SYS21 - FW:Update on System21 from Geac - July 2002

I have just received this and thought it would be of interest to everyone.

Stuart Sandler

-----Original Message-----
From: Geac System21 Information
[mailto:Geac-System21-Information@geac.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 12:27 PM
To: All System21 Customers
Subject: Your personal update on System21 from Geac - July 2002


July 18, 2002

Welcome to the latest edition of the System21 e-newsletter.

During the last 18 months Geac's System21 business has undergone significant
change to deliver greater value to our customers. Under the leadership of
Steve Shine profitability has been restored, and customer satisfaction and
confidence greatly increased. With these changes successfully in place,
after almost 10 years of service to Geac, Steve has decided it is time for
him to move on to new challenges.

This greatly improved business gives us a tremendous platform from which to
deliver to you many big new product and service initiatives - and who better
to drive this phase than a person who has been intimately involved in the
implementation of the last 18 months, and our planning for the future?
Richard Smith, formerly UK Sales Director, has been promoted to Vice
President, System21 Operations for the UK, Northwest Europe and the
Americas.

I'm sure you'll join me in wishing Steve great success for the future, and
congratulating Richard on his new appointment.

Also in this issue, news on a major project to integrate global System21
support operations and research and development, plus highlights from Geac's
recently announced year-end results and interesting customer stories from
home and abroad.

You will also find a number of useful updates on key System21 software
partners by Global System21 Product Manager, Sharon Crawford.

As always, your comments and feedback are warmly welcomed - please e-mail me
direct.

Regards

Peter Clay
System21 Product Manager - Americas

mailto:peter.clay@geac.com

------------------------------
Top Stories in Brief
------------------------------
**New global service initiative underway**
Read more about plans for an integrated global operation for System21
support, research and development.

**Geac reports improved fourth quarter and year-end results**

**Good news for TrustedLink AS/400 customers**
The division of Peregrine responsible for the development and support of
TrustedLink AS/400 Edition was divested by Peregrine just before they
entered their current troubles. We have an update on the new business and
its plans, as well as valuable resources for customers.

**Geac ranked No.1 by International consulting firm**

**Geac continues support for SPEX, in collaboration with ClearCross**
An update for customers who have been concerned about ongoing support for
SPEX.

**New partnership delivers a strong ROI from Import Duty Management**
We announce a new partnership with Ashford Applications, the leading
specialists in this area, and authors of an AS/400-based import duty
management product called CMS.

**Read how customers are using System21 to grow and run their businesses**
Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks of America and Bridgford Foods use System21 to
strengthen their business processes. Centura Foods consolidates on System21
and implements process.connect to instill best practice.

**Geac joins Web Services Interoperability (WS-I)**

**************************************
NEW GLOBAL SERVICE INITIATIVE UNDERWAY
**************************************
Following the announcement of Richard Smith as VP of Operations for
System21, we have begun the implementation of an integrated global operation
for System21 Support, Research and Development.

Targeted for the end of this month, all System21 customers worldwide will
belong to one global community of users with the ability to communicate and
collaborate using Geac's Internet-based AnswerLink support tool.  This will
bring some 1,500 System21 customer organizations from all industry sectors
together to share ideas, request enhancements and, at the same time, provide
all customers with greater access to a highly skilled and integrated team of
System21 support staff.

The Geac support team will have a physical presence in the three major
regions of the world - the Americas, Europe and Asia/Pacific - integrated
via a single support infrastructure.  This will now allow us to offer
extended support coverage across multiple time zones.

The feedback we have received so far has been very positive and we believe
that System21 is now well positioned to provide continued improvements in
both value and service that you expect from us.

*********************************************************
GEAC REPORTS IMPROVED FOURTH QUARTER AND YEAR-END RESULTS
*********************************************************
Once again it is good to be reporting sound financial results. Geac's fourth
quarter and year-end results reflect a continuing turnaround in the
business. Although revenues were down on 2001 - attributable in part to the
sale of the Hotel and Publishing software businesses - profitability was
substantially improved.

