Software AG Forum Provides Insight Into Supply Chain Optimization Trends, Process Improvements and Business Value

--The Supply Chain Council, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Manhattan Associates will share examples of how they are achieving business value

--Attendees will learn how to leverage existing infrastructure investments to maximize supply-chain visibility, process assurance, monitoring and control

Software AG, a global leader in business infrastructure software, today announced that the 2009 Supply Chain Optimization Forum will be held September 22-23, 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia. The forum is targeted to both business and IT leaders in a variety of industries and is focused on providing attendees real-world insight and an opportunity to exchange best practices with other companies focused on supply chain optimization.

The Supply Chain Optimization Forum will consider today's trends driving the supply chain right now. Service Level Agreements are becoming more prevalent and the cost of non-compliance is increasing. Consumer devices such as the BlackBerry(R) and iPhone(TM) are driving expectations for real-time access to information. This forum will provide best practices and process improvement stories to meet these increasing demands.

"The forum brings business and IT leaders together from manufacturing, distribution, retail and other sectors to learn about the latest industry trends in supply chain optimization and methods of implementation to reach process-improvement goals," said Dean Mericka, President of Sales, Software AG. "It's a great way to gain knowledge from those who have demonstrated successes in supply chain management and achieved measurable business value."

In the forum's group sessions, participants will hear from the Supply Chain Council, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Manhattan Associates. Speakers will share their insights into the latest trends, what solutions are working, what traps to avoid, and how to achieve the greatest ROI from supply chain solutions. In addition, attendees will understand how technical supply chain solutions deliver business value such as cycle time reduction, reduced inventory, increased customer satisfaction and employee productivity.

"Companies understand the need to optimize their supply chain but, far too often, they don't know where to start," said Mericka. "Attendees will gain first-hand insight into how to increase control and best manage their current business processes. This forum will help close the gap and bring knowledge and understanding together to build seamless supply-chain integration."

After morning group sessions, the forum will break into two concurrent tracks. Attendees can learn techniques to create an event-driven supply chain; explore how real-time key performance indicators can enable exception management and drive organizational performance; discover practical approaches to monitor service level agreements and monitor partner performance; and learn about tools that help turn data into information and transform information into operational excellence.

"Now is the perfect time for companies to build their supply chain capabilities so that, when the economy turns around, they are able to capitalize on opportunity," said Mericka. "The Supply Chain Optimization Forum is about providing business and IT leaders the real-world knowledge, tools and techniques they can put to use the next day."

An agenda of the 2009 Supply Chain Optimization Forum and registration details are available at http://supplychainforum2009.com.

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With more than 1,000 U.S.-enterprise customers and 700 employees, Software AG's U.S. operation contributes one third of the company's total revenue and is Software AG's largest market presence and R&D location. Software AG has operated nationwide in the U.S. since 1973 through a fully-owned subsidiary, Software AG USA Inc., which is headquartered in Reston, Virginia - also an R&D hub for the company's core data management and integration technologies. R&D labs for the development of Software AG's webMethods product suite - offering SOA integration and BPM solutions - include facilities in San Jose/Silicon Valley, Seattle and Denver. For more information, visit www.softwareag.com/us.

Software AG is the world's largest independent provider of Business Infrastructure Software. Our 4,000 global enterprise customers achieve business results faster by modernizing, integrating and automating their IT systems and processes. As a result, they rapidly build measurable business value and meet changing business demands. Based on our solutions, organizations are able to liberate and govern their data, systems, applications, processes and services - achieving new levels of business flexibility.

Our leading product portfolio includes solutions for high performance data management, developing and modernizing applications, enabling service-oriented architecture, and improving business processes. By combining our technology with industry expertise and best practices experience, our customers improve and differentiate their businesses - faster.

Software AG has 40 years of global IT experience and over 3,500 employees serving customers in 70 countries. The company is headquartered in Germany and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE 0003304002 / SOW). Software AG posted total revenues of EUR 721 million in 2008.

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SOURCE: Software AG

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