastructure of each supply chain partner and allows participants to visualize information and execute changes in real-time.
    Drawing on more than 18 years of service to the electronics industry, RiverOne takes the potential of collaboration to the next level by introducing spontaneous communication to complex supply chain relationships, allowing partners to make faster, better-informed and more profitable decisions.