J.D. Edwards Acquires Leading Sales Automation Provider to Enhance Supply Chain Solution
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 1999--
Premisys Acquisition Gives Customers Greater Control Over Automated
Sales and Manufacturing Processes
Enterprise business software provider J.D. Edwards & Co. (Nasdaq:JDEC) announced today that it has acquired The Premisys Corporation, a Chicago-based, privately held provider of sales engineering automation software. The combination further enhances J.D. Edwards' ability to provide software that helps customers adapt swiftly to business change by enabling them to put new concepts and ideas into action without delay. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. All Premisys employees will be offered employment with J.D. Edwards.
Premisys is the first acquisition J.D. Edwards has made since going public in September 1997, and fits with the Company's strategic plan to broaden its supply chain management solution by supplementing internal development with partnerships, equity relationships and technology acquisitions. The integration of the two companies and their products will enable J.D. Edwards to leverage joint business and sales channel strengths to better meet the market's demand for sales automation extensions to enterprise software systems.
"This news is good for customers who want to achieve better control over their sales processes with software that visually illustrates how products are configured, so they can provide rapid response to their customers and prospects," said Michael Schmitt, senior vice president, worldwide marketing and industry solutions with J.D. Edwards. "And it's good news for J.D. Edwards in that it helps us extend our supply chain management solution and also fits with our 'make, buy or partner' strategy for attaining leadership in key vertical markets."
The acquisition provides J.D. Edwards with sales configuration technology that will be integrated with J.D. Edwards' OneWorld(TM) product, extending the reach of J.D. Edwards SCOREx supply chain solution for sales force automation and for tailored products. Additionally, Premisys' CustomWorks(R) sales automation software complements the adaptability of ActivEra(TM), J.D. Edwards' collection of tools and technologies that enables customers to change their enterprise software system after it has been implemented. Among other things, the combined solution will allow make-to-order manufacturers and distribution concerns to reduce turn-around time in preparing price estimates and quotations, provide accurate as-configured technical drawings to ensure products are built as ordered, and support manufacturing and distribution processes with intelligent drawings.
"The J.D. Edwards acquisition of Premisys is an example of smart teaming on J.D. Edwards' part as the company branches out to provide innovative industry-specific features for its customers," said Lisa Williams, senior analyst, enterprise applications at The Yankee Group. "The integration of CustomWorks with OneWorld provides companies with the ability to respond to a customer's request for a proposal immediately, rather than waiting for drawings and data to be generated and checked against what is available. This is a significant competitive advantage for make-to-order manufacturers and companies with highly configurable products or complex product families."
"As an integral part of J.D. Edwards, our organization will have a tremendous opportunity to expand CustomWorks' market presence and accelerate new product development. We look forward to becoming part of the J.D.Edwards family of employees," said Art Roldan, president and CEO of The Premisys Corporation.
Immediate Availability
The combination of J.D. Edwards' OneWorld business software with Premisys' CustomWorks product currently enables manufacturing companies to integrate such sales automation capabilities as technical drawings, product data management, quotes, proposals, manufacturing, customer service, field service and financials. The solution is available immediately and pricing is based on customer requirements.
About CustomWorks
CustomWorks is the only application for make-to-order manufacturers that integrates the product configuration process with technical drawings to generate as-configured drawings on-the-fly. The solution combines straightforward data modeling, CAD drawings and flexible interfaces to automate the product configuration process and the generation of technical documents during the sales cycle and beyond. The results of automating and streamlining the product selection and configuration processes are faster turnaround time for proposals and estimates, and more accurate product and pricing information. The CustomWorks solution works intelligently with J.D. Edwards OneWorld enterprise software system, delivering an agile graphic front-end to the enterprise system or other applications.
About The Premisys Corporation
The Premisys Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, develops sales automation systems for manufacturers of configured products. Manufacturers such as Steelcase Inc., Mannesman Dematic Rapistan Systems, The Trane Company, Marvin Windows and Doors, and Honeywell Building Controls have turned to Premisys for creative ways to leverage product knowledge, re-engineer business processes, shorten sales cycles and increase customer awareness. Premisys is a Microsoft solution provider and an Autodesk registered developer.
About J.D. Edwards
J.D. Edwards provides Idea to Action(TM) software for managing the enterprise and supply chain. The Company's integrated applications give customers control over their front office, manufacturing, distribution/logistics, human resources and finance processes for the consumer products, industrial and services industries. J.D. Edwards enables Idea to Action with ActivEra(TM), a collection of tools and technologies that extend the J.D. Edwards SCOREx supply chain solution and OneWorld(TM) and WorldSoftware(TM) enterprise business software. ActivEra allows customers to change their enterprise software quickly and easily during and after implementation. The Company's solutions operate in multiple computing environments, including Windows NT(R), UNIX(R) and OS/400(R), and are Java(TM) and HTML enabled.
Founded in 1977, J.D. Edwards is headquartered in Denver and posted fiscal 1998 revenues of $934 million. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Company at 1-800-727-5333 or via the Internet at www.jdedwards.com.
Note to Editors: J.D. Edwards is a registered trademark of J.D. Edwards & Company. The names of all other product and services of J.D. Edwards used herein are trademarks and registered trademarks of J.D. Edwards World Source Company. The historical results stated above are not necessarily indicative of the results of any future period.
CONTACT:
J.D. Edwards
John Sawyer, 303/334-2558
john_sawyer@jdedwards.com
or
The Weber Group
Michele Landry, 650/463-8620
mlandry@ca.webergroup.com |
