Cargill Meat Solutions implements SignalDemand Pricing and Promotion Optimization solution

22/03/06 SignalDemand, a leading provider of Pricing and Promotion Optimization solutions for food and consumer good manufacturers, announced that their solution has been deployed and is in wide use at Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation (formerly Excel Corporation), one of the nations largest beef processors, and a business unit of Cargill, Inc. By improving their pricing and promotion decisions, manufacturing companies can accelerate revenue, profit and market share growth.

SignalDemand provides Cargill Meat Solutions with significant insights into the complex supply and demand forces in the beef industry that has resulted in an increasingly volatile market place. "Using the SignalDemand solution and its detailed analysis of the many market inputs and influences, we are better able to provide our customers with more accurate prices for the available supplies of beef products," said Bill Rupp, President of Cargill Beef. "The SignalDemand tool set enables us to combine the extensive knowledge of our team with a number of market forces including customer demand for individual cuts, seasonal product flows, available cattle supplies and quality characteristics to simplify price discovery with our customers."

SignalDemand enables Cargill Meat Solutions to collaborate with customers to:

- Develop customized pricing solutions for both day-to-day product needs and ad features

- Promote the most productive products to satisfy consumer demand

- Manage supply cost risks over extended time periods through long-term contract optimization

Based in Wichita, KS, Cargill Meat Solutions is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of unbranded meats. It is a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Cargill. Cargill is an international provider of food, agriculture, and risk management products and services. With 105,000 employees in 59 countries, Cargill is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed.

SignalDemand's solutions help manufacturers fine tune demand and supply, leading to dramatic improvement in their financial performance. Commodity food processors and branded consumer goods manufacturers use SignalDemand to optimize a wide range of pricing and promotion decisions while understanding the impact on supply costs and inventory. SignalDemand uses patent pending econometric models, optimization algorithms and activity based costing techniques. Customers include Cargill Meat Solutions, National Frozen Foods, and Ventura Foods.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060320005008&newsLang=en