Catalyst Xps Optimizes Small Parcel Carrier Packing And Shipping For Powell Electronics

CATALYST XPS Implemented at Leading Distributor of Electronic Connectors, Switches and Related Components

Philadelphia, PA and London, UK – Tuesday, 17th June, 2008. – CDC Global Services announced today that its Catalyst SAP services unit implemented its native SAP® cross-carrier packaging and shipping system, Catalyst XPS, at Powell Electronics, Inc., a leading value-added distributor of electronic connectors, switches and related components. CDC Global Services is a business unit of CDC Software and Catalyst, its SAP services unit, managed the implementation.

With Catalyst XPS, Powell is able to manage its small parcel carrier packing and shipping activities within Powell’s SAP ecosystem. Catalyst XPS empowers users to have one common single point of access across the supply chain with complete

integration to external parcel carrier systems to provide complete visibility of each order, Track/Trace capabilities, combined with accurate, real-time updates between SAP and the carriers.

Catalyst’s XPS is a comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use solution that helps simplify all aspects of packing and shipping. It integrates SAP with the leading parcel carriers’ systems to deliver visibility and control over all aspects of order fulfilment from the warehouse to the customer. As goods arrive in packing areas, XPS provides a series of clear and intuitive graphical screens that allows distribution managers to customize the packing process. From these screens, operators can facilitate the handling of products into the right packages and containers using a comprehensive range of pre-configured options. The system also generates detailed bar code labels

He continues, “Catalyst XPS provides us with visibility of all deliveries, which has significantly improved our customer service capabilities. We have extended the reach of Catalyst XPS to enable our sales people to deliver accurate information to customers by providing a real-time view of each delivery by any carrier. It also eliminates the need for manual communications with shippers by allowing access to all systems through a single workstation interface. This alone saves a significant amount of user processing time and allows us to work more efficiently and effectively. With this additional real-time, accurate information, we are able to identify and respond to problems immediately and can generate complex analytical reports to allow much greater control over the business.

Brian Thorn, vice president of sales and operations for Catalyst, comments “Catalyst XPS has been designed to increase the efficiency of the distribution process for SAP customers that have small parcel carrier shipping and packing requirements. Catalyst XPS leverages standard SAP objects and architecture, using the latest toolsets, and provides an easy to manage, centralized view of the entire packing and shipping process, across multiple distribution centers and multiple carriers.

Mike Ayars concludes, “Catalyst has been an excellent partner in this project. The product was implemented with no negative impact on the business and the benefits have been almost immediate as just a few weeks after go-live, there has been a real boost to the company. The solution takes advantage of standard hardware, printers and scales and eliminates the need for carrier-dedicated servers and workstations. Catalyst clearly understands SAP and has developed a product that delivers a first class solution to an issue that can be a headache for any company sending out large numbers of deliveries with multiple carriers.

About Catalyst

Catalyst is a SAP® services partner, specializing in building and implementing business solutions for enterprise requirements in supply chain execution, planning, and management, and part of CDC Global Services. Catalyst services excel at helping organizations with complex distribution networks in the retail, manufacturing, life sciences, process, and consumer packaged good sectors; as well as parts distribution for the automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries. Catalyst serves hundreds of customers around the world from its headquarters in Newtown, PA, U.S. and its European headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit www.catalystinternational.com/sap

About Powell

Powell Electronics is a wholesale electronic component distributor, headquartered in Swedesboro, New Jersey, near Philadelphia. Powell specializes in the value-added distribution of ruggedized and harsh environment electronic, connectors, switches and sensors, and serves the military, aerospace and energy markets. In business since 1946, Powell has sales offices across North America, and in Europe and China. Powell's unbroken record of growth and success has made it one of the world's largest providers of specialized electronics components and value-added services.

About CDC Global Services

CDC Global Services, a business unit of CDC Software, provides IT consulting services, including platform-specific services for Microsoft and SAP, as well as project management, staff augmentation, managed help desk solutions and a full

range of outsourced service offerings. CDC Global Services provides hardware for data collection and RFID, through partnerships with some of the industry’s most reputable vendors. CDC Global Services embraces a customer-first approach, which means they are able to draw upon a wide range of expert resources to address each customer’s unique business needs, while keeping their best interest as a top priority. CDC Global Services customers benefit from streamlined vendor management and the ability to control project costs, while being able to access the right IT resources through a singular point of contact. For more information on CDC Global Services, visit: www.cdcglobalservices.com.

Contact:

Mariangela Miglioranza

Global Marketing Manager

Phone: +44 (0) 1628 601 109

Email: mmiglioranza@cdcsoftware.com

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