IDS Scheer Announces Its ARIS SmartPath Solution for the Fabricated Metals Industry is a Qualified SAP® Business All-in-One Partner Solution

Business Wire, Feb 14, 2008

Process-Oriented Solution for the Mid-market Reduces Deployment Costs and Time and Helps Companies Improve Business Performance

ORLANDO, Fla. -- IDS Scheer, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM), a global SAP[R] services partner and an SAP channel partner, today announced a new process-based solution for the fabricated metals industry that has received official qualification from SAP AG in the United States and Germany. IDS Scheer's new ARIS SmartPath for Fabricated Metals is now a qualified SAP Business All-in-One partner solution that includes industry content, best practice ARIS reference models and consulting services. The solution, designed to meet the specific needs of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and mid-market companies, reduces implementation time by 30 percent and costs 40 percent less than traditional deployments.

"Today's small and midsize fabricated metals companies face immense global competition, as well as tighter margins," said Lutz Lambrecht, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Consulting, IDS Scheer Americas. "To face these conditions, companies must streamline business processes and better apply real-time business information. With ARIS SmartPath for Fabricated Metals, companies can maximize profitable product lifecycles, reduce operation costs, increase efficiencies and manage customer and supplier relationships,"

The ARIS SmartPath for Fabricated Metals solution supports all relevant core processes in the supply chain, as well as the supporting processes. Preconfigured standard processes can be adapted to product-specific requirements for dimensions-driven products. In addition, ARIS SmartPath for Fabricated Metals supports the following industry-specific processes:

* Customer Order Processing

* Dispatch

* Invoicing

* Production Planning and Control

* Procurement/Inventory Management

* Master Data Processes

* Financial Administration

With IDS Scheer's ARIS SmartPath for Fabricated Metals, users can:

* Optimize logistics processes -- bundle orders for optimized, cost-effective delivery

* Reduce financial and transactional costs -- offer business partners financial services, such as centralized invoicing

* Improve decision making -- by allocating costs based on information in the vendor billing document, ARIS SmartPath increases cost visibility and enables the accurate evaluation of profitability

* Achieve greater planning accuracy from a bundled solution at a fixed price

* Benefit from fast and efficient rollout -- industry-specific process models diminish the number of resources necessary

* Boost efficiency and increase employee satisfaction through improved processes

SAP Business All-in-One partner solutions are qualified by SAP and developed, sold and supported by SAP channel partners as a defined-scope implementation with consulting services, and offer the flexibility to accommodate the unique business needs of each customer. Qualified SAP Business All-in-One partner solutions are preconfigured, industry-specific versions of the SAP ERP application combined with SAP Best Practices offerings, enabling streamlined operations, lower costs and a proven path to growth.

"We are pleased to qualify the ARIS SmartPath for Fabricated Metals solution, since it offers customers an ideal blend of unparalleled consulting services and industry reference models, combined with SAP software," said Mark Lehew, national vice president, Strategic Growth Enterprises, SAP America, Inc. "SAP and IDS Scheer will continue to work in tandem in an effort to help our customers realize improved business process efficiencies."

About IDS Scheer

IDS Scheer is the market leader in Business Process Management (BPM) software, solutions and services for corporations and public organizations worldwide. With its unrivaled ARIS Platform for Process Excellence, the company offers an integrated, comprehensive solution portfolio for the strategy, design, implementation and controlling of business processes. Utilizing the ARIS Value Engineering (AVE) approach, IDS Scheer consultants bridge the gap between corporate strategy, business processes, IT solutions and process controlling. As a global SAP services partner, strategic SAP development partner and SAP channel partner, IDS Scheer offers small/medium enterprises to Global 1000 companies a process-oriented approach to optimize Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Approximately 3,000 employees in over 70 countries serve the company's 7,000 customers. In 2007, IDS Scheer's revenues reached 394 million Euro / 576 million USD (preliminary figures). Established in 1984 by Prof. August-Wilhelm Scheer, IDS Scheer is listed in the TecDAX on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Germany).

For more information, please visit http://www.ids-scheer.com/us.> Copyright (c) 2008 IDS Scheer All rights reserved.

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