Brother and Atos Origin Test the mySAP Supply Chain Management -SCM- Waters With Innovative Pilot Project

Business Wire, Sept 25, 2002

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 2002

Atos Origin:

Unique approach employs industry-proven best practices to lay the

groundwork for faster implementation, reduced cost and reduced risk

Atos Origin, an international information technology services provider, is pleased to announce the completion of a mySAP(TM) SCM pilot with Brother International Corporation, a premier provider of products for the home, home office and office. This marks the second successful mySAP SCM pilot project to be completed in North America. The first was also completed by Atos Origin earlier this year.

The process combines the resources of technology and business professionals, along with industry best practices, to develop a working blueprint for organizations to substantially reduce overall planning and implementation time for an enterprise-wide Supply Chain Management solution. The pilot, which took five weeks to complete, effectively replaces more than five months of research and training at a cost that is one-tenth that of a full-scale implementation.

Margaret Hill, Senior Project Manager with Atos Origin, explains, "An SCM implementation through traditional means can be a costly and complex process. In these cost-sensitive times, that can present a major stumbling block. With this pilot concept however, organizations can gain first-hand experience with how the system works, establish required modifications and create a clear implementation roadmap without the usual up front expense. Within five weeks, Brother knew exactly what they wanted to implement, what would work best for them and how to position themselves for future connectivity to a global supply chain network."

Abe DeVonish, Senior Corporate Director of Logistics/Procurement for Brother, says that although there were initial reservations about the value of this pilot concept... "after talking with another Atos Origin customer who had successfully deployed the model and having seen how far we moved forward in just a few weeks, the benefits soon became very apparent. When we first looked at an SCM solution, Atos Origin was the only vendor to propose the pilot. It was invaluable in helping us find out what we wanted to use and how, without having to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars at the outset. Although it wasn't part of our original plan, we were very pleased with the results and the support from the pilot project team."

The pilot project team included IT and management staff from Brother as well as a core team of consultants from Atos Origin. The pilot entailed several phases: identifying requirements and approval procedures; configuration and installation of a test system using industry-proven best practices and real company data; ongoing review and re-configuration; demonstration to key users for input; completion of a gap analysis; and a final report outlining business requirements, standards, overall requirements and suggested modifications.

About Brother International Corporation

Bridgewater, NJ is the corporate headquarters for Brother in the Americas, from Canada to South America, and has fully integrated sales, marketing, services, manufacturing, research and development capabilities located here in the United States. In addition to its headquarters, Brother has branches in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Texas, as well as subsidiaries in Ohio, Canada, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

About Atos Origin

Atos Origin is an international information technology services provider. Its business is turning client vision into results through the application of consulting, systems integration and managed operations, including outsourcing and on-line services. In August 2002, Atos Origin acquired KPMG Consulting in the UK and The Netherlands, which now trade as Atos KPMG Consulting. The company generates annual revenues in excess of $3.5 billion and employs 30,000 staff in 30 countries. In North America, Atos Origin operates out of six main locations, including Murray Hill (NJ), Arlington (TX), Cincinnati (OH), Columbus (OH), Toronto and Mexico City. The Group's client list includes major companies such as ABN-Amro, Akzo-Nobel, Alstom, Euronext, Fiat, ICI, ING, KPN, Lucent, NCR, Nortel, Philip Morris, Philips, Renault, Shell, Unilever, Vivendi Universal, Vodafone and Wolters Kluwer. For more information, please visit the company's web site at http://www.atosorigin.com.