Escher Group and IBM win postal counter automation project in Norway

Posten Norge announces IBM Norge will provide Escher Group's WebRiposte™ products for counter automation

Boston, Mass - June 23, 2004 - Escher Group Ltd has announced that Posten Norge has awarded the postal counter automation project to Escher Group in partnership with IMB Norge. IBM will implement Escher Group's WebRiposte Essential counter automation solution at 1,500 post offices and stores throughout Norway to modernize transactions such as postal services, financial services, ticketing and retail services.

"Escher Group's WebRiposte and Essential products enable rapid time to market for new products and low overall cost of ownership. The solution is used by many postal administrations in other countries, and we plan to extract benefits both for our customers and for our own organization," says Erik Johannesen, Senior Vice President, Posten Norge, Consumer division.

Morten Thorkildsen, General Manager of IBM Norway added, "Escher Group is one of IBM's global partners, and their solutions will enable IBM to help Posten Norge achieve a reduction of operating costs, increasing the customer's profitability."

Posten Norge joins a customer base of 20 postal authorities, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Portugal and many others that have implemented the Riposte® family of products to support a full range of services from postal transactions to retail sales, bill payments, banking and government services.

A spokesperson for Escher said: "Posten Norge has a goal to strengthen customer services while reducing operating costs. WebRiposte Essential's standards based approach will give the post office the flexibility it needs to quickly respond to a changing business environment." He added, "IBM Norge brings a talented team to the project, and Escher is looking forward to working with IBM to achieve a successful rollout in Norway."

 

About Escher Group, Limited

Escher Group Limited is a leading provider of distributed transaction processing and data management solutions and services. The company offers a business-to-business XML-based transaction management environment, used in thousands of locations worldwide. Since its introduction in 1993, Riposte®, Escher's flagship messaging solution, has grown to become the market leader in post office counter automation.

Trademarks: WebRiposte and Riposte are trademarks or registered trademarks of Escher Group, Limited in the United States and/or other countries. All other product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.