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Grinstead Group Speeds Purchase Processing by 90 percent

YARDLEY, PA, March 4, 2002 - Mark Young, vice president of Grinstead Group Inc. based in Louisville, KY, describes the business as "Distribution on steroids."

Speed is so necessary to the success of Grinstead that the company jumped at the chance to update to CommerceCenter version 9.0. "CommerceCenter 9.0 is the finest piece of distribution software on the market today," says Young.

"Prophet 21's goal is to provide distributors like the Grinstead Group with the technology they need to be successful," says Chuck Boyle, Prophet 21 (NASDAQ: PXXI) president and CEO. "Grinstead has achieved impressive results in a short time with this latest version of our Microsoft Window certified enterprise software solution, Prophet 21 CommerceCenter."

Business at Warp Speed

Grinstead Group provides paint and supplies to the automotive aftermarket, specifically large collision repair facilities in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Among the largest distributors of Akzo-Nobel coatings in the world, Young says the company relies on CommerceCenter to keep them a leader.

"Everything happens very fast around here," explains Young. "We run an average of eight purchase requirements a day. In the past each one took 10 minutes to process. With CommerceCenter 9.0 that time is reduced to one minute.

"Our average order cycle - from the time we receive an order to the time it leaves our building invoiced - is about 50 minutes," continues Young. "Our concentration of business is in a very small timeframe, with roughly 85 percent of our sales for the day occurring between 7 and 9 a.m. CommerceCenter 9.0's automated cycle counting functionality enables us to make sure we always have what we need when we need it."

The Key to Better Customer Service

Young points out that most of Grinstead's customers gross, on average, $3.5 million annually. "Our customers are businessmen," says Young. "They want to know where they spend their money. With paint and related supplies making up about 10 percent of their total monthly expenditures, they rely on us to keep them informed. CommerceCenter lets us track that data for them and supply them with the information they need."

In addition, as Akzo-Nobel distributors, Grinstead is responsible for training its customers in the use of Akzo-Nobel products. "Thanks to our relationship with Akzo-Nobel, we've become much more service-oriented," says Young. "Fortunately, CommerceCenter can track that."

About Prophet 21 CommerceCenter 9.0

Using a Microsoft Windows NT/ 2000 platform and SQL Server, CommerceCenter 9.0 provides organizations with a powerful tool to help increase sales, improve customer service, and reduce operating expenses.

Features of CommerceCenter 9.0 include:

• Workflow events - set up workflow events to e-mail specified recipients about critical information - order status, disputed invoices, overdue accounts receivable, tasks that have been assigned to employees, etc. - enabling distributors to respond proactively to certain business events and conditions. Workflow streamlines the communication process and eliminates the need to run reports in search of exceptional transactions that require special attention.
• Blanket Purchase Orders - send blanket purchase orders, rather than multiple purchase orders, to vendors with expected receipt dates, reducing the man hours spent entering multiple purchase orders per vendor.
• Lot/Bin Integration - increase picking and counting efficiency by identifying lots within specific bins. This will help increase inventory accuracy, ensure the customer receives the right product, and provide the ability to trace product.
• Automated Cycle Counting Functionality - specify, by location, the type of count to perform; the number of cycles per year; the number of days per year that a count takes place; and whether to count the on-hand quantity or the available quantity. Using these specifications, the system will print a report that will recommend which items/bins to count, reducing the time spent performing cycle counts.
• Many more...

CommerceCenter 9.0, like all Prophet 21 solutions, is backed by a host of professional services designed to help customers maximize their return on investment.

Pricing and Availability

Prophet 21 CommerceCenter 9.0 is now available. For additional information and pricing, please visit www.p21.com or call 1-800-776-7438. Existing customers can contact their Inside Sales Representative directly.

About Grinstead Group

Grinstead Group serves the wholesale distribution automotive aftermarket. Supplying Akzo-Nobel auto paints to large collision-repair facilities in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, Grinstead's average customer's gross annual sales top $3.5 million.

With roots as far back as 1929, Grinstead Group as it stands today started in 1974. Running a supermarket-style distributorship until 1986, the leadership of Grinstead recognized changes taking place within their marketplace and adjusted accordingly. Now strongly service-based, Grinstead Group is one of the largest Akzo-Nobel distributors in the world.

Press Contact Kimberly Meiser Activant Solutions, Inc. 215-493-8900, ext. 3170 kim.meiser@activant.com

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