General Automation Subsidiary Signs Agreement
10 February 1999
General Automation Subsidiary Signs Agreement With North America's Largest Automotive Information Management Company
Liberty Integration Software to Supply Data Access Tools
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 10 -- General Automation Inc.
(OTC Bulletin Board: GAUM) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary,
Liberty Integration Software, has signed a major new agreement with
The Reynolds and Reynolds Company . "This agreement has revenue
potential expected to exceed $5 million over two years and is a key part of
the strategic direction we plan for our company," said Jane M. Christie,
General Automation president and chief executive officer.
"We are pleased that North America's leading supplier of information
management solutions and services for the automotive retailing industry has
chosen Liberty Integration Software. Liberty is committed to provide Reynolds
and its customers with innovative technology and easy-to-integrate open
standard-based data access solutions," Christie said.
As part of this agreement, Liberty will supply Reynolds with its industry
leading data access products including Liberty ODBC and Liberty JDBC Edition
as well as the Liberty WEB Publisher. The agreement allows Reynolds to
integrate Liberty's family of data access products with its ERA2 Information
Management system to enable two-way data access between ERA2 and certified
software solutions. It serves as a strategic component of Reynolds newly
introduced Enterprise Information Management solution, a decision support tool
designed for large, multi-dealer automotive organizations. Reynolds also
integrates Liberty's JDBC Edition to support its car company initiatives for
bi-directional access to multiple databases, like GM Access and Chrysler
Customer Connect.
"The real value of this two-way access is the ability to leverage the open
architecture strengths of our ERA2 system," said Mark Brown, group vice
president of automotive systems and marketing services for Reynolds Automotive
Division. "This takes us to the next level. It enables Reynolds to provide
two-way, yet secure, data access to incorporate non-Reynolds' solutions into
the overall business system."
According to Brown, by moving into a non-proprietary environment that
allows access to data, Reynolds has taken a leadership position in automotive
retail technology. "Auto retailers are continuously looking at information in
new ways and using that information to boost their business results. With the
integration of Liberty data access tools, Reynolds is providing them with the
ability to do it."
Liberty Data Access Products
Reynolds has embraced three of the core Liberty data access products:
Liberty ODBC, Liberty JDBC Edition and Liberty Web Publisher.
The Liberty ODBC Driver is a level 1-plus compliant ODBC driver for
MultiValue databases that use a technology standard developed by the SQL
Access Group. The Liberty JDBC Edition is a pure JAVA Level 3 driver
providing a platform independent interface from any JAVA enabled environment
to any MultiValue database. The Liberty Web Publisher is a toolkit that
allows the Web to interface directly to a MultiValue database using stored
procedures in a MultiValue BASIC subroutine. The program is designed to
reduce overhead loads on the server.
About Liberty Integration Software (http://www.libertyodbc.com)
Based in Vancouver, BC, Liberty Integration Software, a subsidiary of
General Automation, Inc., develops software products that enable MultiValue
compliant databases to work with Windows and Windows NT environments. Liberty
is recognized as a leading developer of Open Architecture Products and offers
a full suite of enterprise connectivity products and services.
About General Automation (http://www.genauto.com)
General Automation, Inc., headquartered in Irvine, Calif., is the premier
supplier of computer hardware, software and services to an industry where
businesses still depend on their legacy computer systems today, but must
enhance them for tomorrow. General Automation and its worldwide network of
Value-Added Resellers (VARs) offer a broad line of Windows NT and UNIX
platforms, database software, middleware, Internet development tools and
professional services.
About Reynolds and Reynolds
Reynolds and Reynolds, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a leading
provider of integrated information management systems and related value-added
services to automotive and general business markets. The company has reported
revenues of over $1.53 billion for the 12 months ended December 31, 1998.
For more information on Reynolds and Reynolds, visit the company's
World Wide Web site on http://www.reyrey.com or call the Reynolds and Reynolds
Information Hotline at 1-888-4REYREY.
Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in the
press release are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements and prospects of General Automation, Inc. are
subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's
actual results in future periods to differ materially from forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, volatility
in new order additions, competition, actions taken by creditors and operations
performance. These and other risks are described in the Company's reports and
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.