GrainCorp Targets Online Sales With Business Objects Extranet; Extranet Exceeds Expectations in Industry First

Business Wire, June 13, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 13, 2002

A supply chain extranet for grain buyers and growers has helped leading Australian grain storage, handler, and marketer, GrainCorp Limited, increase operational efficiency and improve customer relationships. The company uses Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ), the world's leading provider of business intelligence solutions, to provide its customers and suppliers with the latest supply chain information.

GrainCorp introduced online services to provide its customers with the convenience of doing business over the internet. Grower customers can now track deliveries and make transfers online, and buyer customers can also conduct transactions and process market prices online. GrainCorp believes its online initiative will continue to differentiate its services and develop closer relationships with its customers.

GrainCorp looked to the business intelligence solution from Business Objects to further extend the capabilities of its online solutions to ensure it continues to lead the grain industry in the area of extranet-based services.

"We selected Business Objects after extensive evaluation over other vendors such as Brio and Cognos," said Brian Dickinson, information services manager at GrainCorp. "The information screens that will be used by growers and buyers are simple and easy to use. Also, the comprehensive security architecture and strong levels of service from Business Objects were critical factors."

The cost of the implementation was not revealed, but the extranet is expected to pay for itself in its first year of operation.

"Technology is changing faster than you can predict. If we can't get an investment back in twelve months to two years maximum, there is no point in introducing it," said Dickinson. "The extranet gives us a technological edge in the market to provide a greater number of services and attract customers. We expect a fast return on our investment with this technology."

"We are delighted that GrainCorp has selected Business Objects to extend its already successful online services and we look forward to working closely with them to further improve their business service capabilities," said Dave Kellogg, senior group vice president, worldwide marketing, at Business Objects. "GrainCorp has extended beyond online commerce by adding an important new service that will create even stronger relationships with their customers and suppliers."

The extranet allows GrainCorp to see information in simple summary tables and can be broken down by site, storage, and commodity. Using the extranet, GrainCorp can track business KPIs such as number of tons per man hour, cost in dollars per ton, or truck turnaround time -- the time taken for trucks to get from start to finish. A truck can take an average of 40 minutes to process at one loading station, and at some terminals which process 300 trucks a day, being able to process a truck in 30 minutes instead of 45 minutes ultimately increases the return to growers.

About GrainCorp

GrainCorp Limited is a diversified Australian agribusiness with expertise in grain supply chain management, from seed development to grain storage, handling, transport, logistics and marketing. GrainCorp currently employs 850 permanent staff and has a market capitalization of $520 million.

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions. Business intelligence lets organizations access, analyze, and share information internally with employees and externally with customers, suppliers, and partners. It helps organizations improve operational efficiency, build profitable customer relationships, and develop differentiated product offerings.

The company's products include BusinessObjects 2000, the industry's leading integrated business intelligence toolset and platform; and BusinessObjects Analytics, an integrated suite of enterprise analytic applications.

Business Objects pioneered the modern BI industry in 1990 by inventing a patented "semantic layer" that insulates users from the complexity of databases. In 1995, the company was first to focus on enterprise-scale BI deployments and today supports customers with more than 20,000 users. The company moved aggressively to the internet in 1997 by pioneering the market for BI extranets, a market that it continues to lead today. In 2000, the company delivered the industry's first interactive mobile BI solution. Today, Business Objects continues to innovate, creating and delivering a unique vision for enterprise analytic applications.

Business Objects has more than 15,500 customers in over 80 countries. The company's stock is publicly traded under the ticker symbols NASDAQ: BOBJ and Euronext Paris (Sicovam code 12074). It is included in the SBF 120 and IT CAC 50 French stock market indexes. Business Objects can be reached at 408/953-6000 and www.businessobjects.com.

Business Objects product inquiries should contact 800/527-0580.