Petron to Deploy IT Solutions from i2 to Further Improve Supply Chain
. DALLAS and MAKTI CITY, Philippines -- August 11, 2004

The Philippines’ leading oil company, Petron Corporation, and i2 Technologies, Inc. (OTC: ITWO), a leading provider of closed-loop supply chain management solutions, today announced Petron’s plans to deploy IT solutions from i2 with a goal of increasing Petron’s responsiveness to market demand, reducing company costs and further optimizing Petron’s existing supply chain.

Petron intends to implement i2’s demand management and distribution planning and scheduling software. According to Petron, after evaluating demand planning and distribution products from the world’s top IT supply chain solution providers, the company chose i2 for its experience in the oil and gas markets.

“With the current volatility of the oil markets and increasing competition in the local market, it is imperative that we continue to look at ways to manage the downstream business,” Petron president Khalid D. Al-Faddagh said. “We believe i2’s solutions will make us respond better to the needs of our customers while achieving an improved distribution of refined products.”

Petron chose i2 Demand Planner and i2 Distribution Planner and Scheduler. Demand Planner is designed to improve forecasting of demand from commercial and retail customers, while Distribution Planner and Scheduler is designed to make the distribution of petroleum products and terminals more efficient.

Among the Phillipines’ oil companies, Petron has the largest distribution network in the country with 36 depots and terminals strategically located across the country. The company, likewise, has the largest service station count with 1,159 stations as of 2003.

 “As we see and feel every day, the oil and gas industry is one of the most important in the world, as the stable supply of crude, as well as refined products, has an impact on the world’s economy. We are pleased to have Petron as a business partner since Petron supplies a large portion of the Philippines’ oil requirements and exports refined products to other Asian markets,”  said Hiten Varia, i2 executive vice president, Greater Asia-Pacific Region. “Petron is an innovative company focused on improving their downstream supply chain’s effectiveness.  We look forward to working with Petron on this important project.”

“Ultimately, we believe the adoption of these new systems can help us to attain a sustainable advantage as we continue to leverage our distribution network to maintain market leadership,” Al-Faddagh concluded.

About Petron

Petron Corporation is the Philippines’ leading oil refining and marketing company. Its refinery in Limay, Bataan has a capacity of 180,000 barrels per day - the largest in the country. It can process imported crude oil into a full range of petroleum products. Petron also operates a fully automated lube oil blending plant in Pandacan, also the biggest and most advanced of its kind in the country. Learn more at www.petron.com.

About i2

A leading provider of closed-loop supply chain management solutions, i2 designs and delivers software that helps customers optimize and synchronize activities involved in successfully managing supply and demand. i2’s global customer base consists of some of the world’s market leaders – including seven of the Fortune global top 10. Founded in 1988 with a commitment to customer success, i2 remains focused on delivering value by implementing solutions designed to provide a rapid return on investment.  Learn more at www.i2.com.

i2 is a registered trademark of i2 Technologies US, Inc. and i2 Technologies, Inc

UOP and AspenTech Partner to Market Refinery-Wide Simulation Product

August 4, 2003, Aspen Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AZPN), today announced an agreement with UOP LLC to market Aspen RefSYSTM, a jointly developed software product for refinery-wide simulation and optimization. The product is based on a combination of AspenTech’s refining industry process simulation flowsheet technologies and the best-in-class refinery reactor models developed by UOP and AspenTech.

UOP and AspenTech have had an ongoing relationship delivering leading-edge software solutions to the oil industry. Aspen RefSYS will provide even greater levels of value to refining clients by enabling them to achieve and capture ongoing improvements in the profitability of their refinery operations.

“UOP is excited to partner with AspenTech on this project. Aspen RefSYS offers UOP’s clients a software solution that enables them to identify refinery process constraints and improve operational bottlenecks,” said Frank Whitsura, Vice President and General Manager of UOP. “Aspen RefSYS will help increase operating margins, support effective capital expenditures, and provide a platform for continuous improvement in our clients’ operations.”

While traditional modeling solutions can only simulate individual process units, Aspen RefSYS enables companies to optimize refinery-wide performance using an integrated model of their facilities. The combination of flowsheet simulation with accurate kinetic reactor models enables refiners to make improved economic decisions throughout the refinery, from crude feed to final product blending. Additional benefits are derived from leveraging the data generated from Aspen RefSYS to enhance planning and scheduling decisions, leading to increased refinery margins.

“Rigorous refinery-wide modeling enables companies to identify the most profitable operating strategy for the entire refinery,” said David McQuillin, President and CEO of AspenTech. “The combination of AspenTech’s software technology expertise and UOP’s experience in refinery-wide operations will enable us to deliver a unique array of valuable solutions to our refining clients. Our strong relationship with partners such as UOP is key to our success in providing differentiating solutions to the refining industry.”

About UOP

UOP LLC, headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA, is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, process plants, and technical services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.

About AspenTech

Aspen Technology, Inc. provides industry-leading software and implementation services that enable process companies to increase efficiency and profitability. AspenTech's engineering product line is used to design and improve plants and processes, maximizing returns throughout an asset’s operating life. Its manufacturing/supply chain product line allows companies to increase margins in their plants and supply chains, by managing customer demand, optimizing production, and streamlining the delivery of finished products. These two offerings are combined to create solutions for enterprise operations management (EOM), integrated enterprise-wide systems that provide process manufacturers with the capability to dramatically improve their operating performance. Over 1,500 leading companies already rely on AspenTech's software, including Aventis, Bayer, BASF, BP, ChevronTexaco, Dow Chemical, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Fluor, Foster Wheeler, GlaxoSmithKline, Shell, and Total. For more information, visit www.aspentech.com.