Thinking Global? Don't Lose Sight of Profitable Growth

BOSTON, MA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- March 8, 2007 -- Profitable growth is the key consideration in corporate globalization efforts, according to a new report published by Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS). The Role of ERP in Globalization: A low-cost approach to reaching new markets February 2007 Aberdeen benchmark report confirmed that companies that automate and streamline workflows across multiple sites (including suppliers, partners, and manufacturing sites) produced 66% more improvement in reducing total time from order to delivery. Those companies that coordinate and collaborate between multiple sites, operating as a vertically integrated organization, have achieved more than a 10% gain in global market share.

The majority of companies studied (79%) view global markets as a growth opportunity, but of those companies, half are also feeling pressures to reduce costs. Of those seeking to reduce costs either directly or by providing the necessary flexibility to ship from more cost effective locations, 74% are also seeking growth opportunities.

"One would expect globalization efforts to be largely driven either by the desire to exploit new markets or the need to lower manufacturing costs. Which is the dominant business driver? The answer is -- both," said Cindy Jutras, Vice President & Service Director, Manufacturing & ERP Research, Aberdeen. "A majority of companies (79%) view global markets as a growth opportunity, but of those companies, half are also feeling pressures to reduce costs. Profitable growth is the key consideration in globalization."

Companies should evaluate their processes to ensure they effectively accomplish the following:

--  Understand which localizations, translations, and globalization
    features are needed from your current ERP provider, which features are
    available, and how these features are delivered.
--  Automate and streamline workflows between suppliers, customers, and
    manufacturing sites.
--  Standardize ERP implementations across the global enterprise.
    

http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=3906

This report is made available to the public by the following underwriters: Infor and SAP.

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.

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