Industrial Distributor Century Sales & Service Ltd. Targets Marketing Using Datahost, The Latest In Catalog Technology

Industrial Distributor Century Sales & Service Ltd. Targets Marketing Using Datahost, The Latest In Catalog Technology

Canadian Company Looks to Customer-Specific Future

May 8, 1997

INDIANAPOLIS, -- Canadian-based industrial distributor Century Sales &
Service Ltd. (Century) is targeting its marketing efforts with the
latest in customized product catalogs. Century will produce
customer-specific catalogs using Howard W. Sams & Company's Datahost relational database
management system.

Datahost is composed of millions of formatted and standardized items
which can be used to quickly and efficiently produce customized print,
CD-ROM and on-line catalogs, all from one source.

"Our goal over the next five years is to become one of the most
customer-specific distributors in North America," said Ron Pearson,
president, Century. "To do that, we are investing in the technology
that makes customized marketing possible, and our research tells us
that Datahost is the best way to go."

Century's 215 employees serve the Canadian provinces of Alberta and
Saskatchewan. The company, headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, is
currently celebrating it's 60th anniversary. Century stocks over
60,000 line items and has annual sales in excess of C$62 million. The
company specializes in tools, fasteners, safety and shop supplies.
Century prides itself on being a one stop shop for its customer's
industrial needs, and offers expertise in product application
solutions and transaction/process improvements. Vallen Safety Supply
Company, based in Houston, Texas, holds a 50 percent equity interest
in Century under the terms of a strategic alliance.

Century is a member of I.D. ONE, a buying group of 65 industrial
distributors, who recently signed an agreement with Howard W. Sams as
their preferred supplier for catalog marketing programs. "Century has
worked with Howard W. Sams on previous print catalogs, so we are
familiar with the quality of their work. That experience, along with
our desire to support the marketing efforts of I.D.ONE, is what led us
to our decision to go with Datahost," said Pearson.

"Howard W. Sams is looking forward to working with Century, and the
rest of the distributors of I.D. ONE, to produce their next generation
of catalogs," said Damon Davis, chief operating officer, Howard W.
Sams. "The fact that a distributor with the history and reputation of
Century Sales and Service has chosen to go with Datahost is a clear
sign that we are achieving our goal of becoming the preeminent content
provider for the distribution industry."

Howard W. Sams & Company, acquired by Bell Atlantic in 1995, publishes
nearly 125 catalogs annually for its customers in the bearing and
power transmission, electronic, electrical, HVAC/R, industrial,
janitorial, paper and plumbing supplies markets. Howard W. Sams,
located on the World Wide Web at http://www.hwsams.com, is the
nation's largest provider of after-market service data for the
television/VCR repair industry in the form of the PHOTOFACT and
VCRfact subscription services. In addition, the company owns Masters
Press, which publishes sport fitness and reference books.