Pushing the Boundaries of ERP in the Quest for Cost Savings

BOSTON, MA, Jul 07 (MARKET WIRE) --
In the 4th annual ERP in Manufacturing 2009 study announced by Aberdeen
Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), pressures to reduce costs
continue to outweigh all other pressures driving ERP strategies in 2009.
Top performing ERP implementations slash inventories by 20% and both
administrative and manufacturing operational costs by 14%. Unwilling to
sacrifice functionality for cost and ease of integration, manufacturers
demand more than traditional features.

"Since 2006, Aberdeen has been measuring ERP usage based on the number of
modules implemented in combination with the percentage of functionality
available (from those modules) that is actually used. The number of
modules implemented in 2006 and 2007 were identical and finally inched up
slightly in 2008, only to drop in 2009. The percentage of available
functionality also dipped slightly this year, to the extent that the
weighted average ERP usage has declined. In looking only at these
statistics, this appears to be a precipitous drop in usage," said Cindy
Jutras, vice president and research fellow, Aberdeen. "However, when we
look at it in conjunction with the adoption rates of ERP extensions, we
see that implementation of functionality has expanded, not contracted."

The study goes on to reveal the adoption rates for each of the 10
extensions that appeared in both the 2008 and 2009 surveys grew by an
average of 29%. These extensions include CRM, Supply Chain Planning, WMS,
TMS, PLM, HCM, QMS, MES and Field Service and EAM. In addition, the best
ERP implementations have even higher adoption rates and also show a strong
preference for purchasing these solutions from their ERP vendor.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the
following underwriters: Epicor, Infor, Lawson, Plex Systems, and Tectura.
To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5893.

Visit Research.Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary
Manufacturing Research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that
delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies
in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action:
driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering
meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the
global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that
drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call
(800) 456-9748.

Copyright 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com

Media Contact:
Cindy Jutras
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5247
Cindy.jutras@aberdeen.com

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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