sunflash-Distributed to mailing list sun/NC/north-carolina sunflash-Send requests, problems to owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash APT Installs Sun-Based $2.5 Million Data Center SunFLASH Vol 61 #18 January 1994 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 61.18 APT Installs Sun-Based $2.5 Million Data Center SMCC announced that retail industry software vendors that have chosen the Sun platform include Applied Retail Solutions, Epsilon Data Management, Merchandise Management Systems, Richter Management Services, Inc., Sterling Software and NON-STOP Logistics Corp. Advanced Promotion Technologies (APT) {{ hey!, that's one of my customers! -johnj }} recently completed the installation of its new $2.5-million data center for the the capture, storage and analysis of consumer purchase and promotion data. (139 lines) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEADING RETAIL SOFTWARE VENDORS CHOOSING SUN SYSTEMS MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- January 17, 1994 -- The continuing rapid expansion of Sun(R) workstations and servers in the retail industry has led to new partnerships with retail software suppliers, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) announced today. Among the new software vendors that have chosen the Sun platform are Applied Retail Solutions, Epsilon Data Management, Merchandise Management Systems, Richter Management Services, Inc., Sterling Software and NON-STOP Logistics Corp. (see separate release). These new partnerships provide a wide range of open, client-server retail solutions for an industry that is rapidly moving toward distributed computing solutions in corporate headquarters, in-store systems and distribution centers. SMCC's sales to retail users is increasing dramatically as companies rightsize their information technology. For example, Advanced Promotion Technologies (APT), headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, recently completed the installation of its new $2.5-million data center based on SPARC(R)/Solaris(R) workstations and servers from SMCC. The data center, the largest in the state of Florida, is used for the capture, storage and analysis of consumer purchase and promotion data collected daily from hundreds of supermarkets by APT's Vision Value Network, an electronic marketing and finance services network for supermarkets. At full capacity, the Sun data center will be able to handle information on millions of households, provide marketing data to retailers and consumer goods companies and is designed to accommodate Vision Value Network's potential expansion to 4,000 stores. Other SMCC customers include Au Bon Pain, Burlington Coat Factory, Dunkin' Donuts, Famous Footwear, Fingerhut, Grey Beverage, John Menzies (UK), Kash N' Karry, LeClerc (France), US Order, and Value City Department Stores. The new vendors will be listed in SMCC's comprehensive Retail/Distribution Portfolio, which includes more than 300 products from more than 200 companies. Details of the new partners and applications are as follows: * Applied Retail Solutions -- The Retail Solution Package, available soon on Sun systems, consists of a menu of programs that include a front-end POS application and in-store controller software. Each program is designed to reduce the level of effort required to develop, test and maintain custom retail software, thereby protecting previous software investments. ARS terminal software runs on all major POS devices. * Epsilon Data Management -- Epsilon is a systems integrator that provides marketing database and decision support systems based on a combination of client-server technology and massive parallel processing supercomputers. A new development site, exemplifying its technology is the Profile 2000 system at Fingerhut Companies, Inc. Fingerhut is creating one of the largest consumer database marketing systems with an Epsilon system running on Sun workstations and servers. * Merchandise Management Systems, Inc. -- MMS focuses on retail planning and inventory management and has developed the Merchandise Planning and Store Planning & Allocation systems for retailers across the country. These advanced decision support systems will provide easy-to-use methods of retail planning and inventory control on Sun systems for department and specialty stores and mass merchants. * Richter Management Services, Inc. -- The Richter Automated Merchandising Systems (RAMS) is a fully integrated, retail head-office software package designed for mass merchants, department stores, discount and specialty, soft or hardgood chains. Included in the solution are: merchandising applications, such as sales processing, inventory control and interstore transfers; and, other applications such as layaway control, accounting and credit note control. Its most distinctive features include a sophisticated basic stock replenishment system and suggested transfer system. Austeads, a large golf retail and catalog operation, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has recently licensed RAMS and Sun system. * Sterling Software -- GENTRAN Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) software by Sterling, the leading EDI supplier worldwide is now available on Sun systems. The EDI management and translation software is essential for retailers using Quick Response to streamline operations, reduce inventories and turnaround times and improve customer service. The software easily translates data in a company's internal file formats to and from all public EDI standards using interactive tools such as partner file maintenance, systems administration, security and job scheduling. The recent partnerships continue SMCC's strategy of partnering with the industry's leading vendors to give customers a broad selection of computing solutions and mission-critical applications that can easily integrate into their existing computer environment. (c) 1994 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, and Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Novell, Inc. 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