BTD Manufacturing, Inc. Prepares for Rapid Growth With Avanade(R) ERP Solutions and Microsoft(R) Dynamics AX

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - March 13, 2008) - Avanade Inc., a global IT consultancy, announced that it has delivered an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for BTD Manufacturing, Inc., one of the largest non-automotive metal parts fabrication shops in the U.S., to create a stable foundation for growth while significantly reducing costs and increasing productivity. Avanade's offering, built on Microsoft Dynamics AX, has helped BTD streamline business operations over the last three years by empowering employees with customized tools that decrease the time spent on production, scheduling and planning.

"Since partnering with Avanade to implement Microsoft Dynamics AX, we have seen a dramatic increase in output and operation effectiveness," said Marty Kiebke, Vice President of Materials & Systems at BTD. "In the past, we struggled with limited data visibility and navigation requiring employees to spend extra time looking for information. With Microsoft Dynamics AX, we can now gain more visibility into data, customize experiences by user role and provide a stable technology with which we can expand our business."

Sean Jazayeri, General Manager, Enterprise Business Solutions at Avanade, commented, "We've seen similarly positive results with our other manufacturing clients using Microsoft Dynamics AX to gain more insight from their ERP reporting. The role-based solutions Avanade has developed really customize the user experience, and the flexibility of the technology allows companies the room to grow."

BTD focuses on ways to deliver greater value through a broad array of design, finishing and packaging services, in addition to state-of-the-art metal fabrication. With 450 employees across four manufacturing plants in Minnesota, the company needed a system that would provide for its continued growth. BTD was also concerned about the rapid consolidation in the ERP software industry. The company required an ERP solution that would meet its near-term business objectives but would be flexible enough to help them prepare for future growth.

"Taking the 'noise' out of the system was exactly what we needed. We are now capitalizing on efficiency gains," said Kiebke. "With Avanade, we've built a business management solution that allows us to confidently grow. The new system offers powerful, integrated functionality and is easier for employees to use, translating into efficiency gains."

BTD was recently honored with the Microsoft Convergence 2008 Customer Excellence Award in the Manufacturing Industry Leadership Category. The award recognizes a manufacturing firm whose innovative use of technology in its business delivers measurable benefits to its organization. Customer Excellence Awards recognize, honor and celebrate customers who have achieved outstanding success with their Microsoft solutions, as well as Microsoft partners' solutions.

About Avanade

Avanade is a global IT consultancy dedicated to using the Microsoft platform to help enterprises achieve profitable growth. Through proven solutions that extend Microsoft technologies, Avanade helps enterprises increase revenue, reduce costs and reinvest in innovation to gain competitive advantage. Avanade consultants deliver value according to each customer's requirements, timeline and budget by combining insight, innovation and the talent of our global workforce. Founded in 2000 by Accenture and Microsoft Corp., Avanade has more than 7,800 professionals serving customers in 22 countries worldwide. Additional information can be found at www.avanade.com.

Avanade and the Avanade logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Avanade Inc. Other product, service, or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information: MEDIA CONTACTS: Avanade: Charlie Zaragoza (206) 239-5893 Edelman: Kate Whitman (206) 268-2222