Volvo Cars Selects XPower and Progress Software to Drive Superior Customer Service

BEDFORD, Mass.--Sept. 18, 2006--

First SOA-enabled Dealer Management System in Europe Deployed Across all 65 Belgian Volvo Dealerships in Record Eight Months; Integration with Corporate Systems Completed in Two Weeks

Progress Software Corporation , a provider of leading application infrastructure software to develop, deploy, integrate and manage business applications, today announced that Volvo Cars Belgium has deployed the XDMS Dealer Management System (DMS) from XPower Automotive Software, a Progress Application Partner (AP). This service-oriented architecture (SOA) enabled system, based on Progress Software's Progress(R) OpenEdge(R) business application platform and Progress Sonic ESB(R) (enterprise service bus), was deployed across all 65 dealers in Belgium in a record-breaking eight months. The Progress-based system enables dealers to offer an enhanced purchase, support and service experience for their customers and ensures that 98 percent of Volvo parts are delivered overnight.

The XPower XDMS is uniquely designed for the automotive industry and uses vehicle identification numbers (VINs) to track each car through its entire lifecycle. This includes the original vehicle order, maintenance history, warranty repairs, service appointments, technician time, parts and customer invoices. The system also handles back office accounting functions for the dealer, including monthly reporting for the vehicle manufacturer.

"Volvo is recognized as a world leader in safety and innovation, but we also strive to deliver the ultimate customer experience," said Christoph Cordier, customer service manager for Volvo Cars Belgium. "In order to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction we needed a technology partner that understands the needs of the automotive industry. We took our time and together with our dealers, we researched eleven different DMS applications. The dealers felt that XPower's Progress-based system had the best functionality and really understood how their businesses operate. XPower was able to seamlessly deploy the application at all 65 of our dealerships in just eight months, including data conversion, customization and training. They would start the process on a Friday night and by Monday morning a dealer could handle invoices on the new system. By using the Progress Sonic ESB technology to integrate with Volvo's corporate systems in Sweden, our Belgian dealers can access vital systems for such things as new orders, replacement parts and diagnosis of maintenance issues. Volvo dealers now have real-time access to the information and tools they need to immediately address customer concerns and continue to deliver the superior service that Volvo customers expect."

The SOA infrastructure for this best-of-breed dealer management system is provided by the Sonic ESB product. In less than two weeks, Belgian auto dealers were reliably integrated with Volvo's corporate systems in Goteborg, Sweden. Volvo dealers can now easily access mission critical systems like Volvo's Global Car Configurator (VCC) for the ordering of new cars and the company's Vehicle Information and Diagnostics for After-Sale (VIDA) system which connects directly to a car's computer for the diagnosis of maintenance issues.

"The Progress OpenEdge platform has always allowed us to focus on business logic and the needs of our customers," said Michel Keymeulen, co-founder and chief executive officer of XPower. "Unlike competitors, we are not bogged down by the expensive, time-consuming task of re-writing applications every few years. Progress allows us to develop rich, industry-focused applications that can easily be evolved to meet customer and market needs. Additionally, Sonic ESB technology reliably connects dealers with the corporate headquarters in Sweden, giving Volvo dealers unprecedented responsiveness for satisfying the demands of the Belgian auto buyer."

XDMS combines the strength of the Progress OpenEdge business application platform, which has been recognized for its flexibility and low total-cost-of-ownership, with the Sonic ESB product, the industry-leading approach to standards-based application integration. The Progress OpenEdge platform provides the most flexible, reliable and integrated business application platform available, helping companies to differentiate their businesses and sustain competitive advantages. Combining XML, enterprise-grade communication services and an SOA based on Web services standards, the Sonic ESB technology provides a cost-effective way to integrate applications and manage services distributed across an extended enterprise. Through an SOA environment, OpenEdge and Sonic technologies deliver unparalleled flexibility allowing companies to leverage existing technology, quickly adapt to new technology, easily connect with customers, partners and suppliers, and rapidly adapt to changing business requirements.

"Volvo is a powerful demonstration of the business value that Sonic and OpenEdge products deliver," said Joseph Alsop, co-founder and chief executive officer of Progress Software Corporation. "Volvo's assessment is further proof that our partners provide the best applications available for their respective markets and, by using the Sonic ESB product, they can deliver their applications through a superior SOA infrastructure designed from a set of best practices and methodology developed over years of collective experience. The demand for Sonic and OpenEdge technologies continues to accelerate as more companies evolve their systems towards an SOA environment and we continue to deliver products and services to simplify that process."

About Volvo Car Corporation

Volvo Cars Belgium is part of Volvo Car Corporation in Sweden, manufacturer of one of the safest cars in the world. Volvo started their car production in 1927 and was ahead in safety from that day onwards. Today we have a worldwide organisation and are represented in all markets. Our cars are built keeping safety and environmental aspects in mind.

Since 1999 we belong to Ford Motor Company - the second biggest car manufacturer in the world. Volvo, together with Lincoln, Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin, is part of Ford's premium class cars division, i.e. the Premier Automotive Group (PAG). Ford gives us the opportunity to further develop the Volvo brand as one of the most premium and successful automotive brands in the world.

About Volvo Cars Belgium

Volvo Cars Belgium is responsible for commercialising the full range of Volvo Cars in Belgium and Luxemburg. Together with its 65 sales points, Volvo Cars Belgium represents a strong customer-focused organization. It has committed itself to exceed customer's expectations in the areas of safety, quality, environment and attractive design, under the slogan "it is a pleasure to own a Volvo."

From Brussels, Volvo Cars Belgium, with its 70 employees, reaches an annual sales volume of approximately 12.000 cars.

About XPower Automotive Software

XPower Automotive Software, headquartered in Beervelde, Belgium, is a leading supplier of integrated Dealer Management Systems for the automotive industry. XPower's success is based on its profound expertise of the automotive sector, having focused uniquely on this market since the company's inception in 1993.

The company has thrived by offering what it calls experience-based application development. XPower's flagship product, XDMS, is a flexible product that integrates all aspects of running a dealership, from reception to mechanic shop, knowledge gained from years of automotive industry experience. XPower values customer feedback and translates it into XDMS product enhancements to continuously meet customer needs. For more information about XPower, please visit www.xpower.be.

About Progress Software Corporation

Progress Software Corporation provides application infrastructure software for the development, deployment, integration and management of business applications. Our goal is to maximize the benefits of information technology while minimizing its complexity and total cost of ownership. Progress can be reached at www.progress.com or +1-781-280-4000.

Progress, OpenEdge, Sonic ESB and Progress OpenEdge are registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the US and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.