[July 26, 2004] MAPICS and IBM Expand Strategic Alliance To Drive Integration In Enterprise and SMB Markets ATLANTA --(Business Wire)-- July 26, 2004 -- Joint ERP Solution to Integrate New and Existing MAPICS ERP for iSeries Products to Drive Increased Application Integration and Information Sharing MAPICS, Inc. (NASDAQ/NM: MAPX), a leading global provider of enterprise solutions for world-class manufacturers, and IBM announced it is expanding its strategic alliance to increase product offerings for enterprise and SMB customers of MAPICS ERP for IBM eServer iSeries(a) systems. MAPICS will utilize the web services capabilities in IBM's WebSphere Application Server(a) to enable customers to share applications with resident systems in their IT infrastructure. In this expanded alliance, the two companies will jointly market the MAPICS ERP for iSeries products to reach enterprise and mid-market manufacturers. Through this alliance, MAPICS and IBM will help customers extend the value of existing application investments to leverage new applications from MAPICS and their partners. These applications can extend the value of the MAPICS ERP application by providing integrated support for functionality ranging from customer relationship management to supply chain management, helping MAPICS customers improve customer service, lower costs and improve responsiveness to the market. The first product, MAPICS CRM for eServer iSeries, integrating the CRM product from previously acquired Frontstep, will be made available later this year. The integration between the MAPICS ERP application and these extensions will be built on IBM middleware, including IBM WebSphere Application Server and IBM DB2 Universal Database. (a) "The expansion of our relationship with IBM strengthens a long history of working together to provide customers with the tools they need to drive on demand, business process efficiencies," said Alan MacLamroc, Chief Technology Officer, MAPICS. "We are using WebSphere to implement our technology strategy of utilizing web services for integration of our products and the products of our partners into our eServer iSeries suite. This approach enables our customers to share critical business information across their extended enterprises, while reducing the cost and complexities of managing their systems." "We're committed to working with our partners to extend the reach of their products to attract a wider base of enterprise, as well as SMB, customers," said Marc Lautenbach, general manager, IBM Global Small and Medium Business. "Through our expanded strategic alliance, IBM and MAPICS will provide mid-size manufacturers with the solutions to help them improve business performance, increase competitive advantage and deliver increased value for their customers and shareholders." About MAPICS MAPICS is a leading global solutions provider focused exclusively on manufacturing. Building on more than 25 years of industry experience and proven success, MAPICS helps manufacturers be world class by gaining market share, operating at peak efficiency and exceeding customer expectations. MAPICS solutions include software-extended ERP, CRM and supply chain management-and professional services. The solutions are implemented on the two industry-leading technology platforms-Microsoft and IBM. Headquartered in Atlanta, MAPICS has implemented solutions in more than 10,000 customer sites in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.mapics.com. MAPICS is a trademark of MAPICS, Inc. Other brand and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Editor's note: The correct usage of the MAPICS name is all capitals. Statements in this press release or other wise attributable to the Company regarding the Company's business which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "integrating," "will," "using," "committed," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company including, without limitation, the availability of qualified resources and offerings, relationships with our customers and business partners, the ability to develop and enhance products and other risks detailed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10K and other filing with the SEC. The company undertakes no obligation to revise or publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or otherwise About IBM IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM works with companies of all sizes around the world to deploy a full range of IBM technologies. For more information about IBM, visit www.ibm.com. (a) Denotes a trademark or registered trademark of the International Business Machines Corporation. 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