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Syncra Systems and SDG Software Partner to Deliver Internet-enabled Supply
and Demand Chain Collaboration

Companies will co-market products to offer the latest technology in forecasting
and business-to-business collaboration solutions to leading retailers and manufacturers

New York, NY — January 17, 2000 —Syncra Systems and SDG Software (Stirling Douglas Group) announced today at the National Retail Federation’s annual conference a cooperative marketing agreement to deliver an Internet-enabled collaborative forecasting solution for retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and logistics service providers. Under the terms of this agreement, Syncra Systems and SDG have agreed to work cooperatively in the marketing, sales and delivery of their respective solutions for the benefit of their mutual customers. Initial deliverables include a seamless interface between Syncra Systems’ supply chain collaboration solutions and SDG’s e-Profit product. Further integration is expected as market and customer demands dictate.

"By leveraging SDG’s rich demand forecasting and promotion management capabilities and our Syncra Ct and SyncUp supply chain collaboration solutions, we can deliver significant ROI impact to our mutual customers," said Chris Sellers, President of Syncra Systems. "Through our partnership with SDG we can offer a complete solution to enhance the effectiveness of collaborative planning and forecasting throughout the extended demand and supply chain."

Syncra Systems is the leading provider of open Internet-based supply chain collaboration solutions. Its product, Syncra Ct, and its application service provider (ASP) model, SyncUp, are the only vendor-neutral applications fully compliant with the Collaborative Planning Forecasting and ReplenishmentÔ (CPFR) guidelines, a strategic industry initiative designed to improve the supplier/retailer partnership through collaborative planning processes and shared information. As developed and approved by the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards (VICS) Association, the CPFR guidelines also define processes and best practices for establishing and implementing collaborative relationships among trading partners throughout an extended supply and demand chain.

"We recognize that Syncra Systems’ expertise and value will enable SDG's Web software to become an important segment of our future business," said Doug Cook, CEO, SDG Software. "SDG is excited that two expert companies in their respective fields can work together to provide their mutual customers with strategic advantages."

Both Syncra Systems and SDG are alliance partners of NCR and part of their suite of solutions, called NCR retailDecisions.

About Syncra Systems, Inc.

Syncra Systems, Inc. (www.syncrasystems.com), based in Cambridge, Mass., enables supply-chain collaboration via industry-standard Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) guidelines to help manufacturers, distributors, logistics services, and retailers collaborate with their trading partners to significantly reduce inventory and improve service levels. Since its inception, Syncra Systems has been an active participant in both the development of the CPFR guidelines and as a member of the VICS committees. Participating with Syncra Systems in the development and refinement of the CPFR guidelines are leading consulting, manufacturing and retailing organizations including: Andersen Consulting, Eastman Kodak, Federated Department Stores, JC Penney, Kimberly-Clark, Kmart, KSA, Nabisco, Schnuck’s Markets, Wal-Mart and Warner Lambert.

About SDG Software

Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario, SDG Software develops and markets web-enabled integrated merchandising management systems. The power of SDG's intelligent planning, forecasting and replenishment systems to improve inventory efficiency and reduce costs has been demonstrated in a wide range of business environments — from soft goods to grocery. Companies using SDG's automated replenishment solutions can expect to increase sales by 5-10%, reduce inventory investment by up to 25%, increase turns by up to 40%, and increase customer service levels by 15%. For more information on SDG Software, visit their Web site at http://www.stirlingdouglas.com.