Swire Beverages Realizes Return on Investment with Manugistics Supply

    Business Editors/Beverage Writers/Technology Editors

    ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2005--Manugistics Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MANU), a leading global provider of synchronized supply chain and revenue management solutions, today announced that as a result of implementing a variety of solutions including Demand, Fulfillment, Strategy and NetWORKS Collaborate/Monitor since 2002, China's Swire Beverages has achieved all of the internal forecasting and accuracy goals set by Swire. Manugistics solutions proved to be a key factor in maintaining Swire's leadership in China's competitive consumer beverage market.
    Swire selected Manugistics to build a specialized Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) system to dramatically improve planning and enhance efficiency and reinforce the Coca-Cola Bottler's leadership position. By enabling more accurate centralized production planning, raw materials purchasing, warehousing and transportation, the state-of-the-art APS system has enabled Swire's Supply Chain to support almost 100% growth in volume and planning complexity in the last three years without incurring any significant supply chain disruption.
    Three years ago, Swire Beverages faced the prospect of exponential growth in both sales and complexity against a background of more demanding customer service levels. The supply chain servicing their network of eight production facilities and over 100 sales centers was planned using a manual system that was rapidly reaching breaking point, hence the reason Management decided to implement a best-of-breed planning system.
    Swire Beverages' APS system now relies on Manugistics' Demand and Fulfillment solutions for forecast planning, as well as Manugistics' Collaborate, Sequencing and Strategy solutions to help accurately plan inventory across its entire China network on a daily basis. The dynamic, Web-based user interface of Manugistics' solutions allows planners to view and update key figures for developing planning forecasts.
    Swire Beverages today produces automated weekly and daily production plans based around manufacturing constraints such as capacity and material availability. Demand planners are also able to evaluate hypothetical scenarios allowing for development of production plans. In addition, the APS system creates timely collaboration between demand planners and sales and marketing teams to allow for more accurate forecasts in a large market with dispersed production facilities.
    The specialized APS system developed for Swire Beverages addressed the need for greater efficiency in the face of rapidly growing competition from both carbonated and non-carbonated beverage producers. Other challenges faced in this market also include difficulty in accurate forecasting, which is reinforced by the seasonality of the beverage industry, consumer marketing initiatives, and the complexity of Swire Beverages nationwide network.
    "Given the scope of this project, we were confident that our team could help Swire overcome their challenges and reinforce their leadership position," said Manugistics President of the Asia Pacific Region Ken Wallett. "In helping Swire create a specialized APS system, we have proven our ability to deliver on large-scale, complex projects and to solve the incredible challenges that our clients face."

    About Swire Beverages

    Swire Beverages is a Coca-Cola Bottler headquartered in Hong Kong with franchises in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and USA. Swire Beverages is part of Hong Kong and London listed Swire Pacific Limited whose interests also include Swire Properties and Cathay Pacific Airways.

    About Manugistics Group, Inc.

    Manugistics powers the synchronized supply chain. Clients depend on Manugistics to position them one step ahead of demand. With Manugistics' unparalleled supply chain and revenue management solutions, clients achieve improved forecast and inventory accuracy, leverage industry leading pricing and yield management solutions to maximize profits while ensuring constant supply for constantly changing demand. Its clients include industry leaders such as AT&T, BMW, Boeing, Caesars Entertainment, Canadian Tire, Cingular, Circuit City, Coca-Cola Bottling, Coty International, Delta Air Lines, DHL, Diageo, Dixons, DuPont, Eurostar Ltd., Georgia-Pacific, Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), Harley-Davidson, Harrah's Entertainment, H.J. Heinz, John Deere, LL Bean, Limited Brands, Kraft Foods, Marriott, McCormick, Nestle, Nissan, RadioShack, The Scotts Company, Sears, Sinotrans, Unilever and Wickes Building Supplies. For more information, go to www.manugistics.com.

    FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that include, continuing weak demand for enterprise application software, the ability of the Company to effectively align its cost structure with revenues, and unintended adverse effects of the Company's recent restructuring and cost containment initiatives and recent organizational changes. More information about factors that potentially could affect Manugistics' financial results is included in Manugistics filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 29, 2004 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended November 30, 2004, and Report on Form 8-K filed April 12, 2005. Manugistics assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained on this announcement.

--30--TG/ph*

CONTACT: Manugistics Group, Inc. Press Contacts: Sheila Blackwell, 301-255-5486 sblackwell@manu.com or Edelman Kristine Gager, 202-326-1747 kristine.gager@edelman.com

KEYWORD: GEORGIA TAIWAN HONG KONG CHINA INTERNATIONAL ASIA PACIFIC INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MANUFACTURING SOFTWARE FOODS/BEVERAGES RETAIL NETWORKING PRODUCT SOURCE: Manugistics Group, Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2005