ClearOrbit Announces Compliance Label Manager for Manufacturers, Distributors, Retailers and Logistics Service Providers

AUSTIN, Texas--Sept. 10, 2003--

New Product Simplifies RFID and Bar Code Format Compliance and Management, Enabling Companies to Exploit AutoID Technology Across Their Supply Chains

ClearOrbit, the leading provider of extended supply chain execution (SCE) software solutions, announced today that it has released for general availability its Compliance Label Manager product to simplify integration of RFID and bar code labeling across a company's supply chain. Building on nearly 10 years' experience in supply chain process automation, Compliance Label Manager integrates AutoID technology to existing enterprise applications and eliminates the programming costs associated with maintaining internal and trading partner RFID tag and bar code label compliance requirements at the point of execution.

"When Wal-Mart announced that it would require its Top 100 suppliers to comply with their RFID tag requirements by 2005, the first thing that came to our mind was why only the Top 100 and why not now?" said Richard Sherman, Chief Marketing Officer at ClearOrbit. "ClearOrbit's customers have exploited and deployed compliant AutoID technology across their supply chains for years. RFID isn't new; it has simply evolved to a more affordable state."

Compliance Label Manager is the latest addition to ClearOrbit's market-leading product suite to extend ERP applications for supply-chain execution and collaborative supply management. According to analyst firm ARC Advisory Group, ClearOrbit is the third-largest supplier of WMS software and services to the automotive industry and second only to SAP in providing WMS functionality to ERP implementations.

"Our experience helping companies in the automotive and high-tech industries comply with stringent and varied AutoID compliance requirements is the foundation for providing a product that any company in any industry can implement quickly to meet both internal and trading partner tagging and labeling requirements," added Sherman.

Manufacturers know that accurate bar code labeling and now RFID formatting are a "must have" in today's fast-paced business environment. Many companies including retailers, automotive suppliers, high-tech and chemical manufacturers require their vendors to adhere to stringent guidelines and standards as integral components of the automated supply chain. Virtually every aspect of the AutoID format falls into a requirement category such as location of information, characters used, layout from shape to size, and most importantly, label content in the form of text, bar code or RFID tag.

Compliance Label Manager removes the limitations of previous approaches by providing a configurable environment that allows business users to define and manage bar code label and RFID tag formats and rules without custom programming. Users can configure rules to define the content and type of formats, allowing dynamic selection based on customer, ship-to location, material type, serial numbers, UPC/EPC, expiration date and many other criteria. Compliance Label Manager allows instantaneous label changes without modifying any code, and is fully compatible with SAP R/3 and Oracle E-Business Suite certifications, as well as other ERP, legacy, and "Best of Breed" supply-chain applications, such as, Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Order Management Systems (OMS).

By offering "mixed mode" capabilities, Compliance Label Manager allows companies to comply not only with current bar code requirements but also with upcoming RFID requirements from their customer base. Utilizing Compliance Label Manager and a "smart tag" printer that produces an RFID tag embedded in a bar code label, companies can implement RFID technology at the point of use, such as receiving, but still have bar-code scanning available as product is inducted into existing processes that leverage bar codes, such as inventory putaway and assembly. This mixed-mode approach enables rapid RFID implementation without major changes to existing RF and bar code environments.

Compliance Label Manager can also be implemented at a company site to allow remote suppliers, contract manufacturers or outsourced service providers (OSP) utilizing ClearOrbit's Web services over the Internet to print bar code labels or RFID tags that comply with the company's automated receiving or customer compliance requirements. The only requirement for the supplier, contract manufacturer or OSP is Internet access, a tag printer and a supply of RFID tag labels or a bar code printer. This ease of implementation enables rapid deployment across a broader range of suppliers and remote ship-from locations, such as distribution centers or logistics service providers (a.k.a. 3PLs). Logistics service providers can centrally maintain and remotely deploy customer specific label or tag printing for their clients. Used in conjunction with ClearOrbit's Endeavour Series applications, companies can add a full suite of Collaborative Supply Management capabilities should they desire.

"We chose Compliance Label Manager because of its ability to dynamically print bar code labels at supplier shipping sites over the Web," stated Brian Shover at Uponor Wirsbo, a leading manufacturer of plastic piping systems. "Besides providing bar-code compliance, the ClearOrbit labels also contain a graphic of the item being shipped published directly from our system. This eliminates the cost of re-labeling items as they are received, improving receiving efficiency and inventory accuracy. Better yet, we can change parts, vendor information and label formats instantly without custom code or programming, resulting in significant savings."

ClearOrbit will be hosting two Compliance Labeling Web Seminars on October 1st and October 8th from 1:00 - 2:00 PM Central Time. To register, visit ClearOrbit at www.clearorbit.com.

About ClearOrbit

Since 1994, ClearOrbit has assisted more than 250 clients in automating and controlling their supply-chain execution processes. ClearOrbit extends enterprise systems value with proven Supply Chain Execution (SCE) and Collaborative Supply Management (CSM) software solutions that allow customers to fully leverage their investment in enterprise applications while also gaining additional value by incorporating their trading partners into their supply chains. ClearOrbit products work within the existing enterprise system to leverage a "single version of the truth," expanding rather than duplicating functionality to eliminate inefficiencies in the supply chain. By using the customer's data model, ClearOrbit delivers on the promise of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with fully integrated supply chain execution and collaboration solutions that address "last mile functionality" issues inherent in most ERP systems. ClearOrbit customers include Cisco Systems, Texas Instruments and Applied Materials. See how enterprise systems can reach a higher level at www.clearorbit.com or call us at 800-324-5143.