OPTIANT INTRODUCES LATEST VERSION OF ITS POWERCHAIN™ INVENTORY AND PLANNER OPTIMIZATION SOLUTION

BOSTON (Sept. 19, 2006) — Optiant, the leading provider of inventory planning and optimization solutions, has released Version 5.7 of its award-winning PowerChain™ suite. Listening to its customers, Optiant added new functionality and features to enhance the usability of its PowerChain solution suite. In combination with various other improvements, these features will greatly increase the power of the solution and enhance the user experience.

PowerChain 5.7 contains performance and analysis enhancements for its strategic PowerChain Inventory solution that includes more detailed base case analysis in which customers can report stock targets at a more granular level both in aggregate and by stage, in terms of inventory levels, periods of supply or costs. Customers will also see significantly improved calculation and import performance in PowerChain Inventory. The time required to calculate and optimize a supply chain has been minimized, especially when advanced features are enabled. The time required to validate data during imports to PowerChain Inventory is also reduced.

Numerous new features for PowerChain Planner, V5.7, Optiant's tactical inventory management solution, also have been added and include:

  • Preconfigured detailed reports
  • Forecast bias exceptions and alerts
  • Item level classifications
  • Detailed exception list reporting by item
  • Ability to adjust targets in periods of supply – such features include periods of supply calculation options, automatic limits for inventory targets, and
  • Support for new product introductions

Additionally, in order to better integrate with its customers’ existing IT infrastructure, the PowerChain suite now supports Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and offers preliminary support for Microsoft Vista and Office 2007. Recently, Optiant made a limited version of its PowerChain solution available for a 14-day free trial which allows interested companies to register for and receive limited access to PowerChain Inventory software capabilities. For more information please visit www.optiant.com or call 781-238-8855.

About Optiant
Optiant, the leading provider of inventory planning and optimization solutions, helps Global 2000 companies optimize bottom-line performance through the creation of the world's most responsive and resilient supply chains.

Optiant's solutions optimally balance resources, total costs, and customer service across the supply chain to deliver greater profitability, increased customer satisfaction, more efficient use of capital, and a resilient supply chain that fully handles uncertainty in supply and demand. Optiant has transformed supply chains for the world's leading manufacturers including Black & Decker, Gillette (a Procter & Gamble division), Henkel, HP, Imation, Intel, and Sonoco.

Delivering millions of dollars in returns, Optiant’s industry-focused solution certified for integration by SAP generates quantifiable business results within 90 days of implementation. The solutions are based on award-winning research from MIT and decades of experience dedicated to the identification and realization of supply chain efficiencies. For more information, please visit www.optiant.com.