SOURCE: GT Nexus, Inc.

September 05, 2007 06:15 ET

Furniture Brands International Rolls Out GT Nexus

On-Demand Platform Used to Procure, Optimize and Manage Global Transportation Spend

ALAMEDA, CA--(Marketwire - September 5, 2007) - GT Nexus announced today that Furniture Brands International (NYSE: FBN) is now fully live on the GT Nexus trade and logistics portal for global transportation management. Delivered on-demand, over the Web, the platform is the system of record for management of the company's containerized freight network.

Furniture Brands International is one of America's largest residential furniture companies, with over $2.4 billion in annual sales. The company produces, sources and markets its products under its best-known brand names in the industry -- Broyhill, Lane, Thomasville, Henredon, Drexel Heritage and Maitland-Smith.

Through its industry-backed global trade and logistics portal, GT Nexus provides Furniture Brands with technology infrastructure, partner connectivity, data services and Web-based transportation management applications as single integrated package, over the Web.

"As we continue to expand our global supply chain, we have an increasing need for technology to help manage it," said Steve Wolfe, VP of Logistics at Broyhill Furniture Industries, a subsidiary of Furniture Brands. "With GT Nexus, we implemented a top of the line logistics management platform that was already live and in use by several of the world's biggest shippers and all of the major carriers."

The Furniture Brands platform automates four primary functions:

1)  Global transportation procurement
2)  Allocation and spend optimization
3)  Contract management
4)  Freight Audit

"Furniture Brands has been an excellent customer who's taken full advantage of our global transportation management capabilities," noted John Urban, president of GT Nexus. "They run a large, complex containerized freight network and GT Nexus is helping them drive more value at lower costs, without sacrificing service levels."

GT Nexus removed the upfront technology risk for Furniture Brands by delivering all services on-demand. Unlike traditional software, where customers must buy, install and then maintain complex software, GT Nexus provides its capabilities over the Web, on a pay-as-you-go basis. Customers also get instant access to an existing network of integrated logistics providers who are supporting other GT Nexus customers on the network.

"We found that most of our ocean carriers were already integrated to and using the portal to support thousands of other customers," added Wolfe. "Combine that with a suite of very powerful and proven transportation management applications and the decision to select GT Nexus was easy."

The platform went live in early 2007 and was used to successfully execute a fully optimized annual bid. The system now holds digitized versions of Furniture Brands' final ocean contracts. Rates stored in these contracts are used to automatically audit rated bills of lading that are captured electronically on the platform.

About Furniture Brands

Furniture Brands International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, marketing, and distribution of residential furniture in the United States. The company's products include case goods, including bedroom, dining room, and living room furniture; stationary upholstery products, including sofas, loveseats, sectionals, and chairs; occasional furniture, including wood, metal, and glass tables, accent pieces, home entertainment centers, and home office furniture; recliners, motion furniture, and sleep sofas; and decorative accessories. It sells its products primarily through furniture retailers, as well as through dealers, national and regional department stores, chain stores, specialty stores, and designer showrooms. The company was founded in 1836 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. For more information, visit www.furniturebrands.com.

About GT Nexus

GT Nexus runs the world's only industry-backed, on-demand global trade & logistics portal. Today, more than 40,000 registered users, from over 15,000 organizations use a range of capabilities on the portal to optimize the global flow of goods and trade information from order point to final payment. GT Nexus connects the physical and financial supply chains. This allows buyers, sellers, banks and logistics providers to work over a common platform with a core set of information that supports multiple trade and logistics functions. Customers include Xerox, American Eagle Outfitters, Procter & Gamble, Weyerhaeuser and The Home Depot. For information, visit www.gtnexus.com.