TAG Business Tools Press Release

TAG Business Tools Dramatically Lowers Cost and Complexity of eCommerce With Release of the ePSA Compliant TAG Transaction Switch™

For Release April 4th, 2003

Austin, TX –

TAG Business Tools, a company dedicated to developing XML based eCommerce solutions for small businesses, today announced the release of its ePSA compliant TAG Transaction Switch™. This transaction switch offers distributors and suppliers in the Promotional Products Industry a simple, inexpensive and reliable way to exchange ePSA compliant business documents across the Internet.

“We have been testing the Switch over the last 6 months and, at this point, it seems as solid as a rock”, said Pat Benoit of the Mesa group. “It is ready for production”. The Mesa group is providing technical support for the TAG Transaction Switch™.

The TAG Transaction Switch™ sends and receives XML business documents like Order Status and Purchase Orders across the Internet, much like an e-mail system. It requires no outside service and involves no transaction fees. It runs under Windows 2000 or XP through either permanent (DSL Cable Modem, T1) or occasionally connected (dial-up) Internet connections. It implements the open, nonproprietary ePSA standard, a subset of the RosettaNet standard and will therefore interoperate with any other software that implements that standard.

“If you can get all your trading partners to use this Switch, you will be able to send and receive business documents like Order Status reports and Purchase Orders one way and only one way.” Said Tom Gindrup, chief architect of TAG Business Tools. “You can dramatically reduce faxes, e-mails, paper, phone calls, even EDI transactions using this technology.”

“For companies interested in trading directly with their suppliers or distributors, the TAG Transaction Switch™ is by far the simplest and least expensive solution available today”, said Pat Benoit, chief architect of the Mesa group. “Give us a clean machine today with the proper Internet access and we can be exchanging business documents like Order Status and Purchase Orders with 8 different trading partners in about an hour”. The Switch is that simple to get going.

“Every small business will soon face the fact that they must learn to participate in the complex world of supply chain automation”, said Peter Hawtrey, V/P Marketing and Sales at TAG Business Tools. “Every small business must soon learn how to integrate their accounting, order entry and inventory systems with those of their business partners and, eventually, with those of their customers. Until now, for many, the cost was too high. That changed with the introduction of the TAG Transaction Switch.”

“With the TAG Transaction Switch in our tool bag, we can concentrate on integrating supply chain transactions into backend systems,” said Pat Benoit.

“It took us about two hours to install the Tag Transaction Switch on a small desktop machine”, said Melvin Hyler of JII Promotions. The TAG Transaction Switch software cost us less than $1000 and we are running it on a small Windows desktop system that cost us less than $1,500. Today, we are trading ePSA compliant XML business documents with Bic Graphics. Gill Studios, and TradeNet.

“The ePromoStandards Alliance (ePSA), a not-for-profit, self-funded organization, has been developing and testing a set of eCommerce standards for the Promotional Products Industry over the last two years. We now know that these standards really work for our industry”, says Gene Geiger, President of Geiger and chairman of the board of ePSA. “Now, it’s time to reap the benefits and start using these standards”.

About TAG Business

Tools TAG Business Tools is an independent software company implementing simple, low cost, low maintenance software for small businesses interested in engaging in XML based eCommerce across the Internet. For more information, please visit http://www.tag-tools.com

About The Mesa Group

The Mesa group is an independent, full service consulting firm actively implementing ePSA compliant B2B solutions in the Promotional Products Industry. Mesa is the only company currently certified to provide technical support services for the TAG Transaction Switch. For more information, please visit http://www.mesa-grp.com

Contacts

TAG Business Tools
Peter Hawtrey Tel 508 655 4224
Cell 508 446 0796
phawtrey@tag-tools.com

The Mesa Group
Pat Benoit
972-484-9923
pbenoit@mesa-grp.com