GrafTech Selects SunGard’s AvantGard for Managed Credit and Collections Automation

GrafTech International Holdings Inc., a multi-national manufacturer of carbon and graphite products, has chosen SunGard’s AvantGard Receivables to help automate collections and disputes management.

London (Vocus) July 8, 2010

GrafTech International Holdings Inc., a multi-national manufacturer of carbon and graphite products, has chosen SunGard’s AvantGard Receivables to help automate collections and disputes management. The company has opted to deploy AvantGard Receivables in a managed hosting environment, with SunGard responsible for management of upgrades and ongoing maintenance of the solution.

AvantGard Receivables will help GrafTech streamline and prioritize daily collections processes, centralize data, track disputes and lower days sales outstanding (DSO). The solution is currently being rolled out in the United States and Mexico, with plans to expand use to the global sales organization in France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.

Giuseppe Autieri, treasurer of GrafTech said, “SunGard’s AvantGard will help us locate all of our accounts receivables information in a single place, including customer notes, historical data, contact information and disputes. This will simplify follow-up with our customers. Additionally, the workflow strategies set within the solution will help us escalate issues automatically and decrease the need for manual intervention, thereby helping improve operational efficiency. Using AvantGard via a managed hosting services model will also help us reduce our total cost of ownership.”

Jim Mangano, senior vice president for SunGard’s AvantGard Receivables business unit, said, “Automated credit and collections solutions in a managed hosting services environment helps companies improve their financial stability by helping increase efficiency. This is a cost-effective option for companies that want to achieve the financial and operational benefits of a traditionally installed credit and collections application, such as automated workflows and real-time access to data, at a reduced total cost to the organization.“

About GrafTech
GrafTech is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and providers of high quality synthetic and natural graphite and carbon based products and technical and research and development services, with customers in about 70 countries engaged in the manufacture of steel, automotive products and electronics. We manufacture graphite electrodes, products essential to the production of electric arc furnace steel. We also manufacture thermal management, fuel cell and other specialty graphite and carbon products for, and provide services to, the electronics, power generation, solar, oil and gas, transportation, petrochemical and other metals markets. We operate 11 manufacturing facilities strategically located on four continents. For additional information on GrafTech, call 216-676-2000, or visit our website at http://www.GrafTech.com.

About SunGard’s AvantGard
SunGard’s AvantGard is a leading liquidity management solution for corporations, insurance companies and the public sector. AvantGard provides chief financial officers and treasurers with real-time visibility into cash flows and increased operational controls around receivables, treasury and payments. AvantGard helps companies drive free cash flow and reduce inefficiencies across the ecosystem of suppliers, buyers, banks and other trading partners. For more information, visit http://www.sungard.com/avantgard.

About SunGard
SunGard is one of the world's leading software and technology services companies. SunGard has more than 20,000 employees and serves 25,000 customers in 70 countries. SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector. SunGard also provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software. With annual revenue exceeding $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 380 on the Fortune 500 and is the largest privately held business software and IT services company.

Trademark Information: SunGard, the SunGard logo, and AvantGard are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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