Best-in-Class Are Gaining Significant Competitive Advantage With Supply Chain Finance Technology

BOSTON, MA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- April 10, 2007 -- Best-in-Class companies are 6 times more likely to have gained significant competitive advantage due to implementing Supply Chain Finance (SCF) technology, according to a new benchmark report from Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS). A company was named "Best-in-Class" in using SCF technology if it had reported performance improvements over the past 18 months in at least 3 of a series of financial/process metrics that could be directly attributed to the use of a financial supply chain technology platform.

Based on the survey findings, Best-in-Class companies are more likely to understand the value SCF technology can bring in improving corporate financial performance, while their peers are focused more on transactional efficiency improvements.

--  Best-in-Class companies are more motivated by the emerging savings/
    profit opportunities of improving SCF technology.
--  Best-in-Class are most focused on how SCF technology enhancements can
    improve their financial metrics versus just seeking basic internal
    productivity gains.
    

Best-in-Class companies were found to process twice as much volume via their main SCF platform as their lower-performing peers, when measured by the annual dollar turnover, and three times more invoices monthly. In addition, the results show that Best-in-Class respondents are accelerating their investments in a variety of SCF technology areas to further enhance their capabilities.

Best-in-Class use SCF platforms that are:

--  1.5 times more likely to provide access to payables financing, and
    almost twice more likely to provide access to receivables financing
--  1.5 times more likely to provide access to inventory financing
    

"By using SCF technology to improve the key financial metrics and ensure the transparency of its business processes, a company can position itself for innovative growth strategies and strengthen its business relationships," says Viktoriya Sadlovska, supply chain finance research analyst at Aberdeen who authored the report. "Deploying improved SCF technology helps companies make their end-to-end supply chains more competitive."

The research is available in part by our underwriters: GT Nexus, Sterling Commerce, Demica, Global Supply Chain Finance (GSCF)

For a free copy of this report, please visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=3963

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: Beth Enslow Aberdeen Harte-Hanks 519-883-1430 Beth.enslow@aberdeen.com