Ward Manufacturing Moves to Datalliance VMI to Expand VMI Program

• Datalliance VMI helped communicate VMI benefits to Ward sales organization, provided proven implementation template, and complete process management

Cincinnati, Ohio, June 25, 2009- Ward Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer of pipe fittings, including flanges, pipe unions, plugs and bushings recently replaced their first generation VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) system with the Datalliance VMI service. Datalliance is a leading provider of collaborative commerce services, and the world's largest independent VMI service provider.

When Ward decided to expand the scale of their current VMI program in order to maintain current business and gain market share, they selected the Datalliance VMI service. Tibor Egervary, VP Marketing & Sales, said, "Through the experience with our initial VMI system, we gained an appreciation for the business benefits of VMI. As a result, we wanted to expand our VMI program and roll it out to a broader range of distributors. We see VMI as a strategic tool that gives meaning to the overused term, 'partner'."

Matt Weigle, Information Technology Manager, continued, "As more of our customers became interested in VMI, we recognized that our existing VMI system was a limitation. This first-generation system required significant time and resources to bring new customers onboard. The ability to implement VMI quickly and effectively with a broader range of customers was critical to our success, but we needed to find a better approach."

In collaboration with Datalliance, Ward Manufacturing has successfully addressed those challenges. "With Datalliance's software-as-a-service architecture and extensive VMI expertise, we are now accomplishing our VMI program expansion goals," said Egervary. "The true test is in the results - in the past, we were only able to involve a few of our customers in our VMI program, Today, with Datalliance, we have a much higher success rate. I would say that now at least 60 or 70 percent of customers that we identify as viable VMI partners commit and implement VMI."

Weigle estimated that they have converted all existing VMI locations to Datalliance in just three months. "With the support of Datalliance, we can now handle multiple implementations at once; it's not unusual for us to bring on four or five customers at a time. We count on Datalliance to manage the process and keep the implementations moving. Where it used to take months to implement one customer, we can now bring up a new customer in just two or three weeks. Through our partnership with Datalliance we've realized a reduction in required IT resources, thereby lowering our costs and allowing us to focus on our core business and other value-added opportunities."

About Datalliance

Datalliance is a leading provider of collaborative commerce services, and the world's largest independent VMI service provider. Delivered via the Internet using the 'Software as a Service' (SaaS) model, Datalliance solutions make it easy for suppliers and their customers to establish sales and inventory management relationships that fully align business objectives, improve collaboration, and streamline supply chain operations. Datalliance manages billions of dollars in orders, millions of SKUs, and thousands of locations for leading Fortune 1000 companies in a number of industries. For more information about Datalliance, visit www.datalliance.com

Contact: Brian Lindner, Datalliance
513-791-7272 or blindner@datalliance.com