Top Performers in Electronic Hardware Design Hit Product Release Dates 46% More Frequently Than Average Companies

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - July 12, 2007) - Companies that are Best-in-Class at electronic design are hitting their product revenue targets 88% of the time, according to research by Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS). This is 33% more frequently than average companies.

Findings from a new Aberdeen Group benchmark report, "PLM in Electronics," also reveal that Best-in-Class companies are 84% more likely than average companies to be using PLM solutions for 1 year or longer.

"Businesses today are challenged with not only developing complex electronic components but integrating them into smaller devices or systems. Adding to this complexity, product development teams are dispersed around the globe. To speed up time to market, companies are utilizing their global capabilities by distributing their designs remotely. The ability to produce a finished product by capturing all of this diverse information both cost effectively and on time, is something electronics companies are struggling with. From a business perspective, the ability to globally manage people, processes and technology along with the capability to put it all together correctly, the first time, has become a priority with electronics manufacturers. Despite these realities, Best-in-Class performers hit their business goals on an 86% or better average," says Ric Stanley, Research Analyst in Aberdeen's Product Innovation and Engineering practice and report author. "The ability of companies that are Best-in-Class at managing their data gives them a significant competitive advantage over the rest of the industry. They are setting themselves apart by implementing a central data repository for storing all current data for ease of access by the entire product development team. In fact, the Best-in-Class are 2.6 times as likely as laggard businesses to have established a centralized data repository."

Specifically, report findings show that Best-in-Class companies are:

--  2.1 times as likely as industry average companies to capture and reuse
    product development knowledge.
--  2.5 times as likely as industry average to integrate their product
    development data into their business processes.
--  2.6 times as likely as laggard companies to have centralized their
    product data.
--  2.8 times as likely as all others to have developed formal metrics to
    measure their product development process.
    

This report is made available to the public through the underwriting of: Agile Software Systems, Omnify Software and Perception Software.

To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4101

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely 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 http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

© 2007 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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Contact Information: Media Contact: Ric Stanley Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5203 Ric.Stanley@aberdeen.com