Agrium Goes Live with IMPRESS Project I.App for Primavera P3e and SAP PLM

IMPRESS Software announced successful completion of Project I.App implementation at Agrium Inc. (TSX and NYSE: AGU), a leading global producer and distributor of agricultural products and services. The integration enables streamlined data synchronization between Primavera P3e project scheduling software and SAP Plant Maintenance (PM) application.

(PRWEB) March 17, 2004 --IMPRESS Software announced successful completion of Project I.App implementation at Agrium Inc. (TSX and NYSE: AGU), a leading global producer and distributor of agricultural products and services. The integration enables streamlined data synchronization between Primavera P3e project scheduling software and SAP Plant Maintenance (PM) application.

Project I.App integrates the business processes of project planning and enterprise resource planning (ERP) that would otherwise run independently of each other. Ensuring project data is consistent across all systems at all times, Project I.App eliminates the need for duplicate data entry and the risk of mismatched schedules and resources.

Throughout the project lifecycle, project schedulers and managers at Agrium use Project I.App to match project schedules and allocated resources, maintained in Primavera P3e, with work order and cost data in its SAP ERP system. Tight synchronization of these datasets reduces the probability of mismatched resources, schedule creeps, and budget overruns.

Project I.App is a pre-packaged, out-of-the-box Integration Application that links SAP® with major project scheduling and management products, such as Primavera, Microsoft Project, and TrackSoftware.NET. Accessible via a standard web interface, Project I.App includes a set-up wizard that is easy to use and administer and requires no programming knowledge. Project I.App was jointly developed by SAP and IMPRESS and is supported through SAP OSS.

IMPRESS has proven that even such complex integration can be encapsulated into a pre-packaged yet flexible application," said Max Kaulback, SAP PM and Applications Development Team Leader for Agrium. We are looking forward to using IMPRESS during our up coming plant turnarounds. We expect IMPRESS to have a very beneficial effect on our scheduling processes for turnaround as well as capital project schedule management."

Project management is a mission critical process for chemical manufacturers, and these companies are looking for ways to automate the process and reduce operational cost and risk," said Omri Dotan, IMPRESS Softwares President. Agrium joins a number of leading chemical manufacturers, including companies such as Bayer and DuPont, that are realizing the significant benefits of implementing a pre-packaged integration solution to streamline project management processes. IT organizations today need immediate answers to specific pain points, with rapid implementation, fast ROI, and low TCO. IMPRESS Project I.App does just that."

About Agrium
Agrium Inc. (TSX and NYSE: AGU) is a leading global producer and distributor of fertilizers and other agricultural products and services. From fourteen modern and efficient production facilities in North America and Argentina, Agrium has the capacity to produce, market and distribute approximately 11 million tons of fertilizer products annually.

Agrium is an acknowledged leader in product quality. Focusing on continuous improvement and best practices", Agriums reputation is built on more than 70 years of experience in a wide variety of operating environments. The companys headquarters are located in Calgary, Alberta. For more information, visit www.agrium.com.

About IMPRESS Software
IMPRESS Software is a leading provider of packaged integration applications (I.Apps) that enable quick and cost-effective deployment of streamlined business processes across multiple enterprise systems. IMPRESS I.Apps are ready-made combinations of pre-defined integration elements. Coupled with tools that enable flexible implementation of custom and specific integration scenarios, IMPRESS I.Apps allow integration to be completed at a fraction of the time and cost compared to traditional EAI development platforms. IMPRESS customers include global leaders such as Bayer, Dupont, Halliburton, Nebraska Public Power District, Ontario Power Generation, Valero, and Total. For more information, visit www.impress.com.

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