Comergent and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association Launch New Product Data Audit and Certification Service

Standardized Product Information Data May Save Aftermarket Industry Up to $1.7 Billion in Annual Expenses

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 21 -- Comergent Technologies(R), Inc., the leading provider of demand chain management applications today announced it is the official solution provider for a new service offered by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). The new service enables aftermarket manufacturers and suppliers to audit and certify product information to ensure compliance with AAIA's Product Information Exchange Standard. The AAIA Data Audit and Certification (DAC) service is powered by Comergent Technologies.

"The aftermarket industry has awoken to the staggering cost of product data errors in collaborative e-business," explained Scott Luckett, vice president of technology standards and solutions, AAIA. "The Data Audit and Certification service will enable suppliers to synchronize clean and accurate data with their customers and to begin lowering their respective costs. Everyone wants to see more ROI from their investments in technology and DAC is an essential step to reaching that goal."

The Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) is the aftermarket industry standard template for nearly 200 fields of item-level product information. The DAC service is available to test and certify that aftermarket suppliers are in compliance with the standard. The PIES standard and now the DAC service enable complete and accurate product information data exchange between aftermarket trading partners. Agreement and compliance with a common data standard are critical first steps to the long-term goal of industry-wide product information management and synchronization.

In 2003, AAIA conducted a PIES pilot study of basic product data essential to automated e-commerce. The research concluded that errors in part numbers, UPC codes, minimum order quantities, units of measure and other related fields contribute to $1.7 billion in annual wasted expense throughout the aftermarket industry. The study underscores the pressing need for an industry-wide initiative to cleanse product information and synchronize the data between suppliers and their trading partners.

"We are excited to partner with AAIA as the solution provider for the PIES Data Audit and Certification service," said Jean Kovacs, president and CEO, Comergent. "Ensuring complete, accurate, and standardized product data throughout an industry is primary to realizing benefits from investments in collaborative e-business initiatives such as multi-vendor catalogs, vendor managed inventory, and automated order capture and processing. The aftermarket industry is leading the way for other industries to follow suit."

In addition to being the official service provider for the AAIA Data Audit and Certification service, Comergent offers industry expertise to assist aftermarket manufacturers and suppliers in preparing their product data before certification. These services include:

  -- Readiness assessment:  A quick review of industry and reseller
     initiatives and requirements and how a manufacturer's product data
     measures up against them.  Determines priorities, level of effort, risk
     management, and return on investment for the product data initiative.
  -- Data analysis and project plan:  A detailed field-by-field analysis of
     a manufacturer's data sources compared to industry standards and
     reseller requirements.  Creates a comprehensive roadmap and project
     plan to achieve AAIA PIES compliance.
  -- Data cleansing and process integration:  Expert consulting throughout
     the data cleansing project.  Comergent assists in resolving complex
     data issues, improving business processes to ensure data remains
     "clean," and systematically analyzing the product data to ensure
     readiness for data certification.

AAIA and Comergent will co-host a free webinar to further introduce the PIES Data Audit and Certification service to the aftermarket industry. The webinar is scheduled for 11:00 am E.D.T. on Thursday, May 13, 2004. For more information on how to register and attend this presentation, visit www.comergent.com.

Comergent's proven success with industry-leading manufacturers, distributors and retailers -- enabling these companies to reduce order errors, minimize sales and ordering costs and make it easier for their customers to do business -- have made Comergent the leader in demand chain management software solutions.

About AAIA

The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) is a Bethesda, Md.-based association whose member companies manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, tools, equipment, materials and supplies. The organization is comprised of manufacturers, distributors, jobbers, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturer's representatives and other companies doing business in the automotive aftermarket. AAIA formerly served the automotive aftermarket as ASIA and APAA. For more information, visit www.aftermarket.org.

About Comergent

Comergent is a leading provider of demand chain management software solutions that enable enterprises to make it easier for their customers and partners to do business and reduce the cost of selling processes, all through a single system. The Comergent E-Business System(TM) facilitates all selling processes for the enterprise within three main product areas: Product Information Management, Pricing, Configuration and Quoting, and Distributed Order Management. Comergent is a privately held company. Customers include such industry leaders as Adobe, Cisco Systems, CVS/pharmacy, Dana, DuPont, Hubbell, J.C. Penney, La-Z-Boy, Maytag, Nissan North America, Seagate, Staples, Symbol and Toro. Comergent has been named a Computerworld Top 100 Emerging Company for 2002, a Cool Company for 2001 by Fortune magazine, and the fourth fastest growing private company for 2003 by The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. For more information, visit www.comergent.com or send email to info@comergent.com.

NOTE: Comergent and the Comergent logo are registered trademarks of Comergent Technologies, Inc. Comergent E-Business System is a trademark of Comergent Technologies, Inc. All other products or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners.