Media contact:
John D. Baker, President and CEO
ACC Business
585/987-3270

FOR RELEASE:  TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2007

ACC HELPS KLAUSSNER FURNITURE SWITCH TO MPLS

NETWORKING SOLUTION REDUCES COSTS BY 25 PERCENT AND HEADACHES BY 100 PERCENT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Today ACC Business announced that it has created a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) solution for Klaussner Furniture Industries, one of the five largest furniture manufacturers in America. This networking solution offers efficiencies that will enable Klaussner to save 25 percent on its monthly network costs.

Klaussner, which is headquartered in Asheboro, NC, employs 6,648 employees and maintains locations in Mississippi, Iowa, and California, remains privately owned and family-managed.

Because Klaussner barcodes every item in each of its plants, the company relies on its network to scan each item before making, moving, or shipping a product. Klaussner needed a networking solution that would offer a single source for network management, just as Klaussner provides a single source of furnishings for furniture retailers.

John Kuzmier, President, InfoLink, suggested Klaussner replace its hodge-podge of network strategies with an MPLS solution from ACC Business.

By assuming responsibility for managing routers and the network, ACC Business’ solution allows Klaussner to dedicate resources to customer service and to remain focused on the company’s vision of making life easier for the retailers it serves.

"We were using a wide assortment of T1s, VPNs, and frame relay to connect our various locations," said Doug Stultz, IT Manager for Klaussner Furniture Industries. "Because each of our facilities had Cisco routers that had to be programmed and managed, at each site we needed trained, knowledgeable people who are able to manage our ongoing programming and routing requirements."

Stultz also said that the energy required to maintain the Cisco routers took resources away from the company's primary mission: manufacturing high-quality furniture and serving retail customers.

"When a line went down, for example, we had to deploy a technician to the site and make multiple phone calls to our various vendors. Resolving downtime issues took significant time and energy."  

Minimizing downtime is critical to Klaussner's business: when the network is down, the plants have to shut down.

To address Klaussner's needs, John Kuzmier and Rick Womble, ACC Business Agent Manager, created an MPLS solution that uses Cisco routers to connect Klaussner Furniture's remote sites over the AT&T backbone. To allow Klaussner to focus on its business, ACC Business manages the routers

ACC Business and Klaussner used a phased approach to implementation. Once the pilot locations began realizing the benefits of the MPLS solution, Klaussner Furniture expanded to all of its locations.

"Managing our network is so easy now. We don't need to have a network expert on site; we don't even own the routers anymore. Even the installation was a snap. Once ACC Business ships a Cisco router to each location, all we have to do is answer a few questions and connect the router to a phone line and they do the rest. Since ACC Business takes care of everything else, we no longer have to train people in-house to manage the routers and network," notes Stultz.

Because ACC Business owns the equipment and routers, Klaussner has eliminated the capital expense of buying routers and hardware as well as the cost of keeping salaried employees on site to manage the network.

"ACC Business' solution offers cost savings and enhanced productivity. We're now saving 25 percent on our monthly network costs. Plus, I no longer have to keep someone on staff who knows how the system works. And I don’t have to pay to send someone to California or Iowa to fix a problem. So we are also saving on travel time. Also, ACC Business is on top of our network management; when there is a problem, we are never down for long. And that means we are more productive overall," claims Stultz.

"But I have to say the biggest savings is unquantifiable: ACC Business has eliminated 100 percent of our network management headaches. And that is priceless."

About ACC Business

ACC Business is a specialized brand from AT&T that offers a suite of essential data and voice services backed by the superior quality of the AT&T Global Network – one of the most highly acclaimed networks in the world. ACC Business’ products include Managed Internet Service, Frame Relay, Private Line, Local and Long Distance services. ACC Business products are offered exclusively through its authorized agents. For more information visit: www.accbusiness.com.