Buried in Barcodes, Utilities Firm uses SYWARE's Visual CE 9 to Mobilize Information Between Utilities and the Field, Rapidly Convert Paper-Based Processes Into Mobile Applications

CAMBRIDGE, MA, U.S.A. --September 7, 2005-- SYWARE, Inc. announced today that utilities services firm SL-Serco tapped SYWARE's Visual CE 9 to mobilize information between utilities and the field, rapidly convert paper-based or PC processes into mobile applications. With over 100,000 installations, SYWARE's Visual CE 9 software enables individuals and companies of all sizes in all industries to develop and deploy mobile Pocket Access applications. SYWARE's Visual CE 9 Pocket PC Database and PDA development software product, and its integrated products for wireless synchronization and remote printing, allow complete and robust mobile applications to be implemented. SYWARE requires no programming to develop robust applications on Windows Mobile PDAs.

SL-Serco has provided services including meter installation and reading, customer support and safety services for utilities for over 35 years. SL-Serco reads 50,000 water meters every month. The firm also installs water meters for cities. One project called for the firm to install 16,000 water meters in just one city. Other projects require SL-Serco to install up to 450 meters a week. After the meter is installed, workers in the field have to process large numbers of barcodes. Paper-based and manual processes were the norm. There is a virtual "sea" of numbers and barcodes that must be managed during the water meter installation process. Each meter has a unique set of barcodes that has to be processed. Prior to SYWARE's solution, the sheer volume of barcodes that must be identified and processed was enormous and could contribute to human error. SL-Serco needed a reliable, easy-to-use and cost-effective solution for managing and processing a large number of barcodes. A joint solution that uses SYWARE's Visual CE 9 software in conjunction with an RFID scanning device enabled SL-Serco to scan barcodes electronically to provide faster, more accurate processes to help eliminate human error when working in the field. The new solution virtually eliminates field representatives from having to navigate through paper-based forms to service customer sites, as SL-Serco uses Visual CE 9 to do all of this work with electronic dropdown forms. SL-Serco's customer-specific data can be downloaded, collected, displayed, modified and automatically synchronized. As a result, the Visual CE 9 enabled SL-Serco to mobilize information between utilities and the field, rapidly convert paper-based or PC processes into mobile applications.

"We welcome the opportunity to combine SYWARE's Visual CE 9 software with other technology vendors' hardware to address a booming RFID marketplace," said Sy Danberg, President, SYWARE, Inc. Large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot are reportedly making plans to require their suppliers to start equipping arriving pallets and cases with RFID devices soon. Venture Development Corporation, a market research and strategy firm specializing in the RFID industry, estimates that the RFID industry will grow at a five year compound annual growth rate of 22.6%, putting the market size at about $2.7 billion in 2007. The interest in RFID has reached an all-time high, and large retailers and CPG firms like Wal-Mart, Gillette, and Procter & Gamble are stepping up the timetable for broader adoption of the technology.

"Using Visual CE in conjunction with RFID reader cards enables companies to quickly implement cost-effective, easy-to-use mobile RFID scanning solutions," said Sy Danberg, President, SYWARE. "This allows companies to significantly improve the speed and efficiency of all their mobile data entry processes, whether in inventory control, government, transportation, aerospace and in many other markets," Danberg added.