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Sweet Success as Thorntons Rolls Out Manhattan Associates' Supply Chain Solutions

16.11.2005

Warehouse Management and Performance Management Solutions Help Thorntons Cut Costs and Improve Accuracy

LONDON and ATLANTA — November 10, 2005 — Leading supply chain solutions provider, Manhattan Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: MANH), announced that Thorntons is seeing a marked improvement in the speed and accuracy of order processing following the implementation of Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management solution for Open Systems. The solution has been deployed at Thorntons' 140,000 sq ft, multi-temperature central storage facility and distribution point in Alfreton, Derbyshire, and is serving the company's 588 retail stores across the UK. Further cost savings of £100,000 are predicted from the use of Manhattan Associates’ Performance Management solution.

Thorntons PLC is a manufacturer, retailer and distributor of high quality confectionery and sweet foods with annual sales in excess of £180 million. With 40% of its annual business taking place in the 10 weeks prior to Christmas and the date and shelf-life issues associated with its products, fulfilment and accuracy are crucial to Thorntons.

When the company carried out a review of its IT infrastructure it found that its warehouse management solution, along with other hardware and software systems, were becoming obsolete and could no longer support the business as it moved forward. Rather than re-writing the existing software, the company made the decision to deploy a new warehouse management solution. Thorntons set a tight deadline to complete the implementation and go live.

Greg Garside, head of warehousing and distribution at Thorntons explains the process, "We were three months away from having an outdated system yet only six months later we had a fully supported Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management solution and were starting to see real benefits to the business. We were able to configure the Manhattan Associates' solution very easily to plug in to our own requirements for date rotation. The other systems we looked at could not have managed this without manual intervention. The added bonus for us is that we are still seeing improvements in accuracy that we had not envisaged as we get to know the system better."

Thorntons processed its first order using the new warehouse management solution exactly on schedule. The solution runs on an HP UX system and links directly into Thornton's Oracle manufacturing system and its bespoke ordering system.

Thorntons has subsequently gone live with Manhattan Associates' Performance Management solution. This monitors both the team and individual performances of the 200 operatives within the Alfreton distribution centre and interfaces with the company's time and attendance system. Thorntons has set a target of £100,000 in cost savings from improved employee performance using this aspect of the Manhattan Associates' solution.

Greg Garside commented, "Apart from the labour target, our other objectives with the implementation were to go live on time and under budget. We managed to do both and are seeing many additional benefits. We chose Manhattan Associates because they are the market leader. They also have the functionality we need today as well as the future proofing necessary as the business moves forward and we look to adopt new systems such as chip and voice technologies."

Steve Smith, vice president of EMEA at Manhattan Associates, stated, "Everyone on both sides of this project worked hard to ensure that the implementation process was completed smoothly and on time. This is a great example of how it's possible to ensure that both IT and business objectives are met and that benefits are experienced as quickly as possible. We look forward to developing our relationship with Thorntons as the company continues to grow."

About Manhattan Associates, Inc.
Manhattan Associates is a leading supply chain solutions provider. The company's demand intelligence, advanced planning, supply chain planning, supply chain execution and business process platform capabilities enable its more than 1200 customers worldwide to enhance profitability, performance and competitive advantage.



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