Vendor Managed Inventory Leaders Gather at Datalliance Forum

• Suppliers and Distributors from Diverse Industries Meet to Discuss Vendor Managed Inventory Issues and Successes

Cincinnati, Ohio, May 20, 2009- Representatives from a wide range of manufacturers and distributors gathered May 5-6, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio at the annual Datalliance Forum to discuss the goals, challenges and successes of their Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) programs. Attendees were from companies in industries such as electrical and data communications products, heavy duty truck and automotive parts, industrial products, medical products, entertainment products, consumer products, and more. Most attendees were senior sourcing, sales, customer service and supply chain executives who came to share mutual experiences. Many of the companies represented are considered leaders in VMI within their respective industries; many are trading partners.

Speakers and panelists included senior executives from leading wholesale distributors as: Bearing Distributors International (BDI), Graybar and Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, as well as executives from manufacturers such as NSK, Rockwell Automation, Tectran and WIKA Instruments. Other speakers included: Adam Fein of Pembroke Consulting talked about the effects of macroeconomic conditions on the wholesale distribution industry; Bill Schwartz of TBM Consulting discussed the role of VMI in lean supply chains; and Doug Bethea of Procter & Gamble talked about P&G's history and successes with VMI.

Throughout the Forum attendees discussed many business issues relating to VMI. For instance, Rick Copfer, Vice President of Sourcing, Bearing Distributors Inc., who participated in a Distributor panel, commented on the value of VMI and how they reward suppliers that successfully deliver VMI. "It is BDI's practice to reward suppliers that have successfully implemented VMI with additional market share. This makes business sense as our VMI suppliers provide inventory reductions in the 10-25% range, improved fill rates of 3-5%, and reduced transactional costs. Based on this track record, we are committed to growing our VMI activity with our top 10-15 suppliers."

In addition, Carl Hall, Datalliance CEO, presented an update on new developments and directions for the Datalliance VMI service, and about new services for retail POS data analysis and special pricing agreement reconciliation. Other session topics included: VMI best practices and the role of the VMI Planner, how to market a company's VMI program to target trading partners, how to leverage VMI in the current economy, and how to optimize the performance of VMI relationships.

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