Business & Finance

Infomedia and Hyundai Sign Five Year Global Data License

May 13th, 2001

International automotive industry I.T. developer, Infomedia Ltd, today announced the signing of a five year global data license agreement with Hyundai Mobis for supply of its flagship electronic parts selling system (EPC), Microcat®, to Hyundai dealers around the world.

"Our good association with Hyundai in Australia, our warm working relationship with Hyundai Mobis management in Korea, and the strong performance and reputation of Microcat were significant factors leading to Infomedia Ltd being awarded this license," said Richard Graham, chairman and CEO of Infomedia Ltd.

"As you know, during 2000 Hyundai was the fastest growing automaker in the world, and they want their dealerships to have the best I.T. solutions available. I believe this is the reason Microcat was selected from the international field of possibilities," Graham continued. "It is exciting working with Hyundai management in Korea, Europe and the USA. Each team is very professional and has very clear objectives."

An EPC is a sophisticated business software application that aids parts and service personnel in a dealership to determine the correct replacement parts for a vehicle, from the hundreds of thousands of parts in stock. The Microcat parts selling system, operates both from traditional DVD-ROMs and via the Internet. Its speed of operation, smooth integration with order entry systems, broad choice of features and easy to use graphical interface, make it very popular with users and OEMs.

The 'raw material' for making the Microcat system is parts and vehicle data. This data license is a right to use that data to create versions of Microcat for use by the OEM's distributors and dealers. The data license granted by Hyundai Mobis to Infomedia is for a period of five years. With the exception of Korea and the USA, which are non-exclusive territories, this is an exclusive license for EPC worldwide.

"We are very pleased to confirm this global agreement with Infomedia. The Microcat EPC is in our opinion the world's best EPC. Its multilingual ability makes it easy for all our dealers to use" said Mr. Y. H. Lee, deputy general manager Export Parts, Hyundai Mobis. "It is also very important to Hyundai Mobis that the EPC can operate via the Internet. We know Microcat can operate this way and look forward to our dealers having this option too," Lee stated.

Hyundai dealers in Europe are expected to start using the system in July, followed by the rest of the world. Graham explained, "We are looking forward to bringing the productivity and profitability benefits of Microcat to more than 5,500 Hyundai dealers around the world. Hyundai dealers in Australia started using Microcat in April 2000. It only took two months for all the Australian dealers to put it to good use in their dealerships."

Infomedia expects to meet its target of being the number one automotive EPC supplier by the end of 2001, both in terms of quality and quantity. "Infomedia presently has nearly 30,000 EPC installations worldwide. The release of Microcat to Hyundai dealers, and the expected explosion of new installations as our Internet versions come into full swing later this year, will propel us into the number one position globally in terms of quantity. For a decade, our users have considered Microcat already number one in terms of quality and innovation," stated Graham.

Infomedia Ltd is a publicly listed company, which specializes in the development and licensing of information technology solutions for automotive dealerships around the world. It's flagship electronic parts catalog (EPC) product, Microcat(R), is used in 97 countries and 22 languages. Its On-Line Business Systems division provides sophisticated accounting and customer process systems for large and multi-franchised dealers in Australia. Datateck Publishing Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infomedia, provides specialized OEM analytical work for parts catalogs and service documentation. The company is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and its trading code is IFM.