SPE.L Regulatory News (SPE)

16 May 2007 14:30

Sopheon, the international software and services company,announced today that SABMiller plc will deploy Sopheon's Accoladeproduct life cycle management system to support the company's newstandardized process for managing initiatives within the business. Thenew process is part of a broad strategy aimed at improving knowledgesharing and product pipeline management across SABMiller's operatinghubs around the globe. £ The South African Breweries (SAB) was founded in 1885. In 2002,after acquiring the Miller Brewing Company, the second largest beermaker in the U.S., the enlarged group changed its name to SABMillerplc. The company produces more than 200 brands, with brewing interestsand distribution agreements in over 60 countries across fivecontinents. It has annual revenues of over $15 billion. SABMiller'sproduct line includes premium international beers such as MillerGenuine Draft(R), Peroni(R) and Pilsner Urquell(R), as well as dozensof market-leading regional varieties. It is also one of the world'slargest bottlers of Coca-Cola(R) and other soft drinks. £ SABMiller's selection of Sopheon's Accolade system followed anevaluation process involving seven suppliers. The reasons Accolade waschosen included its ease-of-use, embedded best-practice content,strong alignment with Stage-Gate(R) methodology, and the speed withwhich it can be deployed. Another advantage of the Sopheon offeringthat SABMiller valued was its tight integration with MicrosoftOffice(R) applications such as Excel and Word already in broad usewithin the company. £ "SABMiller's organic growth depends upon the creation of strong,locally driven brand portfolios," said Neil MacGilp, group technicaldirector at SABMiller. "Accolade will help us overcome the challengesof our decentralized approach to innovation across regional hubs. Inaddition to giving us an efficient, unified process structure, thesystem's features will guard against duplication of effort and allowcross-functional teams responsible for product innovation to moreeasily share their knowledge. Its capacity to aggregate regional datawill provide corporate executives with essential support in makingstrategic portfolio decisions. Accolade gives us a common, coherentway of looking at innovation, and a more effective way of making ithappen." £ SABMiller's new process will be focused primarily on managingproduct development. However, it will also support other types ofinitiatives. £ Nigel Cordery, European director for Sopheon, said, "Throughimplementation of its Accolade-supported initiative management system,SABMiller is positioning itself to raise its already prolific productinnovation capabilities to a new level. We're excited by theopportunity to be a partner in this process." £ Accolade(R) is a registered trademark of Sopheon plc. £ Miller Genuine Draft(R) is a registered trademark of the MillerBrewing Company. £ Peroni(R) is a registered trademark of Peroni Nastro Azzurro. £ Pilsner Urquell(R) is a registered trademark of Pizensky Prazdroj. £ Coca-Cola(R) is a registered trademark of the Coca-Cola Company. £ Stage-Gate(R) is a registered trademark of the Product DevelopmentInstitute. £ Microsoft Office(R) is a registered trademark of MicrosoftCorporation. £ All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the soleproperty of their respective owners. £ About SABMiller £ SABMiller plc is one of the world's largest brewers with brewinginterests or distribution agreements in over 60 countries across sixcontinents. The group's brands include premium international beerssuch as Pilsner Urquell, Miller Genuine Draft and Peroni NastroAzzurro, as well as an exceptional range of market leading localbrands. SABMiller plc is listed on the London and Johannesburg stockexchanges. For more information, please visit www.sabmiller.com £ About Sopheon £ Sopheon (LSE:SPE) is an international provider of software andservices that help organizations improve the business impact ofproduct innovation. Sopheon's Accolade system automates and governsthe innovation process, enabling companies to increase revenue andprofits from new products. Sopheon is listed on the AIM Market of theLondon Stock Exchange and on the Euronext in the Netherlands. For moreinformation, please visit www.sopheon.com Copyright Business Wire 2007