Geac fourth quarter and fiscal year-end results ended April 30, 2002, with
net income of $CD51.8 million and revenue for fiscal year 2002 at $CD719.5
million.

For a complete financial summary, visit
http://www.geac.com/pressreleases/default.asp?id=360

******************************************
GOOD NEWS FOR TRUSTEDLINK AS/400 CUSTOMERS
******************************************
Customers using the TrustedLink AS/400 Edition product will have undoubtedly
been concerned by the current situation at Peregrine.

However, there is good news. The SCE (Supply Chain Enablement) Division of
Peregrine, which owns TrustedLink AS/400 Edition, has been divested from
Peregrine, and is now a separate company, trading temporarily as Peregrine
Connectivity Inc. They are owned by Golden Gate Capital (a private equity
company), and their new name will be announced shortly. The SCE group is
responsible for the TrustedLink products and others, which originated with
Harbinger and/or Premenos, and their future is safe. It has been operating
as a separate business unit for some time, following a restructure, and the
current executive team and business model have been accepted by Golden Gate
as the basis for the future.

Geac has been working closely with our partner associates in the SCE
business to ensure that the partnership is sound, and to secure ongoing
support for the products used by Geac customers. We are also renegotiating a
partnership agreement with the "new Peregrine," and are expecting business
as usual, but with a stronger partnership now that the division is focused
purely on the EDI and related products.

The SCE business is committed to serving the AS/400 (iSeries) base, unlike
some of its competitors, so Geac is certain that there is benefit for our
customers in our retaining and strengthening this partnership.

To help customers further, the SCE Division has published a set of FAQs,
plus a variety of other announcements, which can be found at
www.peregrine.com/1955
<http://accelerator.accucast.com/click?q=24-8DZMIczqCxA7CqMgeXnot2Z8>


*****************************************************
GEAC RANKED NUMBER 1 BY INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING FIRM
*****************************************************
Geac has received the top ranking on the Branham Top 100 Independent
Canadian Software Companies listing.  Geac was selected as the number one
company based on gross revenue from the sale of its software applications.
The Branham 300 is considered the authoritative listing of Canadian software
and IT firms.

J.Wayne Gudbranson, President & CEO, Branham Group Inc. said, "Becoming the
number one software company on the Branham 300 takes tremendous leadership
and long-term vision to identify and deliver real-word solutions that
succeed in an ever-changing technology environment.  Geac has continued to
demonstrate its commitment to delivering on its vision, and we at the
Branham Group commend them on their achievement."

Follow this link for more information
-http://www.geac.com/pressreleases/default.asp?id=345

*****************************************************************
GEAC CONTINUES SUPPORT FOR SPEX, IN COLLABORATION WITH CLEARCROSS
*****************************************************************
There has been some uncertainty among our Geac customers who use the SPEX
product for Export Document Management (now called DPS - Document Production
Solution) and about its future, especially in light of changes at
ClearCross.

Following internal discussions and input from you, our customers, Geac has
committed to continue supporting the SPEX/DPS integration in current and
future releases of System21 until further notice. Geac is also working with
ClearCross to ensure an excellent connection between our support team in
Manchester, UK, and the ClearCross support team in Montreal, with assistance
from UK-based consultants where needed.

While Geac will support the System21 side of the solution, it is important
for you to understand their maintenance contracts, and to ensure that
agreements exist with ClearCross for any direct support you require, as well
as for future upgrades to the DPS product. The product has a complex
history, which may lead to queries in this area. Please contact your account
manager to discuss this if you have any issues.

If you have any difficulty in contacting ClearCross, please e-mail
sharon.crawford@geac.com.

You may wonder where the Tradepoint company fits into the SPEX discussion?

