Atlanta — February 10, 2004 — Inovis, a provider of business commerce automation solutions, today announced that Tandy Brands Accessories, Inc., a leading manufacturer of accessories for men, women and children, has realized significant benefits using Inovis solutions. The combined functionality and fit of Inovis’ software and services allows Tandy Brands to meet the business commerce requirements and collaboration standards of its trading partners. Through its partnership with Inovis, Tandy Brands reduced connectivity costs by $500,000 annually; positioned itself for rapid e-commerce growth and UCCnet compatibility; improved in-house systems performance and availability; and increased IT staff productivity.

“Choosing Inovis for AS2 connectivity was a logical next step and the results were almost immediate,” said Brian Myatt, EDI development manager, Tandy Brands. “BizLink integrated seamlessly with our existing data transformation platform, TrustedLink. By consolidating on the Inovis VAN, moving from three vendors to one, we realized a 90 percent savings in communications costs. Additionally, the utilization of AS2 freed considerable resources for our staff and allowed us to spend our time more productively instead of monitoring connections and recovering lost records. The combined solution increased the company’s return on investment in people and technology and paved the way for cost-effective expansion of our trading community.”

Tandy Brands had already been successfully using Inovis’ TrustedLink data transformation solution to trade with more than 80 retail partners using EDI. The company needed to quickly embrace emerging Internet technologies to satisfy the Wal-Mart AS2 mandate while reducing operating costs for itself and its trading partners, and positioning itself for future e-commerce growth and UCCnet compatibility. The Wal-Mart mandate tasks suppliers with implementing technology that will enable them to use EDI over the Internet to transmit data using the AS2 protocol, ensuring that it is sent securely and in nearly real-time. For communications, Tandy Brands wanted to consolidate its Value Added Network (VAN) usage, essentially a network of mailboxes for electronic trading, and reduce costs while establishing point-to-point communications with key trading partners.

To increase IT performance, Tandy Brands needed to reduce its send-and-receive times for Wal-Mart transactions and create greater time slots for computer maintenance, upgrades and software implementations. The company replaced its existing system of multiple VAN services and dial-up connections with BizLink, which paired down a five-hour transaction to a mere 90 seconds.

“Inovis provides solutions for the various methods of trading partner collaboration at every step of a company’s business commerce evolution,” said Ilaria Derr, president and chief operating officer of Inovis. “Tandy Brands is an excellent example of a long-term, winning partnership and our commitment to staying one step ahead of our customers’ technology and collaboration needs, providing solutions that deliver real-world results.”

About Tandy Brands Accessories, Inc.
Tandy Brands Accessories, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets fashion accessories for men, women and children. Key product categories include belts, wallets, handbags, suspenders, socks, scarves, sporting goods, and cold weather and hair accessories. Merchandise is sold under various national brand names as well as private labels to all major levels of retail distribution. Formed in 1975, this international firm is headquartered in Arlington, Texas.

About Inovis
Inovis, Inc. is a leader in providing business commerce automation solutions that facilitate the effective management of retail, supply and manufacturing partnerships. With more than 20 years of experience and almost 20,000 customers, Inovis provides a complete line of B2B software and managed services. These solutions enable companies to optimize profitability through timely and efficient communications with their trading partner communities. For more information visit www.inovis.com.

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