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Candle Helps Drive Systems Integration for BMW and Rover Group

10 September 1998

Candle Helps Drive Systems Integration for BMW and Rover Group; Candle Consulting and Services to Lead Implementation

    CAMBERLEY, United Kingdom, Sept. 9 -- Candle Corporation, the
leading independent developer and supplier of Solutions for Networked
Businesses(TM), announced today that Rover Group, Britain's largest motor
manufacturer, has purchased IBM's MQSeries from Candle, along with a contract
for Candle's Consulting and Services Group to aid in implementation.  Candle's
MQSeries expertise is to be an integral part of Rover Group's bid to save
several million pounds annually by combining the purchasing power of Rover and
BMW through the group-wide adoption of BMW's electronic global purchasing
system (GPS).
    With annual sales of 6,577 million British Pounds (US$10,930 million) and
39,000 employees, Rover is Britain's largest motor manufacturer.  The company
was acquired by BMW in 1994, part of the rationale being to leverage economies
of scale.  In an effort to take advantage of better volume discounts from
their suppliers, Rover has chosen IBM's MQSeries middleware messaging system,
already proven across BMW, to link its business applications with GPS.
Candle, an IBM value-added reseller, as well as the world's leading provider
of middleware messaging software and services, is providing a turnkey
solution.
    The GPS interface project will enable BMW and Rover to interchange and
combine information seamlessly between BMW's Amdahl/IBM mainframe, Rover's
NT/Server and business applications at Rover running on heterogeneous
platforms.  Candle is responsible for supplying and installing MQSeries and
configuring it to deliver maximum performance while ensuring continuing
availability and real-time problem solving.
    According to Rover Group IT project manager Stuart Cox, who is managing
the implementation of GPS across the company, the project is a complex one,
with GPS interfaces that would extend into finance, design, parts and stores,
scheduling, assembly, and logistics.
    "We selected Candle because it had the skills and experience to deliver
and implement MQSeries while also ensuring that we got maximum availability,
and thus, business support from GPS," Cox said.  "Candle has performed
expertly in implementing and configuring MQSeries.  Candle worked with
MQSeries to ensure that it would manipulate data from our many business
applications into an acceptable format for GPS."
    The implementation involves the use of the Candle Command Center(R) Admin
Pac and the more advanced Candle Command Center Management Pac which,
according to Cox, are essential tools for monitoring and manipulating the flow
of data between applications and MQSeries.
    "Many large organizations are looking for solutions that make business
applications developed at different stages, using different technology, work
together," said David Batup, managing director of Candle in the UK.  "The
middleware route is an increasingly common one, and with much of our R&D team
as well as many of our solutions experts based in the UK, we are particularly
geared to help Rover with this project at all levels."
    "By using Candle's expert MQSeries team and the company's systems
management solutions, Rover Group will win the huge economic benefits of BMW's
global purchasing system," added Cox. "Candle is a vital partner."

    About Candle Corporation
    Candle Corporation of Santa Monica, California, is the leading independent
developer and supplier of Solutions for Networked Businesses(TM).  To help
customers connect, integrate and manage their applications, Candle offers
products, solutions and services in the areas of application integration,
application management, messaging middleware and performance and availability
management.
    For more information on Candle Corporation, visit the company's home page
on the World Wide Web at http://www.candle.com, or call them at 800/843-3970.
Customers can also buy solutions from Candle Direct at 800/972-2635.
    Candle, the Candle logo, Solutions for Networked Businesses and Candle
Command Center are trademarks or registered trademarks of Candle Corporation.
All other products and services mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.