Optiant CEO Fred Lizza Named to World Trade Magazine's 'Fab50 + 1' List

Inventory Optimization Cited As Top Priority During Tough Economy

BOSTON, June 23 -- Optiant, the premier provider of inventory optimization solutions, today announced that CEO Fred Lizza and the field of Inventory Optimization are included in World Trade magazine's annual "Fab50 + 1" list of the people, places, and things shaping the world of trade. The prestigious list identifies government entities as well as a cross-section of companies or individuals in various sectors whose global manufacturing, retail, and trading supply chains merit recognition for leadership in the global supply chain.

The World Trade magazine list also names Optiant customers such as Kraft and Nestle as innovators. Optiant's PowerChain solution is cited for its ability to "determine optimal levels of inventory across a global supply chain with multiple suppliers at multiple tiers, complex regulatory regimes, and a host of unknowns from monsoons to political disruption."

Industry analysts as well as trade and business publications have ranked Inventory optimization as a top priority for supply chain organizations during this tough economic environment.

According to Optiant CEO Fred Lizza, firms that implement inventory optimization programs are able to reduce inventory by 20--30 percent and cycle times by 15-20 percent. "Inventory optimization has been deployed by leading-edge companies to lower costs and free up working capital," said Lizza. "Small, medium, and large businesses can benefit from reducing their inventories, but it must be based on a definitive understanding of exactly what drives a specific supply chain's behavior. A solution like Optiant's PowerChain(R) recommends intelligent inventory policies and safety stock targets that handle demand uncertainty and maintain service levels while minimizing costs."

In a recent report from IDC Manufacturing Insights, Simon Ellis, Supply Chain Practice Director, observes, "Dramatic changes in business are having an inevitable impact on a company's supply chain network. Optimizing efficiencies in the supply chain -- particularly inventory -- has been propelled up the priority list for many companies. Increasing the productivity of assets has taken on more importance because of its direct relationship toward maximizing working capital and improving the bottom line."

Inventory optimization technology improves confidence in supply chain decision-making using end-to-end modeling, analysis and what-if scenarios. Optiant's award-winning inventory optimization solution, PowerChain(R), features a powerful optimization engine that rapidly plans inventory policies and sets inventory targets across multiple echelons in a supply chain over multiple planning periods.

About Optiant

Optiant, a premier provider of supply chain network design, inventory optimization, and supply chain business intelligence solutions, helps Global 2000 companies optimize bottom-line performance by reducing inventories, freeing up working capital, optimizing supply chain asset utilization and delivering lowest total supply chain costs.

Optiant's PowerChain(R) solutions optimally balance resources, total costs, and customer service across the entire, extended supply chain to deliver greater profitability, increased customer satisfaction, more efficient use of capital, and a resilient supply chain that fully handles uncertainty in supply and demand. Optiant has transformed supply chains for the world's leading manufacturers including Procter & Gamble, Kraft, HP, IKEA, Microsoft and Boston Scientific.

Delivering millions of dollars in returns, Optiant's solutions for consumer product, high tech manufacturing and industrial organizations generate quantifiable savings within 90 days of implementation. Optiant's solutions, certified for integration by SAP, are based on award-winning research from MIT and decades of experience dedicated to the identification and realization of supply chain efficiencies. For more information, please visit http://www.optiant.com/.

Optiant, the Optiant logo, and PowerChain(R) are registered trademarks of Optiant, Inc. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

  CONTACT: John Brewer
           +1 781 238 4165
           john [dot] brewer [at] optiant [dot] com

           Becky Boyd
           MediaFirst PR - Atlanta
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