RedPrairie's DLx Xpress Enables D.B. Hess To Launch New Line of Business for Precision Fulfillment

Business Wire, Oct 29, 2002

Business Editors

WAUKESHA, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 2002

Eight-Week Deployment of Advanced Supply Chain Execution Capabilities

at Leading Printer is Key to New Secure Testing Business

for Education Market

D.B. Hess Company, a leading printer of soft cover books, catalogs and directories, is launching a new line of business for the education market thanks to an eight-week DLx(R) Xpress deployment by RedPrairie(TM) Corporation. D.B. Hess will provide precision fulfillment of testing materials for secure, standardized testing using RedPrairie's supply chain execution applications. RedPrairie's rapid, cost-effective deployment methodology, DLx(R) Xpress, is critical to meeting the D.B. Hess November launch date for this new service. RedPrairie(TM) (formerly McHugh Software International) is the leading provider of real-time, end-to-end logistics solutions.

Demand for standardized testing has been fueled by President Bush's "no child left behind" education initiatives. D.B. Hess saw this emerging market as an excellent fit for their printing and distribution capabilities. The 100 percent accurate, on-time delivery of testing materials will be critical to success in this market.

However, commented Greg Kelsey, D.B. Hess Vice President of Manufacturing, "We knew we could not meet the demands for accuracy and timeliness that secure testing requires with the manual processes we had been using in our other lines of business. We needed a system to direct the specialized order picking, sequencing and custom kitting that are critical to fulfilling these orders, especially for short-adds which have to be shipped the day received." Short-adds are required when a customer discovers they need additional tests immediately to cover new students or errors in student headcount.

"We call this new service Precision Fulfillment because of the precise accuracy required," said Dan Bach, President of D.B. Hess. "Each state or school district may have its own specialized requirements for how tests are to be printed, packaged and secured. We have to meet those exact requirements on time, every time. When you're dealing with something as important as student testing, anything less than 100 percent accuracy simply isn't an option."

After detailed analysis of several systems, D.B. Hess chose DLx(R) Warehouse from RedPrairie and RedPrairie's DLx(R) Xpress rapid deployment methodology. "We were a value buyer," said Kelsey. "The functionality of RedPrairie's system was head and shoulders above the others and their pricing fit our budget. Their ability to implement the system in only eight weeks was also critical because we must start demonstrating our capabilities to prospective customers in November for next spring's testing season. Otherwise we would risk losing a whole year."

DLx(R) Warehouse will also enable D.B. Hess to offer third party logistics services to its publishing customers. Rather than shipping printed materials back to the publishers for distribution, D.B. Hess will be able to custom kit orders and ship directly to the publisher's customers, reducing the publisher's costs and improving service.

"D.B. Hess is an excellent example of why we developed the DLx(R) Xpress deployment methodology," noted John Jazwiec, RedPrairie Company Results Leader. "They had real constraints on implementation time and cost, yet had very complex fulfillment requirements, as is typical with many mid-market companies. By supplying our industry-leading WMS under a cost structure and timeline to meet their needs, we are enabling them to profitably grow their business and better serve their customers with Fortune 500 capabilities at a mid-market price."

About D.B. Hess Company

Woodstock, Illinois based D.B. Hess Company is a leading printer of soft cover books, catalogs and directories. Hess prides itself on offering full service book manufacturing to its customers, including: electronic pre-press operations, sheetfed cover printing, one, two and four-color printing capabilities, coating and finishing operations, complete in-house binding services, multi-component assembly and manufacturing, streamlined distribution and warehousing services. Contact D.B. Hess at www.dbhess.com.

About RedPrairie Corporation

RedPrairie delivers superior logistics results by driving out more logistics costs than anyone in the industry, and enabling customers to consistently achieve their supply chain objectives. This is accomplished through an integrated suite of DigitaLogistix(TM) solutions that provide the industry's leading transportation, productivity, and distribution management capabilities, enhanced with action-oriented components for real-time control and performance measurement. These solutions are deployed through an end-to-end value delivery system (the RedPrairie Approach) that ensures results achievement. RedPrairie delivers measurable results for customers in many markets, including high tech and electronics, consumer goods, food and beverage, third party logistics, retail and wholesale, service parts, and make-to-order manufacturing. Customers include Compaq Computer, Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Panasonic, Georgia-Pacific, Eveready, Unilever, Exel, General Electric, Amazon.com, and many others. For additional information, call 1.888.624-8448, or access www.RedPrairie.com.