RADNOR, Pa. -- A new family of PG and Macintosh-based software products
that integrate marketing and advertising functions for companies with
heavy merchandise advertising requirements is available from Bestinfo,
Inc.

The cross-platform product family, called The TRAC Solution" (for
Technology for Retail Advertisers and Catalogers), "constitutes a
collaborative -- groupware if you will -- solution for professionals and
specialists participating in the processes of merchandise selection,
pricing, promoting, and creating advertising in both store and non-store
operations," according to Harry Zane, vice president, marketing programs.

The TRAC Solution makes use of standard PC and Macintosh modules for page
composition, but uses powerful "system" modules to integrate large-scale
client-server networks and database tools to provide:

. Digital image archives of merchandise photography that store and index
digital images, from a variety of sources. TRAC provides the merchandiser
with a ready source of both low-resolution images, typically used in
composing page Layouts, and high-resolution images, normally used in final
assembly either on Bestinfo systems, or at color separation shops.

. Databases of merchandise advertising information that can be accessed as
electronic files or by merchants planning ads and promotions. The
databases contain all layout elements, images, notes, ad fact sheets, and
instructions associated with an ad page or job. Both Macintosh and PC
stations can access the databases.

. Powerful workflow management tools that allow managers to analyze,
construct and define workflow among departments and individuals. One such
tool is the electronic "page envelope" that can use data in the
advertising databases to assemble and track all information, images,
layouts ant notes associated with a page or job. Workflow management tools
can integrate with, and report upon, both PC- and Macintosh-based hardware
platforms.

. Version management tools are also being developed that will facilitate
the creation and tracking of base pages and versioned pages. The version
management tools virtually eliminate redundant storage of page elements
that appear on both base and versioned pages, while dramatically reducing
the time needed to create versions for discrete demographic markets.

. Links to databases of merchandise information that permit automatic
updating of page information, such as prices, captions, images and other
advertising data, while in mid- or final production.

The TRAC solution may be sold as a turnkey system, or it may be added to an
existing infrastructure of Macintosh- or PC-based operations.

"Many advertisers are using so-called desktop systems to produce pages for
ROP, mailers, supplements, catalogs or store signage. While these products
do a reasonably good job of page composition, and are easy to use, they
are essentially informed by a single-user design model and are therefore
limited largely to automating discrete, single steps in a process," Zane
said. "TRAC is the key to turning these individual stations into highly
efficient, fast-response systems."

The TRAC Solution is designed to be configured in ways that approximate
closely the way people actually work in marketing and advertising
environments, yet it eliminates redundant steps wherever necessary and
makes revisions and iterative work as quick and as facile as possible.

Using The TRAC Solution, for example, a marketing manager or advertising
administrator might use workflow management tools to project how the
addition of extra ads or pages might affect the schedule of work in
progress. By adding new pages to the system's schedule, the manager can
assign departments or individuals to the additional tasks associated with
the pages, and automatically recalculate forecasts and projections.

The manager could then test the workflow model to determine labor capacity
requirements and to identify bottlenecks. TRAC's analysis function
provides the necessary information to adjust resources or work
accordingly.

The model so adjusted could then be immediately applied to the actual
project. If the project represented a schedule adjustment of a
pre-existing workflow, the production status and time-to-completion
indicators would be automatically recalculated.

Meanwhile, a merchandise buyer might begin a job at a PC or Macintosh
station and select layouts or pictures used in past layouts. These might
be assembled into the "page envelope" and passed along to another
marketing professional for electronic approval.

Production people would use these same page envelope materials on PC- or
Macintosh-based stations to create pages, or versions of pages. These
pages would automatically update during production as new images, pricing,
or product data became available.

Bestinfo has been a leading developer of systems that create
layout-intensive pages in environments where each user requires
task-specific tools that are highly integrated with other tools in the
workflow. Founded in 1984, the company has steadily evolved from a
software developer to a system integrator and solutions provider for
large, complex implementation schemes. Today, the company provides tools
that help re-engineer workflow and aid in strategic and decision-making
processes.

To that end, the company has recently reorganized its marketing effort to
incorporate consulting capabilities into its offering to the retail and
catalog merchandise industries. Bestinfo's personnel has in-depth
expertise in retail advertising systems, and are available to retailers
seeking automation assistance. Bestinfo systems have been installed and
supported in some of the nation's largest retail and catalog
organizations.

Bestinfo, Inc., 100 Matsonford Rd., Bldg. Five, Radnor, PA 19087,(800)346
7920, or fax (215)293-7117.

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