Catalina Lighting Partners with Apprise Software for Its Enterprise-Wide System for Lighting Distribution

* Fully integrated, distribution centric solution to streamline and automate financial and operational processes for productivity and efficiency gains



BRIDGEWATER, N.J., March 1  /PRNewswire/ -- Apprise Software, Inc., a leading provider of integrated ERP and supply chain management solutions for consumer goods distributors, announced today that Catalina Lighting, Inc. (CALA) has selected Apprise(R) Distribution as its enterprise-wide system for lighting distribution.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, with offices in the United States, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom, Catalina Lighting is a leading global designer, marketer, and distributor of residential and commercial lighting products. With over 30 years in business, Catalina Lighting has established itself as a lighting supplier of choice to specialty retailers and mass merchandisers -- delivering products with both leading functionality and design that are backed by a dedication to superior customer satisfaction.

In support of its continuous efforts to enhance the service and value delivered to its customers, Catalina Lighting undertook an initiative to consolidate its varied financial and operational systems to a single, fully integrated ERP solution that would best support its distribution centric operations. Catalina Lighting sought a solution that would address its needs for collaborative inventory forecasting in a long lead-time global environment, improved warehouse management and inventory control, centralized real-time information visibility, and financial and operational process automation.

Catalina Lighting selected Apprise Software's Apprise Distribution application due to its tightly integrated enterprise-wide capabilities, distribution centric focus, ease of use, and standardized industry specific functionality that addresses the unique requirements and compliance issues inherent to working with retailers and mass merchandisers. "We needed a system that would deliver productivity and efficiency gains, and improve global supply chain visibility, by integrating and automating our beginning-to-end operations," said Cory Meyer, president and CEO of Catalina Lighting. "And, we wanted to minimize system customizations and their associated costs by selecting an application that better matches our distribution centric business model and provides the industry specific functionality required to meet the needs of our largest customers." Additionally, Apprise Software's expansion into the Asian region with an office in China positions the company well to assist Catalina Lighting with its local operational needs in China.

Upon completion of the implementation of Apprise Distribution, which will include the implementation of warehouse automation through Apprise(R) Wireless Warehouse as well as integrated EDI capabilities through Apprise(R) EDI Transaction Manager, Catalina Lighting expects to experience significant returns. Based on the award winning Progress(R) OpenEdge(TM) 10 platform from Progress Software (PRGS), the ease of use and automation provided by the system are expected to deliver productivity and efficiency gains in both administrative and warehouse operations. Improved inventory forecasting and planning along with enhanced enterprise-wide, real-time information visibility will enable Catalina Lighting to better meet customer needs and make faster, more informed business decisions.

"We are excited about our partnership with Catalina Lighting and their selection of Apprise Distribution," said Jeff Broadhurst, president of Apprise Software, Inc. "Our focus in the consumer goods distribution industry enables us to deliver to Catalina Lighting solutions designed specifically for the way their business operates, as well as standardized functionality that addresses current and evolving retailer compliance requirements, such as EDI and RFID. We look forward to working with Catalina Lighting to help them drive efficiency gains throughout their operations that will improve their business performance."

Apprise Distribution is Apprise Software's enterprise-wide application designed to meet the unique challenges associated with overseas manufacturing, importing, and the distribution of consumer goods. The application has been developed to include industry specific functionality -- such as long lead-time inventory forecasting, purchasing, and tracking; landed cost management; real- time inventory visibility; and retailer compliance including EDI and RFID -- that helps consumer goods distributors streamline their operations, reduce their costs, and increase their profitability. In addition to providing leading industry tailored capabilities and professional service expertise, Apprise Distribution leverages the latest underlying technologies -- including Microsoft(R) .NET and Progress OpenEdge 10 -- to deliver flexible, cost effective, high-performance solutions.

About Catalina Lighting

Catalina Lighting, Inc. (CALA) is a leading international designer and marketer of residential and office lighting products. The Company's broad product line includes functional and decorative table lamps; ceiling, wall, recessed, vanity and track lighting fixtures; outdoor lighting; and chandeliers. Its line is distributed under several brand names, including Catalina, Tensor, Dana, Ring, Illuminada and Pro Office. The Company also sells goods under its customers' private labels.

For more information about Catalina Lighting, please visit http://www.catalinalighting.com/.

About Apprise Software, Inc.

Founded in 1984, and with business focus in North America and China, Apprise Software, Inc. is a leading provider of enterprise-wide software solutions for mid-sized consumer goods distributors.  Leveraging latest technologies -- such as the Microsoft(R) .NET framework, Progress(R) OpenEdge(TM) 10, wireless warehouse solutions, and RFID -- along with industry best-practices, Apprise Software provides consumer goods distributors with global solutions that meet their unique business requirements while delivering reduced costs, improved efficiencies, enhanced revenues and profitability, and a quick return on investment.

For more information about Apprise Software, Inc. please visit http://www.apprise.com/.

About the Progress Software Corporation

Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ:PRGS) is a global industry leader providing application infrastructure software for all aspects of the development, deployment, integration and management of business applications. Headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, Progress can be reached at http://www.progress.com/ or [phone].

Apprise(R) is a registered trademark of Apprise Software, Inc. Progress and OpenEdge are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks, marked and not marked, are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Jeff Broadhurst http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=58977 

DATASOURCE: Apprise Software, Inc.



CONTACT:  Kelley Marko, Apprise Software, Inc., Phone [phone],

Fax [phone],  



Web site:  http://www.apprise.com/

http://www.catalinalighting.com/

http://www.progress.com/ 

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