MRO Software Expands Commitment to Global Nuclear Power Industry

Business Wire, Jan 28, 2003

Business/Technology Editors and Energy Writers

BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2003

Company's Nuclear Energy Advisory Council includes representatives from Entergy Nuclear Northeast, Seabrook Nuclear Power Station, Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear PowerStation and Industry experts from MIT and IBM

MRO Software (Nasdaq: MROI), the leading provider of strategic asset management solutions, today announced the Company's expanded support for the nuclear energy industry with the formation of the MRO Software Nuclear Energy Advisory Council.

The Nuclear Energy Advisory Council is composed of global experts from across the nuclear energy market including industry, academia, and customer representatives. Founding members include: Entergy Nuclear Northeast, Seabrook Nuclear Power Station, Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station (GNPS) in China and noted industry experts, Michael Golay professor of nuclear engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Bill Olsen, program manager of the Nuclear Utilities Software Management Group, Richard Machon, a former Nuclear Chief Operating Officer and IBM Business Consulting Services' nuclear power veteran Terry Tyler. Chairing the council will be MRO Software's Bill Sawyer, executive vice president, operations. In addition to his management role at MRO Software, Sawyer is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Naval Nuclear Training Program, and has worked as the maintenance and refueling outage manager at a commercial nuclear generating station.

Nuclear power is taking on a more important role as the utility industry continues to feel the effects of deregulation and growth in merchant power. Many utilities have found nuclear power to be a reliable, cost effective source of energy. Pilgrim Nuclear, owned by Entergy Nuclear, was the first merchant nuclear power facility in the United States and uses MRO Software's MAXIMO for work and materials management.

"I'm pleased to see MRO Software form this Nuclear Energy Advisory Council and look forward to the opportunity to share our experience with these other industry leaders," said Tom Beneduci, Director of Information Technology, Entergy Nuclear. "We've been able to quickly and cost effectively implement MAXIMO at the new plants as we align them to standard processes."

MRO Software's strategic asset management solution MAXIMO, is used in more than 200 utilities worldwide including nuclear power facilities generating an aggregate of 6685 megawatts (Mwe). In fiscal 2002, revenues from utility customers accounted for approximately 20 percent of the Company's total revenues.

The council will work to become an information source for industry and utility leaders and will also establish working groups to evaluate development specifications required to address the unique strategic asset management needs of the nuclear power industry. The working groups will also provide feedback and best practices for optimizing the MAXIMO platform for effective nuclear operations. Plans call for the Council to convene in early March in conjunction with the scheduled Nuclear Utilities Software Management Group meeting in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

In addition to market pressures, changing technologies and business processes are other issues facing the nuclear energy industry. With technology evolving, the platforms required to support the stringent business processes and compliance issues associated with nuclear energy are also changing. New Web-architected platforms provide a significant cost savings over older, capital-intensive, client-sever systems and provide the flexibility, security and scalability required in the nuclear energy industry. The flexibility provided by Web-based systems allows changes in business processes without major systems overhauls. The Nuclear Energy Advisory Council will also provide a forum for exchanging experiences and ideas dealing with technology platforms and evolving business processes.

"This is a great opportunity to build on our more than 20 years of experience in this market and to work with industry experts to improve the vital role of work and asset management in the nuclear industry," said Bill Sawyer, executive vice president of operations, MRO Software. "MAXIMO is a modern asset management platform that will meet the needs of the nuclear energy industry for the next decade. The strong workflow automation and support for standardized business processes provide a cost-effective platform for today's nuclear customers. The experience we've gained working with these nuclear energy customers combined with the depth of expertise represented by this council, will enable us to stay in lock-step with the future requirements of the industry on a global basis."

"Nuclear facilities are increasingly interested in seeing how new software technology can help plants perform better," said Vince Gilbert, senior project manager for Performance Improvements at the Nuclear Energy Institute. "NEI's standard nuclear performance model helps guide software developers as they improve their products for our industry. We're looking forward to working with MRO Software's Nuclear Energy Advisory Council and build on their successful nuclear solution."