Visible Inventory Selected by WhereNet to Add Sensor Capability to WhereNet's Wireless Parts Replenishment Solution

February 19, 2004--Visible Inventory, an industry-leading provider of true real-time inventory management solutions, today announced that it has entered into an OEM partnership with WhereNet, the leader of wireless solutions for tracking and managing enterprise assets. The partnership enables WhereNet to expand its suite of automotive applications to include more than 20 different product variations that can automatically sense when additional inventory is required and send an immediate request to deliver more parts to the assembly line.

Tom Bacon, vice president and general manager, automotive group, WhereNet, commented, "By partnering with Visible Inventory, we have expanded the functionality of our system to deliver a completely automated wireless parts replenishment system which will drive even greater savings for our automotive customers around the world."

Visible Inventory's president and CEO, John Toomey, said, "Our partnership with WhereNet reinforces the universal applicability of our real-time, sensor-based inventory management solutions, which we have been developing and deploying over the past several years.Visible Inventory's solutions have been developed to bring existing manufacturing and supply chain systems one step closer to a fully automated process. Our sensor technology, coupled with our SuppliLink application, brings WhereNet's current award-winning real-time solutions to the next level."

Supported by Visible Inventory's industrial sensors interfaced to WhereTag active wireless transmitters, the WhereNet WhereSoft system determines the accurate quantity of material remaining at a workstation and wirelessly transmits this data via the WhereNet Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) and WiFi infrastructure. This real-time consumption information is ultimately sent to enterprise manufacturing execution systems supporting lean manufacturing processes, resulting in the just-in-time delivery of parts to the respective line-side workstations.

WhereNet's parts replenishment systems are currently installed in more than 70 automotive factories around the world, such as Ford Motor Co. and NUMMI, the Toyota–General Motors joint-venture vehicle-assembly plant.

The real-time inventory management solution developed by Visible Inventory includes SuppliLink intelligent software, which captures inventory status and automatically takes appropriate reorder action based on company rules for each item in a database; iBin , iShelf and iPallet sensors, which measure and wirelessly communicate item quantities to the SuppliLink software; and iVision software, which allows inventory status and reorder information to be viewed by approved personnel through an Internet browser.

Visible Inventory's solutions complement other inventory measurement technology, and can receive data from any standard or custom-designed sensor. Customer-specific configurations are also available.

About WhereNet Corp.
WhereNet is the first company to deliver a single wireless location and communication infrastructure that reliably and cost-effectively manages valuable mobile resources. Based on patented, standards-compliant technology resulting from a collective 100+ years of development, the WhereNet real-time solutions have reduced inventory, lowered operating costs, and improved operations, delivering a complete return on investment within 12 months for some of the world's leading companies, including BMW, Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Co., and NYK Logistics. WhereNet's strategic partners include Fortune 500 bellwethers FMC, General Electric, Siemens, Symbol, and Unisys. The company has received the Henry Ford Technology Award; was recognized for strong ROI by Computerworld; was ranked among the top 10 in the InfoWorld 100; and has been recognized as a wireless innovator by Forrester Research, Computerworld ROI, Frontline Solutions, Plant Engineering, and Supply Chain Systems magazines. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with offices throughout the United States and Europe, WhereNet is funded by Crosspoint Venture Partners, Foundation Capital, Bay Partners, Crescendo Ventures, and Sun Microsystems. For more information, visit the WhereNet Web site at www.wherenet.com, or call 408-845-8500 (in the U.S.) or +32 3 286 84 50 (in Europe).

About Visible Inventory
Visible Inventory, headquartered in Salem, NH, provides true real-time inventory management solutions that enhance the performance of existing ERP, SCM and MRO systems. Inventory activity is automatically executed upon in real time, maintaining minimum inventory levels and providing accurate inventory information across the entire supply chain. Visible Inventory's SuppliLink(TM) intelligent software, coupled with the company's iBin (TM), iShelf (TM) and iPallet (TM) family of sensors, and iVision Internet communications software, enable today's most progressive supply chain practices to achieve their full potential. A complementary and collaborative solution is Visible Inventory's offering to manufacturers, distributors, and others wishing to optimize inventory levels, replenishment cycles, and vendor or customer partnerships.

For more information, call 603-894-5858, or visit www.visibleinventory.com.

SuppliLink, iBin, iShelf, iPallet and iVision are trademarks of Visible Inventory, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.




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