PINDAR SYSTEMS UNVEILS WORLD-CLASS WEB-BASED CATALOG COMMERCE SYSTEM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Doug Curran
Manager, Corporate Communications
Pindar Systems
+(781) 862-0034
doug.curran@pindarsystems.com
First Customer, Office Depot, to Use Java-based AGILITY Catalog Commerce
Server to Create Multi-Channel Catalogs and Build Collaborative Links with
Trading Partners Worldwide
CHICAGO, USA, and YORK, UK, Feb. 12, 2002 -- Pindar Systems, already a global
leader in catalog content technology, today announced Agility, an all-new
enterprise catalog commerce server that will enable B2B and B2C companies to
drive sales and cut costs through faster, more creative development of even
the most complex catalogs and promotions across print, online and supply
chain channels worldwide.
Pindar Systems will give businesses their first look at the new Agility
system during the Seybold/New York conference Feb. 20-22.
Agility is the first comprehensive product information management system
built with a Java-based, J2EE-compliant Web application server architecture,
making it an IT-friendly enterprise solution for fully integrated catalog
development -- across sales channels; among in-house merchandising,
marketing, creative and production teams; between domestic and international
company divisions and brands; and in collaboration with both supply and
sell-side trading partners.
Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), the worldıs largest seller of office products
under its corporate and Viking Office Products brands, has signed on as
Pindar Systems` principal partner in the final beta development of Agility.
The system is due to be released commercially early in the second quarter
this year.
"Agility is our most important new product since the companyıs inception in
1989," said Pindar Systems CEO Paul OıSullivan. "This is truly a world-class
catalog commerce platform, because it makes the entire process of managing,
using and presenting product information across all media and commerce
channels easier, faster, more creative and global. That means more sales and
lower costs, and that spells ROI for businesses."
"It is particularly fitting that Office Depot will collaborate with Pindar
Systems in the final development of
Agility because, as a longtime loyal customer, Office Depot was a catalog
commerce pioneer with the first installation of our then-groundbreaking
Catalog Management System (CMS) Version 1.0 back in 1996," said Pindar
Systems` O`Sullivan. "We truly appreciate their support, and we see their
willingness to be a pioneer once again with our all-new catalog commerce
platform as a harbinger of strong industry-wide support for Agility."
With more than a decade of experience developing product information
management software to meet the needs of leading B2B and B2C companies such
as Office Depot, W.W. Grainger, Spiegel, Freemans, Rexel and Eddie Bauer,
Pindar Systems has moved from pioneer to global leader status in the catalog
commerce marketplace.
Building on that experience, Pindar Systems has achieved a breakthrough with
Agility by opening up new ways for businesses to collaborate, create and
communicate with their trading partners, customers and company colleagues
regardless of their location or IT platform.
Together with its open Web architecture, Pindar Systems` unique and almost
infinitely flexible new object-based EDGE data management technology gives
Agility unmatched out-of-the-box capabilities to manage media assets,
product information and assortments, and marketing promotions. EDGE allows
Agility users to link objects, the basic building blocks of the data
structure, into an infinite variety of taxonomies. Each object can include
an unlimited number of attributes.
Using EDGE, together with Agility`s numerous merchandising, creative,
production and collaboration tools, B2B companies can create an unlimited
number of catalogs based on geography, industry, brand, channel, customer
type and more. Agility`s Web-based remote connectivity for translators
speeds the most complex multi-lingual, multi-version catalog projects.
For B2C companies, Agility provides extensive brand asset management
capabilities, collaborative online "whiteboarding" to speed the most
creative designs, as well as support for leading third-party
forecasting/analytical tools and customer-facing e-commerce systems.
Agility also offers easy-to-use and manage Web-based supply chain commerce
resources, whether it`s providing sell-side partners with targeted catalogs
for their customers or giving buy-side suppliers managed links into the
system to import their own product descriptions and images.
Pindar Systems has built into the Agility platform the scalability and
flexibility to fit the size, workflow regimen and IT requirements of
virtually any business: powerful administration tools to manage system
set-up, add users and grant object-level and feature access rights; J2EE
compliance and open standards support for in-house developers to easily
create system extensions; and seamless integration with industry-leading
enterprise database, ERP, CRM and e-commerce systems.
In response to customers` desire to open their catalog system to new
in-house and external organizations, such as customer service
representatives and trading partners, Pindar Systems has responded with a
multi-level licensing structure for Agility that makes the addition of even
hundreds of new users economically viable. In fact, much of Agility`s
groundbreaking new functionality is the result of Pindar Systems`
collaborative initiatives with its vibrant and increasingly sophisticated
community of corporate customers.
Despite its scope, Agility is designed for rapid deployment, thanks to its
Web architecture, open standards, intuitive graphical interface, and strong
Pindar Systems project management and consultant support. In addition, a
powerful suite of optional productivity-enhancing modules allows each
business to tailor Agility to its exact needs.
Available modules include Agility Workflow, Agility Content Gateway, Agility
XML Importer and XML Exporter, Agility Table Wizard, Agility Whiteboarding,
Agility PDF Generator, Agility Supplier Gateway and Production Advisor for
Agility.
Pindar Systemıs Agility can be deployed across traditional Microsoft
Windows, Web or the new Apple Macintosh OS/X platforms. It runs on Sun SPARC
Solaris 7.0 and Intel NT 4.0 (and greater) servers. Supported application
servers include BEA Weblogic and IBM Websphere (later this year). Supported
enterprise databases are Oracle 8i and 9i and Microsoft SQL 2000.
About Pindar Systems
Pindar Systems powers catalog commerce, the management and delivery of
product information to drive sales. The company`s robust catalog commerce
technology enables businesses, including distributors, retailers and
manufacturers, to focus on effective marketing rather than the mechanics of
the complex production process. Pindar customers are able to aggregate
product, business and media content from many different sources into a rich
product knowledge database. Pindar`s software presents a unified view of
this information, giving merchandisers the ability to create targeted offers
that are delivered across print and Web with significantly greater
flexibility, precision and speed.
Pindar Systems is the recognized leader in catalog commerce. Clients include
W.W. Grainger, Office Depot, Spiegel, Freemans, Rexel, and Eddie Bauer.
Privately held, Pindar Systems operates globally from European headquarters
in York, UK, and North American headquarters in Chicago, USA.
# # # # #
For more information:
(1) Follow this link, www.pindarsystems.com, to download a detailed Agility
product information brochure.
(2) Visit Pindar Systems at Seybold/New York Feb. 20-22, Booth #437. Email
info@pindarsystems.com to arrange for a personal hands-on Agility
demonstration at the show.
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