-- Quantum leap in "best practices" enables 25-30% reduction in QAD
upgrade time
-- One of the fastest QAD implementations of its size
WASHINGTON, May 16, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Explore QAD User Conference (Hilton, Washington) -- Optio Booth No. 17 -- Optio Software (OTCBB:OPTO) today announced that it has partnered with QAD and Actaris, a multinational designer/manufacturer of utility meters and systems, to facilitate Actaris' massive upgrade from QAD MFG/PRO to the newer eB2.1 platform in record-breaking time.
Working with Optio and QAD is enabling Actaris to upgrade to the new application 30 percent faster than possible with traditional methods. "As a result of our great partnership, Actaris, Optio and QAD will achieve one of the fastest QAD implementations of its size ever documented," said Mike Lodato, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at QAD.
At the QAD User Conference this week, Optio will demonstrate how its document automation solutions are helping organizations like Actaris plan and achieve ambitious upgrade goals, while optimizing the efficiency of document-driven processes.
Optio: A fundamental extension of QAD software
"Optio is an absolutely fundamental extension of our core QAD software," said Gustavo Civantos, CIO of Actaris. "It makes QAD a more powerful and high-performance application. It's not just a question of having nice documents; it's a question of improving key functional processes and transactions that take place across the enterprise -- from distribution to approvals and document storage," he said.
By adopting an XML-based common format, Actaris was able to configure output and destinations without requiring custom programming. This efficient, repeatable process has accelerated the global upgrade to QAD's eB2.1 and has blazed a trail for other QAD customers. "The breakthrough best practices, processes and rapid upgrade tools that Actaris, Optio and QAD have put in place can now be leveraged and replicated at thousands of QAD customer sites across the globe," said Steve Kaye, Optio's senior vice president of marketing and product management.
QAD also uses Optio solutions to manage its output and to complement its internal implementation of QAD applications. To read the Actaris and QAD success stories, visit http://www.optiosoftware.com/default.aspx?tabid=169.
About Actaris
Actaris is a world leader in the design and manufacturing of meters and systems for the electricity, gas, water and heat markets. Its innovative products and systems integrating the best-in-class technologies are specially designed for public or private energy and water suppliers, services companies and industrial organizations.
About QAD
QAD is a leading provider of enterprise applications for global manufacturing companies. QAD applications provide critical functionality for managing manufacturing resources and operations within and beyond the enterprise, enabling global manufacturers to collaborate with their customers, suppliers and partners to make and deliver the right product, at the right cost and at the right time. Manufacturers of automotive, consumer products, electronics, food and beverage, industrial and medical products use QAD applications at approximately 5,300 licensed sites in more than 90 countries and in as many as 27 languages. For more information about QAD, telephone +1 805 684 6614, or visit the QAD Web site at: http://www.qad.com/.
About Optio Software
Optio Software provides document automation and electronic health record-enabling solutions to help organizations achieve unprecedented speed, accuracy, functionality and quality in their inbound and outbound document processes. More than 5,000 customers use Optio solutions to streamline business documents and reduce costs as they extend their investments in enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications and hospital information systems (HIS). Founded in 1981, Optio Software maintains its world headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga., its Europe, Middle East and Africa headquarters in Paris, and sales offices in Germany and the United Kingdom. More information about Optio Software (OTCBB:OPTO) is available at OptioSoftware.com.
(c) Copyright 2005, Optio Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other companies and products mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.