Unisys Announces Breakthrough Solutions

Wed, 6 Oct 2004

Unisys Announces Breakthrough Solutions For Global Visible Commerce

Unisys Announces Breakthrough Solutions For Global Visible Commerce Solution Bridges the Gap Between Security and Business Effectiveness

New Zealand, Wednesday 6th October 2004 - Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today challenged industry leaders to think beyond the current hype around radio frequency identification (RFID), unveiling solutions that balance the roles of security and business effectiveness in supply chain management. "Security and efficiency aren't short-term issues that can be addressed by simply putting RFID tags onto the sides of shipping containers," said Joe McGrath, president and chief operating officer at Unisys.

"For more than 10 years, Unisys has been working with customers around the world to create cost-efficient and secure supply chains. We believe the real payoff for clients is going to be seen in bottom-line benefits and competitive advantage." Unisys has conducted more than 20 implementations and pilot projects to track, trace, and secure goods and assets for government and consumer product and airline organisations.

Unisys is working with customers such as Sara Lee Branded Apparel, Sara Lee Coffee and Tea Service, Motorola Inc. and the U.S. Department of Defence to help make their supply chains more secure and cost-effective. That experience includes running one of the world's largest RFID-based in-transit visibility networks - a "factory-to-foxhole" implementation across 1,300 nodes in more than 20 countries for all branches of the U.S. military.

It also includes being selected to lead more Operation Safe Commerce pilot projects than any other solution provider - two at the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey and one each at the Port of Seattle/Tacoma and the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach. Operation Safe Commerce is the first large-scale public-private effort to improve the security of containerised shipments entering the U.S. from overseas. At the core of the new solutions is Unisys' unique 3D Visible Enterprise (3D-VE) methodology, which gives companies a holistic view into the cause-and-effect relationships between shifts in technology, business processes and strategy.

Unisys Global Visible Commerce Solutions are designed to help companies increase the value of their supply chains by building near-real time views and proactive alert mechanisms into their global supply chains - similar to a jet fighter's cockpit dashboard. Value is driven by reductions in inventory, out-of-stocks and total landed cost, as well as improvements in customer service and the ability to quickly adapt to disruptions.

By making the tracking and tracing of goods and assets more visible throughout the extended supply chain, Unisys is helping companies battle growing threats of counterfeiting, theft and contamination, as well as giving them the ability to more effectively comply with big-buyer and regulatory mandates. The solution is tailored to meet the specific needs of government and companies in the life sciences, consumer product, retail and transportation industries.

"It is only a matter of time until Carrefour, Wal-Mart or another big buyer mandates a more globally transparent level of supply chain visibility," continued McGrath. The Unisys solutions, which are designed to provide supply chain visibility from manufacturer to store shelf, include the following components:

* Secure Supply Chain: vulnerability assessment, strategic planning and implementation of new processes and technologies for in-transit shipment security, perimeter security, facility access and border crossings, port security, worker and visitor credentialisation, identity management, and data integrity and sharing. * In-Transit Visibility: supply chain optimisation starts with tracking and tracing - the ability to know what's where at all times and where it has been - and virtual warehousing, which extends visibility beyond organisational walls and allows near real-time in-transit inventory allocation. This also includes data management and analytics for real-time exception handling, automated triggers and early-warning notifications. * Anti-Counterfeiting: prevention (stopping counterfeiting before it happens), detection (finding counterfeits already introduced into the supply chain), and response (triggers and actions when threats are detected or suspected). * Asset Tracking: effective management and utilisation of assets requires visibility into asset location. * Compliance Management: changing regulations and big buyer mandates for RFID adoption and vendor performance management have made compliance a top priority, along with international trade management and security.

Additionally, the solution includes the following services: * Assessment and Planning: value assessment and business case development, RFID strategy, pilot design, technical design, and risk and business continuity assessment. * Implementation: design and deployment of track and trace, or RFID-based systems and networks. Implementation emphasises business process change to ensure and maximise benefits. * Infrastructure Outsourcing: full management of computing and network technology for maximum operational efficiency, with tight IT security to provide data privacy and integrity.

Unisys' Global Visible Commerce Solutions include a comprehensive application architecture that integrates best of breed software and devices to create a true end-to-end solution. The solution leverages technology from Microsoft, Manugistics, Intel and Proforma, and integrates with the Oracle E-Business Suite for ERP and supply chain management applications. The solution is compliant with EPC Global and ISO standards. Unisys robust global service delivery and support infrastructure, driven by managed services centres worldwide, enables 24x7x365 management of mobile devices, PCs, networks, servers and security. This infrastructure, supporting both distributed and centralised computing environments, and handling millions of service events, complements and manages the world-class Unisys ES7000 and Clearpath servers that provide the computing power required to manage massive quantities of data for Unisys Global Visible Commerce Solutions.

Ends About Unisys Asia Pacific Unisys Asia Pacific helps clients eliminate business and IT complexity providing specialised services delivered by trusted consultants. Drawing on a history of industry innovation and expertise, Unisys Asia Pacific delivers services and solutions through subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand and through distributors or resellers in other countries in the region.

About Unisys Unisys is a worldwide information technology services and solutions company. Our people combine expertise in consulting, systems integration, outsourcing, infrastructure and server technology with precision thinking and relentless execution to help clients, in more than 100 countries, quickly and efficiently achieve competitive advantage. For more information, visit www.unisys.com

ENDS

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