J.D. Edwards Announces New Demand Consensus Module Offering Flexible, Collaborative Forecasting Capabilities for Fluid Demand Environments

DENVER, Jan. 31 -- J.D. Edwards & Company (Nasdaq: JDEC), a leading provider of agile, collaborative solutions for the connected economy, today announced the general availability of the Demand Consensus module, which will provide new customers as well as existing Advanced Planning, OneWorld(R) and WorldSoftware(TM) users with flexible, collaborative forecasting capabilities. This product is offered as part of the Advanced Planning 4.0 suite announced in December 2001 while also being available as a stand-alone offering.

Demand Consensus is a Web-based application that brings planners, sales, executives, operations, customers, and suppliers together in a collaborative conference room environment to get better forecasting results. Demand Consensus adds essential forward-looking information to the traditional historical forecasting process making it valuable in all industries that face fluid demand environments and must frequently adjust their production schedules, such as High Tech Electronics and Industrial Fabrication and Assembly. Unlike similar products, it weights constituent inputs to provide the most accurate forecasts. It also allows users to leverage statistical forecast data by linking to the Demand Planning, OneWorld or WorldSoftware solutions.

"Demand Consensus provides our customers with leading-edge collaborative forecasting capabilities at a much lower cost, whether it is used alone or in conjunction with statistical Demand Planning or ERP information," says Andy Carlson, director of supply chain product marketing at J.D. Edwards. "Outside partners and customers can participate in the collaborative forecasting process with minimum investment -- they need only an Internet connection to use the self-service format to input or view forecasts."

The Demand Consensus module will attract not only Advanced Planning, OneWorld, and WorldSoftware users but also CRM users as well. In the near future, Demand Consensus will be integrated with J.D. Edwards' CRM solution, complementing modules like Sales Force Automation to allow sales opportunity, channel and promotional information to feed directly into the forecasting process.

Demand Consensus positions J.D. Edwards to capture growing market demand for a new method to increase forecast accuracy and reach agreement among supply chain business partners. According to a recent report from TechnologyEvaluation.com, analyst Predrag Jakovljevic states, "Demand Consensus is likely to be seen as one of the major revenue drivers in the future."

Consensus Logic Yields Superior Forecasts

Once forecasting data has been received from all constituents, proprietary consensus logic weights the data inputs based on the historical accuracy of the forecasters. Data from forecasters who have provided more accurate data can be weighted more heavily than the data from forecasters whose information is statistically less correct. In addition, exception-based logic also flags large discrepancies from the norm and sends alerts to planners.

As a Web-based application, Demand Consensus allows users to gather forecasts from many disparate locations in a short period of time. Forecasts can be gathered in real-time, asynchronously, or offline. At any point along the way, users can look at the various forecasts through the Web interface, either individually or collectively. Customers and partners have the ability to securely view only their own data, make changes, and collaborate with their supplier on differences.

About J.D. Edwards & Company

J.D. Edwards (Nasdaq: JDEC) is a leading provider of agile, collaborative solutions for the connected economy. The Company's open solutions give organizations the freedom to choose how they assemble their internal applications and how they collaborate with partners and customers across the supply chain to increase competitive advantage. Founded in 1977, J.D. Edwards is headquartered in Denver, CO. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Company via the Internet at http://www.jdedwards.com or at 1-800-727-5333.

J.D. Edwards is a registered trademark of J.D. Edwards & Company. The names of all other products and services of J.D. Edwards used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of J.D. Edwards World Source Company. All other product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE J.D. Edwards & Company Web Site: http://www.jdedwards.com