KSS Releases Update to RackPrice Wholesale Fuels Pricing System

New capabilities help fuels wholesalers cope more effectively with volatility and strike optimal supply-demand balance

Manchester, UK – May 6, 2008 – KSS, the global leading supplier of pricing analytics, execution, and optimization systems to the petroleum industry, announced today the launch of the latest version of RackPrice, the most advanced pricing system available for supporting the needs of the wholesale fuels sector. RackPrice version 1.2 will be released on June 2nd 2008 and will help suppliers manage cost and price volatility more effectively as well as support the application of KSS proven price optimization science to a wider variety of wholesale supply management scenarios.

Based on customer feedback and input from leading downstream players, RackPrice will help fuels wholesalers to effectively address business critical situations such as:

• Monitoring intra-day inventory and volume sales and proposing price adjustments to maintain a desired supply-demand balance
• How to price a group of terminals in order to clear a given inventory while minimizing margin impact
• How to set prices today in order to meet volume movement goals over a fixed term or rolling term sales plan
• For a given set of contractual supply commitments, how to price discretionary channels served out of the same tank to optimally balance volume and margin
• How to adjust prices efficiently in response to intra-day sales updates, spot and competitor moves to maintain desired volume and margin positions

RackPrice 1.2 now delivers KSS core demand modeling and optimization technology in solution configurations pre-adapted to a wide range of situations operators are facing on a daily basis. Pricing analysts are presented with simple, high-level interfaces through which they control the relevant sales targets and strategy settings for the given scenario. Price recommendations corresponding to different business scenarios can be computed simultaneously and presented for pricing analysts to choose from, leaving them firmly in control and arming them quickly with the set of best responses to different market situations.

“This latest release of RackPrice builds on our proven wholesale pricing platform to deliver price optimization capabilities specifically targeted at the most critical business situations faced by operators today. With price volatility reaching new highs and crude oil costs at record levels, organizations are crying out for technology that can help them continuously adapt their pricing strategies and tactics to strike the optimal balance between supply and demand,” commented Bob Stein, president and CEO of KSS.

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About RackPrice

RackPrice helps fuels wholesalers address three (3) key aspects of their pricing processes – (1) streamlining the pricing process to exert greater control over price volatility and improve consistency, (2) delivering unique insight into market dynamics and competitor pricing strategy and (3) using price sensitivity modeling to segment customers, terminals and channels and applying optimization to meet volume plans at higher margin rates.

About KSS

KSS is the global leading provider of pricing analytics, price management, rules-based pricing and optimization technology and services to fuel retailers and wholesalers in the oil and gas, convenience store, grocery and big box retail industries. KSS clients include global, national, and regional companies managing a total of over $100 billion in revenue through more than 20.000 fuel sites and rack terminals throughout the world. KSS US headquarters are located in Florham Park, N.J. and European headquarters are based in Manchester, U.K.

For further information please visit the KSS web site at www.kssg.com or contact:

Bob Stein, Chief Executive Officer – Tel: +1 (973) 549 1850
Mark Hawtin, Vice President Marketing – Tel: +44 (0)161 228 0040
For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller – Tel: +1 (903) 422 5117 or rmiller@rgmcomms.com

Arrange a consultation, USA (973) 549 1850, Europe +44 (0) 161 228 0040, Contact us