Tradepoint has acquired rights to market, develop and support all releases
of the SPEX PC product. Most of our customers are on the client/server
version rather than the PC version - but for those on the PC version your
support will come directly from TradePoint and you should make sure that you
have a relationship in place. Geac has held discussions with TradePoint and
we are confident that they will continue to provide good support for this
product.

*****************************************************************
NEW PARTNERSHIP DELIVERS A STRONG ROI FROM IMPORT DUTY MANAGEMENT
*****************************************************************
We're delighted to announce a new partnership agreement with Ashford
Applications, a UK-based company that specializes in systems that manage the
complex rules and regulations surrounding Import Duty. By working with
Ashford Applications, companies can benefit in real cash terms by deferring
duty and VAT payments on goods imported from outside the EU (European
Union).

The product is the Consignment Management System (CMS), an import duty
management system that can help to cut the costs of clearing Customs and
reduce expensive document handling, while also accelerating the delivery of
goods to the importer's premises.

CMS has been designed specifically for the AS/400 and automatically reflects
the stock movements from System21 to provide the required customs data. CMS
covers all customs requirements, including CFSP.


******************************************************
SYSTEM21 HELPS CUSTOMERS GROW AND RUN THEIR BUSINESSES
******************************************************
System21 strengthens business processes for Mitsubishi
------------------------------------------------------
As one of the leading medium-duty truck and parts distributors in the U.S,
Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks of America (MFTA) Inc. required an information
technology solution that would enable it to adopt seamless enterprise-wide
business processing across disparate systems, as well as handle the growing
transaction volumes generated by expanding operations. Now, with full
integration throughout its financial, distribution, manufacturing, warehouse
and order fulfillment processes via Geac's System21 and commerce.connect
applications, MFTA has already begun to recognize significant efficiencies.


Geac assists Bridgford Foods in future
efficiency and integration of processes
---------------------------------------
In order to maintain its high standards for quality and consistency in the
manufacture and delivery of its products, Bridgford Foods required an
integrated IT solution that would efficiently handle every aspect of its
AS/400 information environment.  From streamlined manufacturing and
distribution operations to facilitate real-time modeling and analysis of
existing business processes, System21 has provided Bridgford with a means
for timely and consistent information delivery across its five locations.

Centura Consolidates with Geac
------------------------------
Centura Foods, formed by combining three companies - Bisto Foods, J A
Sharwood and James Robertson's and Sons - boasts household brand names like
Bisto, Paxo, Saxa, Robertson's Jam and Sharwoods.

With many of its major manufacturing plants already benefiting from using
System21, Centura looked to see how they could consolidate this
infrastructure onto one platform across the company.  By May 2000, the
company had brought all its operations together using one IBM iSeries S20.

At the beginning of 2001, Centura began to use process.connect to analyze
its entire requisition processes.  Now, with the requisition and
authorization processes automated, using process.connect, 90% of
requisitions can be fulfilled in just one or two steps.  Furthermore,
purchase orders are issued within minutes instead of days.

To read the full case study, click here
<http://www.geac.com/downloads/Centura_v3.pdf>

****************************************
GEAC JOINS WEB SERVICES INTEROPERABILITY
****************************************
Web Services Interoperability (WS-I) is a newly formed collaborative
organization that is focused on educating, promoting and solidifying
standards around Web Services through the active participation of
industry-leading technology companies.  Through its membership in the WS-I,
Geac will work actively with a distinguished list of companies including
Microsoft, Compaq, IBM, Oracle and SAP to help accelerate the development of
interoperable Web services and, therefore, enable our customers to gain more
from their existing technology investments.

To read more follow this link -
<http://www.geac.com/pressreleases/default.asp?id=325>

***************************************
REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK!
***************************************
We hope some - or all - of the information in this update has been of
interest to you. E-mail appears to offer a medium by which we can quickly
supply short, up-to-the-minute chunks of information, so we welcome your
views on the format, content and frequency of this update. Please email your
suggestions to: kate.scott@geac.com <mailto:kate.scott@geac.com>. We will
use and respond to your feedback for future updates.

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