Partner Press Release
NEC Corporation Selects Viacore’s Integration Utility Service to Manage Automated Connections with Key Suppliers

Utility Service to Enable Exchange of RosettaNet PIPs throughout Great China

For Release February 12, 2002

Tokyo, Japan and Irvine, CA, U.S.A. --

NEC Corporation, a leading provider of information technology, network, and electronic device solutions, has selected Viacore, the first Integration Utility and the leading operator of Partner Integration Networks, to manage a critical portion of its global supplier network. Viacore will manage the connectivity and interoperability between NEC and several of its key component suppliers in the Great China region, enabling deep visibility into automated supply chain information.

The first phase of NEC’s supply chain initiative includes the establishment of system-to-system connections between NEC and its trading partners in the Asian Area including Great China. Initially, Viacore will configure NEC’s Integration Utility service to manage the production-level exchange of RosettaNet partner interface processes (PIPs) 4A4, Notify of Planning Forecast, and 4A5, Notify of Forecast Reply. These specific forecast PIPs were chosen because of their importance in helping execute effective demand planning and inventory management. Following the successful completion of this initial phase, NEC plans to increase the number of trading partners and PIPs, in order to maximize the potential of its inter-company network.

“NEC is taking an important first step towards improving the flow of supply chain information within its global trading community,” said Hiroyuki Okada, General Manager, Corporate IT Division of NEC Corporation. “ Viacore’s Integration Utility service allows our company to rapidly create a dynamic, intelligent partner network with minimized risk and resource commitment.”

NEC and its trading partners will benefit from the ability to share, in real-time, information critical to effective demand planning, inventory management and other supply-chain related functions. Viacore’s Integration Utility service will ensure that NEC’s business information is managed 24x7 in a secure, reliable environment and supported by business process experts.

“NEC’s reputation as an industry leader is clearly visible through its implementation of this important business initiative,” said Fadi Chehadé, chairman and CEO of Viacore. “Viacore’s Integration Utility service model was designed to support companies like NEC that are looking to avoid significant risks and capital investments required to achieve continuous integration of their business processes and applications with their trading partners.”

About Viacore’s Integration Utility Service
Building viable private exchanges requires two key elements: a) a business application to analyze performance of the value chain and provide the necessary business alerts to avoid demand/supply surprises; and b) a Partner Integration Network to create partner liquidity and get valid data from them to "fuel" the business application. Viacore configures, deploys, and operates private-branded, Partner Integration Networks, which are delivered as utility services.   A Viacore Partner Integration Network provides the following services:

1.       Community Enablement , for the rapid integration and activation of trading partners, including B2B software provisioning, document validation, testing, training, partner readiness certification, and partner on-boarding project coordination; 

2.       Infrastructure Building and Management , for the secure handling of inter-company business documents, including disaster recovery, data storage and archiving, and infrastructure monitoring;

3.       Document/Process Management , for the intelligent routing of documents and processes to/from trading partners, including guaranteed process routing and data/protocol translation and mapping -- Viacore supports most information standards and protocols such as cXML, xCBL, RosettaNet Partner Interface Processes (PIPs), and EDI;

4.       Integration Operations , for the ongoing management of document flow and integrity, including event notification and alert management, document quality, analysis, and reporting, and 24x7 partner support.

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.l) is a leading provider of Internet solutions, dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its customers in the key computer, network and electron device fields through its three market-focused in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation, with its in-house companies, employs approximately 150,000 people worldwide and saw net sales of 5,409 billion Yen (approx. US$43 billion) in fiscal year 2000-2001. For further information, please visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec.com

About Viacore, Inc.
Viacore, Inc., is the first Integration Utility™ offering subscription-based, private Partner Integration Networks, enabling companies to avoid the significant risks and capital investments required to achieve "continuous integration" of their business processes and applications with their value chain partners. The company’s list of clients includes industry leaders such as Agilent, Cisco Systems, Honeywell-ACI, NEC, Philips Semiconductor, and Tyco Electronics. Viacore was recently recognized in InfoWorld’s annual list of Top 100 innovative companies and Forbes’s  "Best of the Web" B2B Directory.   Additional information is available at www.viacore.net.

Viacore and Integration Utility are trademarks of Viacore, Inc. Other products mentioned in this document are registered, trademarked or service marked by their respective owners.