Wabash Alloys Goes Live On J.D. Edwards CRM; Integrated J.D. Edwards CRM Software Deployed in Mere Three Months to Provide Full View of Customers

Business Wire, June 10, 2002

Business/High Tech Editors

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 10, 2002

J.D. Edwards & Company (Nasdaq:JDEC) today announced that it has completed the implementation of its integrated CRM offering at Wabash Alloys, the world's largest producer of recycled specification aluminum alloys.

With J. D. Edwards CRM in place, Wabash expects to see improved sales as a result of analyzing recent responses to proposal requests and current customer interactions, as well as an expansion of its customer visibility to include centralized contacts, account history and back-office linkages, including viewing account information, products and sales orders.

With J.D. Edwards CRM's unparalleled flexibility, the rapid implementation of the sales force automation module into Wabash's existing J.D. Edwards OneWorld(R) ERP system took a mere three months. Wabash is also able to leverage its existing enterprise software investments and realize a rapid return on its latest software investment.

"We have found through our market research that the slow economy is encouraging companies to look for solutions that can expand the view of their customers while leveraging their existing investments in their systems and technology," said Joel Reed, director of CRM product marketing at J.D. Edwards. "J.D. Edwards' technology handles this balancing act as well as any in the industry, and Wabash is another good example of our ability to deliver solutions that address the complex requirements of our customers."

CRM for Improved Sales

Wabash, a leading supplier of over 40 percent of the aluminum used in the automotive industry, will use J.D. Edwards CRM to organize its sales operations and increase the efficiency of the sales-to-customer relationship business process. Wabash chose J.D. Edwards over several other vendors to integrate a full sales force automation application that supports the entire sales process -- from lead generation through opportunity development to close -- and also integrate to fulfillment. This extension of sales force automation to the back office will allow Wabash to deliver products immediately upon signing new customers, a feature not easily obtained from a point CRM vendor. Wabash will also aggregate key sales data to analyze customer wins and losses and adjust its strategy to increase closure rate on future deals. For example, Wabash can adjust its pricing if it finds that competitors' pricing options are meeting needs of particular market segments better than its are. It will also use this information to analyze additional markets through end-user customer behavior. In addition, Wabash will centralize customer contact information to ensure that sales representatives contact the right people and track all related activities.

"We were looking for a broader view of our customers and a deeper understanding of how we approach our sales processes, but we also wanted to be cost-conscious in obtaining new solutions," said Bruce Warshauer, president, Wabash Alloys. "J.D. Edwards has worked to understand our business processes rather than simply sell us applications, and we are quite pleased with the CRM product that it delivered."

J.D. Edwards' integrated CRM solution is part of J.D. Edwards 5, the company's new family of innovative, collaborative enterprise software products and services for customers and business partners that was unveiled May 21st. Like all J.D. Edwards 5 products, J.D. Edwards CRM is enabled for Web Services and can be bought piece-by-piece to be implemented with existing legacy systems or applications from other vendors. Companies also benefit from J.D. Edwards' enhanced consulting and education services.

Many companies are still in the early stages of leveraging CRM technologies and analysts, like Giga Information Group, see growing opportunities for CRM users and vendors. "Despite heavy investments and some success in select areas, most companies still have a long way to go to truly optimize customer management. However, an emerging shift to a more customer-centric organizational and process model is starting to show strong results, with several companies expecting good CRM returns on new initiatives," said Erin Kinikin, vice-president and research leader -- Enterprise CRM, in the Giga Information Group, Inc. report, Doing CRM Right: A CRM Effectiveness Model, April 2, 2002.

Wabash is Part of J.D. Edwards' Growing CRM Momentum

Wabash is just one example of J.D. Edwards' continued momentum in its CRM sales since its acquisition of YOUcentric's sales force and marketing automation functions last fall. Boise Cascade, a Fortune 500 office supplies and paper distributor, has begun implementation of J.D. Edwards CRM for quick adoption on the part of its 1400-person sales office. In addition, Bank of America has standardized J.D. Edwards CRM for two parts of its enterprise -- the Global Investment Bank (GCIB) and the NationsFunds mutual fund.

About Wabash

Wabash Alloys operates eight plants (five in the United States, two in Canada, one in Mexico) that produce specification aluminum alloys for foundry and diecast customers and deoxidation products for the steel industry. Wabash Alloys is owned by Connell Limited Partnership.