Power Engineering - CombineNet launches new energy division

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 17, 2003 -- CombineNet has announced a decision to launch a new division that targets its Decision-Guidance Systems to meet the specific needs of the energy industry.

The company has engaged two executives from the industry to lead its energy division - John W. Welch and Frank A. Hoffmann.

CombineNet's Decision-Guidance Systems utilize patented, combinatorial optimization technologies to provide better answers to high-impact strategic business problems. Companies like Procter & Gamble and DuPont have profited from the use of CombineNet's technology and are expanding its use to gain competitive advantage.

"We formed the new energy division in direct response to the capital-intensive nature of the energy industry, the ever-growing pressures to use resources prudently, and the importance of the energy infrastructure to national security," said Tony Bonidy, president and CEO of CombineNet. "Our Decision-Guidance technology - together with our industry-renowned executive team - are ideally suited to meet the energy industry's need for more powerful decision-support tools, which will enable managers and policy makers to make better decisions."

John W. Welch has nearly 30 years of experience in various facets of the energy industry. He was formerly president of DQE Systems, engaged in retail propane and telecommunications businesses. Prior to that, Welch was president of Equitable Gas Company, a multi-state gas distribution company.

"The business drivers impacting the energy industry today, from heightened sensitivity toward system reliability to increased financial pressures to do more with less, create an environment where the optimal use of resources is an expectation of customers, shareholders, and regulators," Welch said.

Prior to his role at CombineNet, Frank A. Hoffmann was most recently president of AquaSource, a multi-state water and wastewater utility and service company. He was also executive vice president of DQE, the parent company of Duquesne Light Company, where he managed the marketing and sales functions and the integrated resource planning area. Hoffmann has nearly 30 years of industry experience in the role of manager and as a consultant to electric, gas, petroleum, water and telecommunications companies throughout the U.S. and Canada.

"As evidenced by the blackout on August 14th and the ensuing widespread disruption in utility service, the complexities and interdependencies among utility service providers are significant," said Hoffmann. "System operators are inundated with volumes of data and, without robust decision-guidance systems, the decisions made - and the resulting actions taken - are inherently sub-optimal," said Hoffmann.

CombineNet's Decision Guidance Systems will enable the energy industry to lower costs and increase reliability benefiting all industry stakeholders.

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, CombineNet is the world's leading provider of combinatorial optimization - a technology that delivers unprecedented cost savings to Fortune 1000 companies.

The company's radical new Decision-Guidance System allows executives to find and justify the best possible solutions in strategic sourcing, logistics and other supply chain areas with unprecedented speed and uncompromising accuracy. For more information, visit www.combinenet.com.

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