Newell Rubbermaid Inc. awards Intentia USD 6.4 million ERP contract

Newell Rubbermaid Inc. awards Intentia USD 6.4 million ERP contract to unite operations in 14 European countries Newell Rubbermaid Inc, the highly acquisitive US consumer goods group, is investing a massive USD 6,4 million in global software group Intentia's enterprise resource planning (ERP) system Movex, that will unite manufacturing plants, sales and distribution offices in 14 countries throughout Europe. The new Movex system will support 1200 users, run on AS/400 and cover financials, manufacturing and distribution. It will replace a number of disparate systems and become the de facto standard for the group that was formed by the merger of Newell and Rubbermaid in March -99. Based in Freeport, Illinois, Newell Rubbermaid is a multi-national manufacturer and marketer of high volume, branded, staple consumer products. Brands include Rotring, Berol and Eberhard Faber writing instruments, Kirsch and Swish window furnishings, Curver home products and Pyrex glassware. Products are sold mainly through retail outlets and wholesale distribution channels. The combined group has a market capitalization of USD 13.57 billion, sales in excess of USD 6 billion in 1998 and 44,000 employees worldwide. John Avampato is vice president, corporate information services. He says that during the next few years the group will continue to acquire and integrate other compatible businesses. "The new ERP system will be fundamental to the success of this strategy. Three years ago our Europe operation turned over USD 200 million. Today it's USD 1 billion and growing fast. So it's vital we have a centralized IT infrastructure that enables us to integrate these businesses quickly and apply common management disciplines and procedures." Director Europe IT is Wojtek Adamek, and the man charged with managing the project. He added: "Our objective is to create in Sunderland a data and support centre for Europe that will serve all our sales, manufacturing and distribution locations. We need to use the technology to 'fuel' these operations with information that gives them a competitive edge and gets them closer to our customers. And at the same time we need to use the technology creatively to streamline our operations and make us more lean and efficient." For more information, please contact: Björn Algkvist, CEO and President, Intentia International Tel. +46 8 444 5605 Håkan Gyrulf, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Intentia International Tel. +46 8 444 5825 Linus Parker, Sales Director, Intentia UK Tel. +44 7775 750 749 About Intentia Intentia is an internationally established software company. In 1998 it had revenues of 2,452 MSEK and 2,858 employees. Intentia is the third-largest supplier of enterprise management systems in Europe and one of the eight largest in the world. Its average growth rate has been 44 percent a year for the last five years. Intentia develops and sells Movex, a complete, integrated enterprise management system for the management and control of business operations in manufacturing and distribution industries. Movex is used to make business processes more efficient in the areas of logistics, production, finance, marketing and personnel administration. To meet the specific needs of different sectors of industry, software has been developed for a number of industry applications. Movex is sold and implemented through a network of subsidiaries and partners. However, procedures for delivering products and services are identical in every market. As well as Movex itself, these procedures involve expert skills in project management, the development of business processes, and technology. To achieve high-quality outcomes in terms of time, cost and results, there is a standard method of project implementation, Implex. Development work is carried out chiefly in the Group's development company, Intentia Research & Development. Further information about Intentia: www.intentia.com About Newell Rubbermaid Based in Freeport, Illinois, Newell Rubbermaid Inc. is a multi-national manufacturer and marketer of high-volume, branded, staple consumer products with restated 1998 sales of $6.2 billion. Newell Rubbermaid products are sold through a variety of retail and wholesale distribution channels in the following business segments: Household Products, including Mirro® and Calphalon® cookware, Rubbermaid® and Curver® home products, Little Tikes®, Graco® and Century® infant and juvenile products, Anchor Hocking® glassware and Goody® hair accessories; Hardware and Home Furnishings, including Levolor®, Kirsch® and Newell® window treatments, Amerock®, EZ Paintr®, BernzOmatic® and Bulldog® hardware and tools, Intercraft® and Burnes® picture frames, Holson Photo Albums and Lee Rowan® home storage products; and Office Products, including Sanford®, Berol®, Sharpie® and Rotring® writing instruments and Rolodex® and Eldon® office storage and organization products. Further information about Newell Rubbermaid: www.newellco.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/05/11/19990511BIT00120/bit0001.pdf http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/05/11/19990511BIT00120/bit0002.doc