RFID Partners: Manhattan Associates and Matrics Announce Alliance to Aid RFID Adoption

Partners to Deliver Best-in-Class RFID Solutions to Consumer Goods Industry

ATLANTA, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Manhattan Associates, Inc. (Nasdaq: MANH), the global leader in providing supply chain execution (SCE) solutions, and Matrics Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of electronic product code (EPC)-compliant Radio Frequency identification (RFID) systems, announce an alliance to accelerate adoption of RFID technology throughout the consumer goods supply chain.

The primary goal of this alliance is to help clients reduce overall costs and increase profitability by combining RFID tag and reader technology, with RFID-enabled supply chain execution solutions. The benefits to customers include improved accuracy and distribution efficiencies, shorter order cycle times, elimination of unnecessary handling and expenses and enhanced customer satisfaction, for an overall competitive advantage.

Manhattan Associates offers a variety of Integrated Logistics Solutions, including RFID. As the first supply chain software provider to join the Auto-ID Center (now EPCglobal), Manhattan Associates was an early adopter of EPC-compliant technology. The company has continued to build a solid leadership position with the development of its RFID in a Box solution(TM), which incorporates Integration Platform for RFID, RFID-enabled SCE applications and Implementation Services for RFID. Manhattan Associates has partnered with best-in-class RFID suppliers such as Matrics in order to leverage its solutions to its target markets.

"Teaming with Matrics allows us to offer the consumer goods industry a smart, reliable choice for complete RFID solutions," commented Greg Gilbert, RFID strategist for Manhattan Associates. "By aligning our RFID solutions with Matrics tag and reader functionality, we can ensure that customers who face pending compliance mandates meet deadlines, while realizing the added benefits of source to consumption supply chain operations."

RFID technology uses tags or transponders to transmit EPCs and communicate wirelessly to readers over radio frequency waves. Attached to physical objects, including items, cartons, pallets and containers, the tags uniquely identify objects. Readers receive data from the RFID tags via radio frequency waves once the tags are within reading range. This data is captured, accepted and executed against by RFID solutions, such as those offered by Manhattan Associates.

The Matrics RFID system is comprised of EPC-compliant RFID tags (Class 0 read only and read/write) and its new, multi-protocol reader (AR 400 RFID Reader), which is designed to enable real-time, seamless tag reading and writing capability for all EPC-compliant tags including Class 0 and Class 1. Matrics' RFID technology reads farther and faster and costs less than comparable systems, providing unsurpassed real-time visibility into products and assets in factories, distribution centers and retail outlets.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Manhattan Associates, a leader in the supply chain execution space," said Bob McFarland, senior vice president of supply chain sales for Matrics. "Manhattan's pioneering approach to RFID, now combined with Matrics' tags and readers, will deliver a higher return on investment to our joint customers."

About Manhattan Associates, Inc.: Manhattan Associates, Inc., is the global leader in providing supply chain execution solutions. We enable operational excellence through our warehousing and distribution, transportation and trading partner management applications. These integrated solutions leverage state-of-the-art technologies, innovative practices and our domain expertise to enhance performance, profitability and competitive advantage. Manhattan Associates has licensed more than 900 customers representing more than 1,600 facilities worldwide, which include some of the world's leading manufacturers, distributors and retailers. For more information about Manhattan Associates, visit http://www.manh.com .

About Matrics, Inc.: Matrics is a global leader in the design and manufacture of EPC-compliant RFID systems and the recipient of the Frost & Sullivan Award for Entrepreneurial Company for 2004. Matrics along with its partnership network provides RFID solutions to many of the Fortune 1000 companies, government, as well as international businesses. Current customers include International Paper and McCarran Airport. For more information visit Matrics on the web at http://www.matrics.com .