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Sleep Innovations Drives Down Costs With Transportation Management System From HighJump Software

June 1, 2005
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 21, 2005--Sleep Innovations, a leading just-in-time manufacturer of foam bedding, sleep products and accessories,
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 21, 2005--Sleep Innovations, a leading just-in-time manufacturer of foam bedding, sleep products and accessories, implemented HighJump's transportation management system at three facilities to create an optimal transportation plan, eliminate error-prone manual processes, and reduce driver detention and chargebacks.

Sleep Innovations estimates that Transportation Advantage has reduced the incidence of truck overloading errors by 75 percent through accurate volume calculations that can be easily reconfigured to react to changes in customer shipments. The system has also reduced driver detainment charges by an estimated 75 percent to 80 percent. This is possible through the creation of an optimal transportation plan that meets exacting customer standards.

"It literally takes a few seconds to optimize a load containing hundreds of orders. I no longer waste time manually deriving bills of lading, cubing loads or calculating weights," said Greg Robinson, logistics manager for Sleep Innovations. "The flexibility of the system also allows us to reconfigure loads at the last minute without holding up the driver and incurring detention charges."

Sleep Innovations uses Transportation Advantage to plan and execute full and partial truckload shipments with accurate paperwork and labels that comply with each customer's unique specifications. This has saved significant time in their plants and helps ensure customers receive the required documentation. Sleep Innovations' customer service department has virtually eliminated paperwork errors because electronic forms pull the correct data directly from Transportation Advantage when the system-assigned truck identification number is entered.

"Sleep Innovations is a fast-growing business and relies heavily on the flawless execution of solutions like Transportation Advantage to achieve a lean, just-in-time production environment," said Jim Priestley, vice president of information technology for Sleep Innovations. "The increased speed with which we can optimize truck loading, as well as the wealth of transportation-related data we can access, has had a dramatic impact on our bottom line and customer satisfaction."

"We're pleased that Sleep Innovations has achieved such remarkable results in streamlining its transportation management functions," said Jon Kuerschner, vice president of applications for HighJump Software. "The HighJump suite's ease of business process configuration will continue to allow for fast response to their changing environment, ultimately keeping total cost of ownership low."

About Sleep Innovations

Sleep Innovations is a New Jersey-based corporation engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of polymer-based comfort and sleep products with a customer base throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company manufactures branded and private-label products for major retailers.

About HighJump Software, a 3M Company

HighJump Software, a 3M company, is the global leader in providing highly adaptable, best-of-breed supply chain execution solutions that streamline manufacturing and distribution from the point of source through consumption. HighJump's tightly integrated solutions empower operational excellence in the warehouse and optimize the flow of inventory throughout the supply chain by facilitating collaboration with customers, suppliers and trading partners. These comprehensive solutions combine robust, standard functionality; a best practices-based implementation methodology; and a uniquely adaptable architecture that facilitates fast, cost-effective system modifications. The result: the industry's lowest total cost of ownership for more than 700 satisfied customers worldwide. As an independent subsidiary in the 3M family of companies, HighJump leads the SCE software industry in financial strength and delivers on an unmatched commitment to innovation and quality. HighJump leverages these advantages to continually expand its solution footprint and empower operational excellence for domestic and multinational customers. For more information about HighJump, visit www.highjump.com.

About 3M - A Global, Diversified Technology Company

Every day, 3M people find new ways to make amazing things happen. Wherever they are, whatever they do, the company's customers know they can rely on 3M to help make their lives better. 3M's brands include Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate, Scotch-Brite, Filtrete, Command and Vikuiti. Serving customers in more than 200 countries around the world, the company's 67,000 people use their expertise, technologies and global strength to lead in major markets including consumer and office; display and graphics; electronics and telecommunications; safety, security and protection services; health care; industrial and transportation. For more information, including the latest product and technology news, visit www.3M.com.

Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate, Scotch-Brite, Filtrete, Command, Vikuiti, HighJump Software and Transportation Advantage are trademarks of 3M.

Other trademarks and names may be the property of their respective owners.

Contacts
HighJump Software
Mike Devine, 952-563-5122
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