SEPESI, INC. ANNOUNCES RELEASE 1.0 OF SHIPS™
EXPORT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR QAD MFG/PRO™ USERS
AT JUNE PROGRESS USER'S CONVENTION

Rhinebeck, NY, April 13, 1998 — Sepesi, Inc. is a consulting firm that specializes in developing PROGRESS™ software applications. Collectively, Sepesi staff members have over 50 years experience in information systems, design, programming and implementation, particularly with PROGRESS and UNIX environments. President Patricia Sepesi has personally used PROGRESS development tools, starting with version 2A, since the early 1980s.

Late in 1996 Sepesi, Inc. became a PROGRESS Application Partner. In 1997, the Sepesi team of programmers has devoted their expertise to develop a new "Powered By PROGRESS" application called SHIPS" — Sepesi Handling of International Processes System.

The program is the first Export Management System designed to seamlessly interface with QAD's MFG/PRO. The initial release of this system (SHIPS v1.0) will be unveiled at the PROGRESS User's Convention in Dallas, Texas from June 1 through 4, 1998. Visit booth #301 for more information and demonstrations.

SHIPS provides a significant benefit to exporters already running their business on MFG/PRO. The user's ability to quickly and confidently install and configure SHIPS without concern for integration issues associated with standalone packages is one of SHIPS most useful qualities. Additionally, SHIPS commitment to the standard look and feel of the MFG/PRO product will reduce operator training time and provide a smooth transition during system implementation.

SHIPS addresses three critical areas for exporters:

Export Management. As a business increases its number of export shipments, the process becomes much more difficult to manage and control. SHIPS provides the framework to standardize export procedures and provides a central point to collect and track all export related activities.
Documentation. Filling out the proper forms for any given shipment is time-consuming and prone to error. Missing or improperly filled out paperwork can cause products to be held up by Customs. SHIPS automates this process and saves the expense of purchasing pre-printed forms.
Compliance. All exports are regulated by the U.S. Government. Ensuring shipments complies with current regulations can become complex. Violations can result in severe financial penalties. SHIPS allows users to stay in compliance by giving controls to manage product manufacturing and subsequent shipment to controlled destinations.

Furthermore, SHIPS will allow companies to perform many difficult functions in a routine manner. Following are several examples:

Consolidate one or more sales orders into a single export to the same destination.
Use MFG/PRO addresses and product information with no data redundancy.
Generate original quality forms from postscript laser printers, eliminating need for expensive pre-printed forms.
Create multiple shipment routings in advance by ship-to address or country and record preferred carriers and special instructions.
Automatically screen destinations to prevent exports to embargoed countries or denied parties.
Updates to all government tables and lists available 24hrs./day on http://www.sepesi.com web site.
Supports end user entry of export licenses and license exceptions which apply to a given product or group of products and generates automatic assignment of license or license exception during creation of export.
Produce a complete audit trail which tracks full export lifecycle from creation of export through printing of documents.

Sepesi, Inc.'s primary business focus has been the integration and implementation of manufacturing, distribution and financial software packages for companies with 50-200 concurrent users on Windows NT and UNIX systems. Many of their clients are first time users of both PROGRESS and UNIX. Sepesi's customer service staff get very involved in the initial set up of databases, user access, training and system support.

The firm prides itself in its ability to consult with clients throughout the entire process. At startup specific key functions such as applications development, data administration and system administration — require special attention. Long term service focuses on site training, system fine tuning, and software upgrades. Recipients of Sepesi's "hand-holding" philosophy agree that this quality is what sets Sepesi, Inc. apart from the ordinary consulting firm.

Contact Information:
Sepesi Inc.
P.O. Box 481
Rhinebeck, NY 12572 USA;
Telephone 845-876-5101
Fax 845-876-7826.
e-mail: info@sepesi.com.
http://www.sepesi.com.

PROGRESS is a registered trademark of Progress Software Corporation
MFG/PRO is a registered trademark of QAD Inc.
Quantum and Vertex are trademarks of Vertex, Inc.
UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX Systems Laboratories
SHIPS is a trademark of Sepesi, Inc.