Unified Western Grocers Chooses Iteration2 to Implement Microsoft Dynamics AX

Largest Retailer-Owned Grocery Wholesaler in the Western United States, Unified Selects Proven Microsoft ERP Solution as its Integrated Enterprise Platform for Manufacturing.

Irvine, CA -- Iteration2 (www.iteration2.com), the fastest growing Microsoft Dynamics (formerly Microsoft Business Solutions) Gold Certified Partner and 2005 US MBS Partner of the Year, announced today that Unified Western Grocers has chosen Iteration2 to provide Microsoft Dynamics AX (formerly Microsoft Axapta) as its Enterprise Software solution for its Manufacturing Division.

Unified Western Grocers is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery cooperative that supplies independent retailers throughout the Western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries generated $2.9 billion in sales during the 2005 fiscal year. Unified offers independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in today's highly competitive supermarket industry. Additional information can be found on the company’s corporate website, www.uwgrocers.com.

Unified’s Manufacturing Division will replace its existing ERP-related systems with Iteration2-supplied Microsoft Dynamics AX. Those existing systems were costly, complicated, and didn’t integrate well with the company’s other systems, according to management at the Manufacturing Division. The transition to Microsoft Dynamics AX is part of an overall effort to improve business processes by integrating manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain management within Unified and its subsidiaries. The new Microsoft Dynamics AX solution will also enable Unified to automate numerous manual processes within its production environment.

“Utilizing multiple separate systems has made it difficult for us to get the information we need to run our business,” said John Bedrosian, Vice President of Manufacturing at Unified. “We needed an enterprise solution that provided all the integrated functionality to support manufacturing, distribution, and accounting. We chose Microsoft Dynamics AX because it provided the ease of use and flexibility we were looking for, and because of Microsoft’s commitment to invest in the future of the product.” Bedrosian said, “We were very impressed by Iteration2’s implementation methodology and capability. Iteration2’s business experience, their deep knowledge of Microsoft technologies, and their recognition as ‘US MBS Partner of the Year’ provided us with the confidence we needed to choose them as an implementation partner.”

”Unified Western Grocers is a leading grocery distribution company and we are thrilled to have them as a customer. They certainly will be a prominent client for us,” said Greg Carter, Vice President of Iteration2. “The always-competitive grocery and supermarket industries have become even more so in recent years, and today’s grocery distributor needs enterprise software designed specifically to satisfy unique requirements and deliver ROI quickly. Microsoft Dynamics AX and implementation services from Iteration2 provide the right solution and a clear business advantage.”