News Details

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2001--Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) announced that its Agilent Ventures unit (AV) has invested in ServiceCentral Technologies Inc., a software company that provides service-chain-management solutions for the wireless and wireline communications industry. The amount of Agilent investment was not disclosed.

The AV investment was part of a Series A round of funding, led by Atlanta-based LiveOak Equity Partners, that raised $4 million for ServiceCentral Technologies, whose software solutions enable enterprises to manage service-chain operations that can span multiple organizations and markets. Their applications can be deployed throughout a service community, providing a central location for tracking service and repair processes over the Web and for accumulating critical product data.

This is the second such AV investment this month and follows funding for Novera Optics, a company that designs and manufactures photonic subsystems for communications equipment suppliers.

"We are investing in ServiceCentral because of the company's expertise in scalable service-chain management solutions that are focused specifically on the telecommunications industry," said George Sparks, vice president of Agilent's Wireless Solutions Unit. "There is so much synergy between ServiceCentral's efforts and Agilent that we also have licensed software and signed an agreement to jointly develop a mobile handset diagnostic and analysis test solution to streamline the handling of mobile phone returns, repairs and warranty claims and provide data on handset failures."

AV is a key enabler within Agilent's aggressive growth strategy and provides Agilent early access to relevant technological innovations through key alliances with start-up companies. AV plans to invest up to $100 million per year, injecting between $2 million and $10 million capital into selected earlier-stage technology companies active in communications and the life-sciences arena.

About ServiceCentral Technologies

Atlanta-based ServiceCentral Technologies is an expert in service-chain management solutions. It assists enterprises in managing service-chain operations, transforming it into a profit stream. ServiceCentral software integrates with back-end customer-relationship management (CRM) and enterprise requirements planning (ERP) systems and uses the Internet to open the lines of communication among multiple organizations in the service chain.

ServiceCentral provides a central hub for tracking service processes over the Web and for accumulating critical product data to increase efficiency and profitability. The company's initial focus is on the wireless and wireline communications industry, where companies including Cingular, KPN Telecom, Powertel and Telcel Venezuela are deploying its software applications. Information about ServiceCentral can be found on the Web at www.servicecentral.com.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare. With 48,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries, Agilent had net revenue of $10.8 billion in fiscal year 2000. Information about Agilent can be found on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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