Connection to Supplier Community and Streamlined RFQ Management Help Spectral to Speed Quote Process by Up to 50%

Pasadena, CA – October 9, 2001 – eConnections, the provider of extended supply chain intelligence solutions for the electronics industry, announced today that Spectral Response has been able to significantly reduce its quote processing time since becoming a subscriber of the eConnections Quote Manager, "Quotility" service in April 2001. eConnections Quote Manager is the only net-native solution that is designed specifically for the electronics industry and provides connections to a community of more than 1500 of the world's leading suppliers, distributors and manufacturers' representatives.

Spectral, one of the leading contract electronics manufacturers, has been able to speed its entire quote process by up to 50% due to key benefits offered by Quote Manager, including:

• One-click RFQ Distribution. Fast, easy access to a community of over 1500 world-class suppliers.
• Intelligent Multi-level BOM (Bill of Material) Processing. Automatically upload multi-level BOMs and consolidate common components for more competitive volume pricing.
• Automatic Data Mapping. Eliminates the need for manual data formatting.

"eConnections' Quote Manager provides us with an effective quote management solution that has been fully embraced by the electronics community," said Kevin Melendy, vice president of sales for Spectral Response. "With Quote Manager we can process quotes and bids faster than ever, eliminating time spent on redundant data entry. eConnections' exceptional customer support has been a great asset in helping us implement Quote Manager in days, resulting in immediate ROI.
Spectral Response, headquartered in Duluth, GA, is one of the largest contract electronics manufacturers in the Southeastern US, serving leading electronics OEM companies in the industrial, commercial, instrumentation and medical market sectors.

Previously, Spectral had implemented a quoting tool, but the software did not have the acceptance of the supplier community. Recognizing the advantages of engaging with an industry endorsed solution Spectral implemented the hosted service, first as a beta user, and then as a full subscriber in April 2001. Spectral quickly realized the benefits of being able to rapidly consolidate and review data from the world's leading suppliers. In addition Quote Manager's analytics allows for rapid competitive evaluation of all quote criteria enabling Spectral to make faster, more informed purchasing decisions.

"eConnections' automated RFQ management capabilities coupled with a single point of access to the world's leading suppliers provides Spectral with an exceptional competitive advantage" said Rob Rodin, president and CEO of eConnections. "By using eConnections' Quote Manager Spectral has been able to achieve demonstrable ROI in a very short space of time"

About Spectral Response
Established in 1987 to provide electronic contract manufacturing services to the southeastern region of the United States, Spectral Response, Inc. is a well established, widely respected organization with a proven track record of quality and customer satisfaction. Locally owned and operated, the Duluth, GA-based company consistently delivers quality products and customer focused service. This performance has enabled Spectral to develop a loyal customer base that includes leaders in industrial, commercial, instrumentation and medical market sectors. For more information, contact www.spectralresponse.com.

About eConnections
eConnections is the leading provider of extended supply chain intelligence solutions specifically designed for collaboration to manage the electronics industry's global marketplace. eConnections offers hosted supply chain services that combine embedded domain expertise with authorized connections to a community of more than 1500 of the world's leading suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers' representatives. eConnections provides electronics companies with trusted, net-native solutions that streamline the complexity of the supply chains in which they operate and enable them to get the right product to the right place, at the right time, in the most efficient way possible. eConnections, a privately held company, is headquartered in Pasadena, Calif. For more information, please visit www.eConnections.com.