SignalDemand Announces Next Generation Collaboration Platform

SAN FRANCISCO, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- SignalDemand today announced that Teys Brothers, the largest Australian owned beef processing and value-adding company, has selected SignalDemand's EnterpriseOptimizer™ solution.  Over the past eight months SignalDemand has seen significant customer momentum and is announcing the acquisition of fourteen new customers within the global food industry.  This rapid growth is in part attributed to SignalDemand's expansion downstream to retailers and foodservice distributors like Wal-Mart, BJs, Sobeys, and Sysco, and in part to SignalDemand's expanded set of software and service solutions.  Offerings such as MarketForecaster, introduced last spring, have garnered considerable interest in the marketplace. "MarketForecaster is readily available and always updated which helps me make better and faster decisions," said John Schaller, Vice President of Purchasing at Lopez Foods.

SignalDemand's focus on the end-to-end supply chain has also led to the development of a new collaboration platform, used between trading partners, to share expectations of forward product pricing as well as customized market projections for underlying commodities.  Strategic alliances, such as the one forged between SignalDemand and Informa Economics, have also led to third party forecasts now being available through SignalDemand's solutions.  "Throughout the value chain of most agricultural commodity markets, the operating model has been one of 'bid and quibble' between trading partners," said Bill Rupp, CEO, Meyer Foods. "Math-based forecasting models allow the negotiation to start grounded in a common set of facts, so that the discussion can go well beyond price and create more win-win scenarios across the value chain."

In addition to moving downstream, over the past eight months SignalDemand has continued its expansion within the food manufacturing market, with new customer announcements including MapleLeaf, XL Beef, Olymel, and Meyer Natural Beef.  This faster growth stems from an increased awareness of the benefits being realized by SignalDemand customers, such as Seaboard Foods.  "SignalDemand brought mathematical models, a deep understanding of our industry, and software that allowed us to take our product mix and margin analysis to the next level," said Brad Hamilton, Assistant Vice President, Information Technology and Business Support Services, Seaboard Foods.

These results have come from a combination of SignalDemand's patented mathematical models and the rigor and confidence that come from a purpose-built analytical software application that supports these key business processes. "SignalDemand MarketForecaster makes my job easier," said Jan Eitel, Director of Pricing, Meyer Natural. "I used to have to gather data from a number of sources every morning, now all I need is a few clicks away in MarketForecaster."

"We believe the global food industry is on the verge of an exciting transformation. Technology from SignalDemand and others is enabling companies to measure a customer's preferences more accurately than ever before, and to translate these results into actionable recommendations," said Mike Neal, CEO and founder of SignalDemand.  "This transformation is enabling a shift from the traditional adversarial relationships between buyer and seller to a more cooperative model, where information and insights are shared, and significant benefits accrue to both parties. Our analytical software solutions and services are focused directly on supporting this transition."

About SignalDemand

SignalDemand provides producers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers with on-demand software and services to maximize profit margins in the face of volatile markets and increasingly complex pricing, mix and supply decisions. Using patented, comprehensive mathematical models to process thousands of variables, SignalDemand delivers real-time price and margin recommendations on a continual basis. By recommending best price, capacity utilization and product mix in moments, SignalDemand enables better day-to-day decision-making.

SignalDemand's recognition includes being named a Rising Star in Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 for Silicon Valley. The company was also chosen as a "Cool Vendor" in the Gartner's "Cool Vendors in Manufacturing" Report and was the only on-demand pricing company recognized by JMP Securities' "Hot 100" list of private companies. Companies such as Teys Brothers, ConAgra Mills, AB Foods, Cargill, Lopez Foods, Farmland Foods, Hormel, National Frozen Foods, Seaboard Foods, Wal-Mart, Sysco and Ventura Foods rely on SignalDemand for immediate and ongoing improvement of financial performance. For more information, please visit www.signaldemand.com.

SOURCE SignalDemand