HP and OAT Deliver Industrial-Strength RFID Solution

BALTIMORE, EPCglobal US Conference 2004, Sept. 28, 2004 – HP and OATSystems, Inc., a recognized RFID Framework leader, today announced a radio frequency identification (RFID) solution for companies implementing RFID and requiring continued support to effectively track the movement of goods in real time.

Combining world-class technology and RFID expertise in a single platform, RFID/IS (Industrial Strength) enables businesses to reliably capture RFID data and track the movement of goods across an extended supply chain while providing centralized control of an expanding RFID network. The solution is targeted towards automotive, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical, consumer electronics, retail and high-tech customers.

“RFID/IS takes RFID out of the box and into production environments,” said Ian Robertson, director, RFID Program, HP. “HP knows from direct experience what is required to deploy a production-ready RFID solution, as we were an early adopter of RFID in our own supply chain. OAT software, which we’ve incorporated into our own system, further enables customers to optimize their manufacturing and distribution operations.”

HP and OAT deployed RFID at multiple locations across HP’s global supply chain to provide real-time visibility of inventory and goods movement. From this experience, HP and OAT developed best practices for delivering RFID solutions in manufacturing and distribution operations and now offer this integrated, tested solution to other customers.

“As companies expand their RFID deployment, they need a strong, scalable foundation that will enable them to view goods movement across multiple sites, share RFID data with trading partners and centrally manage reader networks. RFID/IS provides this enterprise-wide foundation,” said Prasad Putta, co-founder, OATSystems, Inc.

RFID/IS combines an RFID framework, systems management, and consulting and integration services into a single offering. OAT provides the OAT Foundation Suite – a software suite with four layers for managing an enterprise’s RFID infrastructure: RFID system of record, business context layer, EPC number management and RFID middleware.

HP adds HP OpenView management software, HP Services and HP infrastructure technology – including industry-standard HP ProLiant servers, high-end UNIX® HP Superdome servers, HP StorageWorks technology and printing devices.

About OAT

OATSystems, Inc. is the recognized RFID Framework leader, with software that empowers businesses to achieve competitive advantage from radio frequency identification (RFID). As pioneers in the development of RFID technology, OAT has been setting the standard in RFID for over half a decade and is responsible for industry firsts that include the largest scale and largest scope of deployments, as well as the most innovative approaches to providing enterprise-wide RFID solutions. OAT’s multinational client base, which includes companies such as HP and Gillette, consists of over 30 customers in retail, CPG, consumer electronics, manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace and defense. Headquartered in Waltham, Mass., OAT has offices in Chicago, London and Bangalore and is on the Web at www.oatsystems.com.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2004, HP revenue totaled $78.4 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they ever materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including the expected development, performance or rankings of products or services; statements of expectation or belief; and any statement of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the development, performance and market acceptance of products and services and other risks that are described from time to time in HP's Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to HP's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 31, 2004 and other reports filed after HP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2003. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.