[August 24, 2004] CORRECTING and REPLACING Sterling Commerce Value-Added Network Sets Transaction Record; More than one hundred billion monthly transactions driven by retail industry growth COLUMBUS, Ohio --(Business Wire)-- Aug. 24, 2004 -- Three instances of one billion should have read one HUNDRED billion in the release dated Aug. 23, 2004: 1) In the second part of the headline; 2) In the second sentence of the first graph; 3) In the first sentence of the third graph. The corrected release reads: STERLING COMMERCE VALUE-ADDED NETWORK SETS TRANSACTION RECORD; MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED BILLION MONTHLY TRANSACTIONS DRIVEN BY RETAIL INDUSTRY GROWTH Sterling Commerce announced today that its July value-added network (VAN) volumes hit an all-time high, due in large part to retail industry growth and the company's overall market leadership. With 75 of the top 100 U.S. retailers using Sterling Commerce's VAN, Sterling Information Broker, the company has experienced an unprecedented growth in transaction volumes, which reached more than one hundred billion characters in both June and July. Top retailers such as Wal-Mart, The Kroger Co., and The Home Depot use Sterling Information Broker to track and handle vast amounts of transactions daily, control inventory, enhance production planning and manage their trading partner communities. Sterling Commerce's network momentum, combined with its position as the top provider of data synchronization solutions to the retail industry, has the company poised for further success in a rapidly growing market. "While we're pleased with our network growth rates, we're certainly not surprised at the correlation between the record-breaking growth of our transaction volumes and the rise in retail sales," said Nolan Rosen, chief marketing officer, Sterling Commerce. "Sterling Information Broker is a centralized intermediary enabling the integration of business information between retailers and their manufacturers, shippers and banks." Sterling Information Broker volumes rose in July to more than one hundred billion characters, representing a 17 percent increase over volumes in July 2003. Additional figures show that Sterling Information Broker experienced growth rates of four percent in 2002, seven percent in 2003, and 16 percent year-to-date in 2004. The company expects to see these rates climb as companies continue to implement radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems. "RFID implementations require that a vast amount of data be exchanged on each pallet, carton and individual item sent to every retailer, and Sterling Commerce's ability to not only handle this data, but to decipher and communicate it electronically across diverse environments has us well positioned to continue our leadership in the retail market, providing a comprehensive, integrated set of network and software solutions," said Rosen. During the past three years, Sterling Commerce invested $30 million to improve its VAN, resulting in a tremendous increase in transaction volumes and the elimination of any communications disruptions. According to an article by Eric Austvold published in The AMR Research Alert, June 10, 2004: "Sterling Commerce made substantial investments in new technologies for integrating its customers back-office systems with its trading networks...and is reporting strong earnings, profits, and increased traffic over their networks." Sterling Information Broker enables the electronic flow of business information and integration between trading partners, regardless of the technology being used. The need for integrated business flows was highlighted by the recent Global Data Synchronization mandate from retailers such as Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Wegmans Food Markets to connect seamlessly with suppliers and exchange and update standardized product information electronically, thereby reducing costly errors from mismatched items and prices. Sterling Information Broker offers any-to-any data translation and processing services, supporting various document standards including X12, EDIFACT, XML, and industry-specific and proprietary formats. Users can access Sterling Information Broker via traditional communication protocols such as Async, Bisync and SNA or through new Internet-based protocols including TCP/IP, FTP, SMTP, X.400, HTTPS and EDI-INT. The service provides guaranteed delivery of business-critical documents, data archiving, disaster recover, and end-to-end audits and controls. About Sterling Commerce Sterling Commerce, a wholly owned subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC), is one of the world's largest providers of business integration solutions. For more than 25 years, thousands of companies have depended on Sterling Commerce expertise to optimize collaborative relationships through the integration of applications, external partners, suppliers and customers. With more than 25,000 customers worldwide, Sterling Commerce is the dominant business integration solutions provider in retail, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, financial services and telecommunications. For detailed, up-to-date information on Sterling Commerce and our solutions, visit www.sterlingcommerce.com and sign up for our e-business newsletter, e-biz buzz. SBC Communications Inc. (www.sbc.com) is a diversified communications company, owning several of the world's leading data, voice and Internet services providers. Through world-class networks, SBC companies provide a full range of voice, data, networking and e-business services, as well as directory advertising and publishing. A Fortune 30 company, SBC Communications Inc. owns America's leading provider of high-speed DSL Internet Access services and one of the nation's leading Internet Service Providers. SBC companies currently serve 55 million access lines nationwide. In addition, SBC companies own 60 percent of America's second-largest wireless company, Cingular Wireless, which serves more than 24 million wireless customers. Internationally, SBC companies have telecommunications investments in 26 countries. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]