Pittman Named Vice Chairman of Automotive Board

22 August 2000
Pittman Named Vice Chairman of Automotive Board
    NORTHVILLE, Mich., Aug. 22 Lee Pittman, vice president-
industry relations of Future Three and Synapz, was named vice chairman of the
board for the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), according to Ken
Godzina, executive director of AIAG.
    Pittman has been heavily involved with AIAG for more than 13 years and
leads Future Three and Synapz's participation within the group.  He has
participated on the Materials Management, Electronic Commerce, EDIFact
Alignment and Manufacturing Assembly Pilot project teams within AIAG.
    "Lee has played an integral role in driving the AIAG mission," said
Godzina.  "We were pleased he was nominated by his peers to fill the vice
chairman position; he has provided continuous, steadfast support to AIAG and
its principles within the automotive community."
    Pittman serves on the board of directors and the executive committee for
AIAG and received its Outstanding Achievement Award in 1993 and 1995.  As lead
EDI instructor for AIAG, Pittman frequently speaks at conferences and authors
articles on topics such as EDI, bar code and evaluated receipts settlement.
    "Lee plays integral roles at Future Three, Synapz and AIAG -- the
organizations have benefited tremendously from the cross-over of knowledge and
expertise he gains," said Bob Paul, president of Synapz.  "He has worked
diligently to improve the future of the automotive supply chain, both with
Future Three and AIAG."
    Founded in 1982, the AIAG is a not-for-profit trade association of over
1,500 automotive and truck manufacturers and their suppliers.  AIAG's purpose
is to provide an open forum where members cooperate in developing and
promoting solutions that enhance the prosperity of the automotive industry.
Its focus is to continuously improve business processes and practices
involving trading partners throughout the supply chain.
    Since 1983, Future Three (Future3.com ) has emerged as a leading
organization in the integration of data throughout the manufacturing systems
of North America.  Today, Future Three's AutoRelease, VendorRelease, AutoScan
and related consulting services are an integral part of a fully integrated
supply chain.  The dynamic release accounting solution is designed for high-
volume automotive suppliers.  Privately held, the company is majority-owned by
Summit Partners, L.P. of Boston, Mass.
    Synapz is a venture of Future Three, a Northville-based leading demand-
management software firm founded more than 17 years ago with deep roots in the
automotive original equipment industry.  The company's product offering
includes Eclipz, the only product that enables automotive suppliers to manage
the extremely complex process of data exchange and order fulfillment through
the Internet in an affordable, easy and risk-free manner.