IMP signs £230,000 contract for Open Text's Livelink to optimise enterprise-wide operational efficiency, through effective knowledge management

Collaborative knowledge management software provides competitive edge to international publishing group with improved innovation and product time to market

Beaconsfield, UK - 1999-03-16 - The International Masters Publishers (IMP), one of the world's leading publishing groups, specialising in high quality education, information and entertainment products, has selected Livelink from Open Text (NASDAQ:OTEX; TSE:OTC). Livelink, the market leading collaborative knowledge management application, will allow IMP to make full use of its global expertise in the publishing arena, linking IMP business centres spread across 26 countries.

With continuing developments and improvements in Interactive and Online media, and a rise in the number of specialist magazines available to the consumer, the publishing industry is under increasing competitive pressure. As a result, innovation and product time to market have become critical for success in this sector. IMP was therefore keen to identify a structured information system that would enable it to disseminate and share knowledge throughout the organisation. This would facilitate greater innovation and development of new product and marketing concepts within the company, providing IMP with the necessary competitive edge to continue its success in the publishing arena.

After reviewing various knowledge management solutions Peter Bruhl, Intranet project manager at IMP, identified Open Text's Livelink : "It was immediately obvious that Livelink had the potential to transform working practices at IMP. Livelink is set to become the primary information channel in the group, for capturing, organising, maintaining and delivering user-friendly information and knowledge. Because Livelink is intranet-based, it will also enable collaboration on collective projects at IMP, regardless of geographical location. As a result we will be able to make best use of our globally-spread expertise, without the time wasted for travelling to meetings."

Livelink will be deployed in every department across the company. "Livelink will become an integral part of our business strategy to become a global but decentralised organisation. It will provide us with a formal framework for the support of teamwork, knowledge sharing and open discussion at all levels of the company," Peter Bruhl commented.

Peter Bruhl concluded, "Ease of deployment was also an important issue in our search for a knowledge management solution . As was the need for it to be flexible enough to adapt and integrate with our custom built intranet applications. Livelink satisfied both these requirements." Initially Livelink will be rolled out across the UK, Sweden, Germany, France, Australia and USA, with plans to extend it across the entire organisation in the future.

Derek Buchanan, UK Country Manager at Open Text commented: "We are delighted that Livelink is playing such a critical role in the competitive positioning of IMP, and enabling them to respond rapidly to market demands. It is this speed of reaction that can make or break a company in a sector as competitive as publishing."

About IMP

Established in 1972, IMP is a global direct marketing publishing group specialising in high quality education, information and entertainment products. Our products can be divided into three areas; fact files, books and collectibles. IMP operates in 26 countries around the world and has some 1,700 employees engaged in research, product development, marketing, customer services and administrative support. The revenue during the last financial year was $769 million.

For more information, please contact

Jill Wilkin
Marketing Director, Northern Europe
Open Text UK Ltd.
(00 44) 01494 679700
jwilkin@opentext.co.uk

Myriam McLoughlin
Account Manager
Grant Butler Coomber
(00 44) 0181 322 1922
myriamm@gbc.co.uk