Occidental Chemical selects Informix database to run 6,200-seat SAP R/3 application; Informix's 1,000th large enterprise R/3 customer signed

Business Wire, April 17, 1997

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 1997--Informix Software, Inc., (NASDAQ:IFMX) the leading provider of innovative database technology, today announced that Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem), one of the world's largest producers of industrial chemicals with annual sales of $4.3 billion in 1996, has selected INFORMIX-OnLine Dynamic Server as the database to run a 6,200-seat R/3 application solution, including SAP's R/3 Sales and Distribution, Finance, Materials Management, Plant Maintenance, and Production modules.

OxyChem selected the R/3 and Informix solution to replace a number of legacy applications which were not tightly integrated. The new system will support 6,200 users at OxyChem's data center in Tulsa and 33 manufacturing plants across the U.S. to analyze product, plant and customer profitability. Decision makers can determine costs of producing various chemical products, options for distribution and freight costs, and how to allocate resources based on the costs of producing various products.

"The ability to provide the highest quality of service to our customers promptly and at the lowest price, is key to our viability in the commodity chemicals business," said David Chesson, director of information systems at OxyChem. "The SAP/Informix project will have a substantial impact on our business and help us better serve our customer base. We'll see more timely information which will serve as tools for us to make better decisions."

"Informix and SAP have successfully deployed the systems that run some of the world's largest corporations' businesses," said Kathy Gogan, vice president, Global Partners at Informix. "Customers such as OxyChem reap the benefits of a partnership that encompasses joint engineering, marketing and customer service to guarantee maximum performance of Informix and SAP's R/3 for their enterprise applications."

OxyChem marks the 1,000th Informix SAP R/3 customer installation for enterprise applications, a significant milestone in the six year partnership between SAP and Informix. Since 1991, companies in 40 countries have selected Informix as the database platform for SAP's R/3 solution to deliver mission-critical performance, reliability and scalability for their large enterprise applications.

SAP's R/3 delivers production, purchasing, financials, and accounting, human resources, sales and logistics applications for large-scale commercial corporations as well as small and medium-sized businesses. R/3 running on Informix is equipped with all the performance and security features of OnLine Dynamic Server and the scalability and performance capabilities of its Dynamic Scalable Architecture.

The SAP/Informix solution is totally integrated on-line in real-time, offering users a comprehensive, production-quality, enterprisewide solution.

About Occidental Chemical Corp.

OxyChem, Occidental's chemical business, is a diversified manufacturer in four principal businesses: (1) basic chemicals, including electrochemicals, (2) petrochemicals, (3) polymers and plastics and (4) specialty businesses. It is one of the world's largest commodity chemical producers, with sales of $4.3 billion in 1996.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, OxyChem operates 43 manufacturing facilities worldwide with approximately 7,500 employers.

About Informix

Informix Software, based in Menlo Park, Calif., provides innovative database technology that enables the world's leading corporations to manage and grow their business. Informix is widely recognized as the technology leader for corporate computing environments ranging from workgroups to very large OLTP and data warehouse applications.

Informix's database servers, application development tools, superior customer service, and strong partnerships enable the company to be at the forefront of many leading-edge information technology solution areas. More information about Informix is available via the World Wide Web at http://www.informix.com . -0-

Note to Editors: The following are worldwide trademarks of Informix Software, Inc., Informix Corporation, or their subsidiaries, registered in the United States of America as indicated by (R) and in numerous countries worldwide: INFORMIX(R), and OnLine Dynamic Server(TM) SAP and R/3 are trademarks of SAP AG. All other names or marks may be registered trademarks or trademarks

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CONTACT: Informix Software, Inc.

Cecilia Denny, 415/926-6420

cdenny@informix.com