Descartes' Chinese United-by-Design Reseller, NTI, Signs First Customer

WATERLOO, Ontario, Feb. 2, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Descartes Systems Group (TSX:DSG) (Nasdaq:DSGX), a federated global logistics network, announced New Trend International Logistics Technology Ltd. (NTI), a leading Chinese material handling technology provider and Descartes United by Design reseller, has signed its first customer, Jiangsu Tobacco.

Jiangsu Tobacco selected Descartes' Routing and Scheduling solution, combined with a global positioning system (GPS) solution to provide real-time visibility and security for vehicles in the field. Descartes' routing and scheduling solution streamlines delivery routes by maximizing Jiangsu Tobacco's asset utilization and enables performance measurement against an actual plan. Descartes' Routing and Scheduling solution re-optimizes deliveries in real-time, allocating resources to help maximize operating efficiencies; deliver priority service to the most profitable accounts and routes; and maintain overall customer service objectives. Descartes' Routing and Scheduling solution is designed to integrate easily with existing order management or transportation planning systems, and can help companies reduce costs as a result of shorter routes, reduced fuel consumption and enhanced fleet utilization.

Jiangsu Tobacco is the first project since the December 2009 announcement of Descartes' alliance with NTI to combine its federated platform that unites hardware, software, networks and a community of logistics organizations, with NTI's local business network to provide a comprehensive logistics information management system. This information management system includes logistics management information system (LMIS), warehouse management (WMS), transportation management (TMS) and GPS technologies. NTI provides project management, system integration as well as the LMIS platform for the project.

Descartes' federated network combines the power of the Descartes Global Logistics Network (GLN), a community of over 22,000 companies in over 165 countries exchanging logistics information, and value-added applications working together to standardize and streamline business processes.

We are excited about signing Jiangsu Tobacco to use Descartes' Routing and Scheduling solution, said Raymond Cheung, Vice President of NTI. Our alliance incorporates our local business network with Descartes' state-of-the-art distribution solution, to meet the requirement of the Chinese government to speed up the construction of information technology in the logistics industry. We look forward to continuing to work together with Descartes to improve the productivity and performance of logistics-intensive organizations across China.

Signing our first customer through our ‘United-by-Design' alliance with NTI is proof that joining our networks to provide a comprehensive federated platform enables our customers to accelerate the time-to-value and results for organizations, said Art Mesher, CEO of Descartes. We look forward to continuing to work together with NTI to standardize and automate logistics processes for organizations in China.

About Jiangsu Tobacco

Jiangsu Tobacco is one of the 33 provincial tobacco companies of China Tobacco. For more information about Jiangsu Tobacco visit http://www.tobacco.gov.cn/html/index.html

About NTI

NTI was established in 2000 in Shenzhen China. They are a professional material handling systems technology company specialized in logistics technological transformation, logistics solutions, logistics system integration and logistics software development. NTI is headquartered in Shenzhen city, with a staff of over 200. For more information about NTI visit www.nti56.com.

About Descartes

Descartes (TSX:DSG) (Nasdaq:DSGX) is making the world a better place by enabling global organizations with logistics-intensive businesses to save money by improving the productivity and performance of their operations. Underlying Descartes' offerings is the Descartes Global Logistics Network (GLN), one of the world's most extensive multi-modal business applications network. As a federated platform, the Descartes GLN combines with component-based 'nano' sized applications to provide messaging services between logistics trading partners, shipment management services to help manage third party carriers and private fleet management services for organizations of all sizes. Descartes' solutions and services deliver results by enabling organizations around the world to reduce administrative costs, billing cycles, fleet size, contract carrier costs, and mileage driven; improve pickup and delivery reliability; and optimize working capital through fleet visibility. Descartes' hosted, transactional and packaged solutions deliver repeatable, measurable results and fast time-to-value. Descartes customers include an estimated 1,600 ground carriers and more than 90 airlines, 30 ocean carriers, 900 freight forwarders and third-party providers of logistics services, and hundreds of manufacturers, retailers, distributors, private fleet owners and regulatory agencies. The company has more than 400 employees and is based in Waterloo, Ontario, with operations in Atlanta, Copenhagen, Heverlee, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Montreal, Miami, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Derby, London, Silver Spring, Stockholm, Suzhou, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Toronto. For more information, visit www.descartes.com.

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This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (forward-looking statements) that relate to Descartes' solution offering and potential benefits derived therefrom; Descartes combining its federated platform with NTI's local business network; and other matters. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changes in the structure or deployment of compliance initiatives and the factors and assumptions discussed in the section entitled, Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities commissions across Canada. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.