---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Top Software Vendors In The Retail Industry Move To Sun Platform SunFLASH Vol 43 #2 July 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- June 30, 1992 -- Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC), the world's leading supplier of UNIX-based workstations and servers, announced that 10 leading software and system vendors in the retail industry are moving to the Sun platform. SMCC and its new partners will work together to provide a full range of retail solutions, from those for corporate headquarters to in-store systems and distribution centers. These vendors include: American Turnkey, Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing, IMC Systems Group, Inc., Information Marketing Businesses, Inc., Micro Computer Systems, Inc., Progressive Solutions, Inc., Quintillion, Software Artistry, Inc., Symbol Technologies, Inc., and Telesis Computer Corporation. Already, SMCC's alliances with these vendors have resulted in sales to leading retailers and distributors such as Avery Label Co., Crown Crafts, Famous Footwear, Federated Stores, Kal Tire and Thrift Drug. Specific applications now available include: labor management and scheduling, merchandise management, warehousing and distribution management, purchasing and payment automation, store management and store/product performance, point-of-sale support, customer promotions, database marketing and advertising functions. "Sun's SPARCstations(TM) and SPARCservers(TM) enable retailers to increase profitability by implementing cost-competitive technology to streamline the inventory and distribution flow among multiple retail sites," said Bob DeLaney, SMCC's manager of retail market development. "Our initiative to make available a wide variety of software on an affordable open platform is a direct response to the market's needs and demands. We're offering retailers freedom of choice in both hardware and software." SMCC's new partners offer their software and peripheral systems on the open Sun platform with the advanced Solaris(R) 2.0 operating environment, thus enabling SMCC to broaden the range of solutions available to a wide variety of retailers. The 10 vendors include: * American Turnkey - (Santa Ana, California) -- is a leading developer of advanced material management control software for the warehousing, distribution and manufacturing markets. Their scientific approach to logistics optimization has pioneered rules-based software and system solutions that react dynamically to the changes in a company's operations through the use of advanced technologies such as radio frequency communications and material handling equipment interfaces. * Harte-Hanks - (Billerica, Massachusetts) -- a leading supplier of customer database marketing systems that give marketing departments detailed data on the purchase history of their customers. This customer purchase data is combined with demographic data to generate targeted mailing lists, and reports on purchase patterns across departments, stores, sales associates, and others. * Information Marketing Businesses, Inc. - (IMB) (Cambridge, Massachusetts) -- designs, develops, produces and markets Labor Management Software. The "People Planner" package is used to forecast the number of employees needed for each department in the store, and produces optimal work schedules. When connected with an electronic time clock, the software will also compare actual work time with schedule time, automatically calculate weekly timecards, create a payroll file and many labor management reports. * IMC Systems Group - (Waltham, Massachusetts) -- is the leading developer of international trade management software. The company's product, IMC-ETM, automates the financial, logistical, operational and U.S. Customs-related functions involved in importing goods. By linking to other service vendors, IMC-ETM can also generate purchase orders and letters of credit, calculate actual costs, pre-route and track shipments from origin to receipt and maintain bank and vendor records. * Micro Computer Systems, Inc. (MCS) (Irving, Texas) -- has developed expertise in all major networking environments and is the worldwide leader in UNIX NetBIOS systems for Token Ring and Ethernet networks. In the retail market, SMCC leverages MCS's experience in connecting UNIX machines to IBM and NCR POS systems. * Progressive Solutions, Inc. (PSI) (Vancouver, B.C.) -- develops, markets, and supports integrated business solutions for the retail and distribution industries. Its proven solutions address business operations and accounting requirements encompassing complex inventory control, store operations, and shipping and transportation. PSI's software technology delivers fully distributed applications and data allowing clients to communicate seamlessly between corporate headquarters, distribution/warehouse facilities, and individual stores. * Quintillion - (Oak Brook, Illinois) -- offers a geographic-based decision making system that gives management the most current and comprehensive data available for use in making the most important decisions. This ranges from new site planning to asset management, customer spotting/profiling and sales tracking. * Software Artistry (SAI) (Indianapolis, Indiana) -- develops, markets and supports Help Desk automation systems designed to meet the technology management and business needs of its customers. The company also makes a store manager's workbench covering a wide range of areas, such as sales analysis, cashier security, store maintenance, bridal registry and store performance. Help Desk systems offer call management; problem determination, tracking and routing; and management reporting. * Symbol Technologies (Bohemia, New York) -- offers products for scanning, decoding, keyed data entry and radio communications in one self-contained unit. The company's industry-leading single-handed solution improves scan-intensive retail applications such as receiving, physical inventory, merchandise ordering, shelf-price verification and price changes. * Telesis Computer Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) -- offers an in-store system for chain drug and other specialty stores for "stickerless pricing," scanning, inventory control and stock replenishment. The company's back office software provides store management with the ability to monitor in-store promotional activity, in-drawer amounts and total voids and returns from all on-line registers and more. Telesis also provides a warehouse return system for managing product returns from stores, through a central warehouse, and back to vendors. PR questions: Wendy Moro at Hi-Tech Communications, (415) 904-7000. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu, paris.cs.miami.edu, uunet.uu.net, src.doc.ic.ac.uk and ftp.adelaide.edu.au All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.