Business & Money Trail:

KINETIC CONCEPTS INC CHOOSES COMSHARE SOFTWARE

Comshare Incorporated announced that privately owned Kinetic Concepts Inc will deploy Web-based Comshare management planning and control software, Comshare MPC, to over 300 users worldwide. The application is expected to decrease the time spent on international consolidations and budgeting while it frees up time for analysis.

New Centralized Application Expands Reporting and Decision-Making to the Detail Level

Comshare MPC centralizes multiple data sources to provide a seamless, "single version of the truth" to all users. Its Web architecture enables quick access to information anywhere, anytime via a Web browser, making data transmission and investigation easy. Financial and non-financial information such as asset tracking, ERP and general ledger data, personnel, manufacturing, revenue, salary and commission information can all be handled by Comshare MPC software integrated with the company's mainstream database.

"The application we chose had to fit our Oracle database IT standard and be Web-enabled for easy distribution, collection and access to the information," says Margaret Wingfield, Assistant Controller for KCI. "In addition, since our company operates in upwards of 20 currencies around the world, we needed an application that could handle an immense number of currency conversions. We expect Comshare MPC to easily translate multiple currencies to facilitate administration of KCI's worldwide information gathering, management reporting, budgeting and forecasting at a variety of levels using its built-in analysis and drill-down functionality," continues Wingfield. "We are hopeful that the new Comshare application will provide KCI decision-makers more detail than ever before, with faster turnaround of information than any previous single system could realize."

Comshare Software to be Implemented in Phases

KCI will implement unit forecasting and monthly reports in the first phase of implementation followed by quarterly forecasting and budgeting in the second phase. Global consolidation will be implemented during phase three. All three phases are expected to be completed within the span of a fiscal year for KCI.

"The most important benefit we can give our people is access to data using Web-based technology," attests Wingfield. "Analysis should be available at all levels to all users who need it. We wanted a way to get all our data into one place so that we can turn number crunching time into valuable analysis time. Using today's technology we can provide this capability."

About Comshare Incorporated

Comshare Incorporated is a leading provider of software for implementing and executing strategy. Our integrated application for management planning and control (MPC) comprises planning, budgeting, forecasting, financial consolidation, management reporting and analysis. Comshare software helps companies implement, execute and track progress against their strategies, plans, budgets and performance metrics. In business since 1966, Comshare is one of the top independent software companies, with customers around the world, many of which are Fortune 500 and Financial Times Top 1000 companies. Comshare is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for Business Intelligence, a Microsoft Data Warehousing Alliance Platinum Partner, an IBM Business Partner and an Oracle Business Alliance Partner. For more information on Comshare, call 1-800-922-7979, send e-mail to info@comshare.com or visit Comshare's Website at www.comshare.com.