Microsoft Previews Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Manufacturing Organizations

Companies benefit from enhanced agility and visibility across manufacturing processes from a single solution.

HANNOVER, Germany, April 4, 2011 - At Hannover Messe (www.hannovermesse.de/en/homepage), the leading
international showplace for industrial technologies, materials and product
ideas, Microsoft Corp.(Nasdaq: MSFT) today previewed the manufacturing
foundation in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, Microsoft's enterprise resource
planning (ERP) solution for global organizations, expected to be generally
available in the third quarter of 2011.

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"Manufacturers are challenged with addressing economic pressures,
globalization, environmental regulations and requirements and preparing for
an increasingly diverse workforce with varying technology expectations," said
Rakesh Kumar, global industry product director, manufacturing, Microsoft
Dynamics. "Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 will provide the capabilities global
manufacturers need to thrive."

Contrary to real-world requirements, many ERP applications force
discrete, lean and process manufacturing to be managed in separate systems.
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 removes these limitations by supporting the
ability to run all three processes in a single solution, simplifying
operations, and increasing flexibility in production planning and execution.
Going a step further, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 provides visibility across a
unified resource pool, helping to optimize resource utilization and increase
responsiveness to customers' needs.

"The ability to view and apply various manufacturing processes through a
single ERP solution is revolutionary to our business," said Hubert
Meisterjahn, chief information officer, Dornbracht
(www.dornbracht.com/en/), a globally active manufacturer of
high-quality fittings and accessories for bathrooms and kitchens. "We are
confident Microsoft will help us remain on the cutting edge of technology."

To provide visibility into the environmental impact of a manufacturer,
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 includes an update to the Environmental
Sustainability Dashboard for Microsoft Dynamics AX
(www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/products/ax-environment.aspx). The
dashboard is designed to track a company's energy consumption, carbon
footprint and related costs, and it supports a manufacturer's ability to
address increasing supply-chain requirements and government regulations. New
dashboard features include additional key performance indicators for waste
and water usage, a graphical interface for ease of setup and management, and
a what-if analysis feature to help assess the impact of proposed changes.

Helping to increase user adoption across an organization, Microsoft
Dynamics AX 2012 takes advantage of Microsoft technology investments in user
experiences. Shop floor machine operators without convenient keyboard access
or experience using on-the-job business application technology will benefit
from new interactive touch-based capabilities. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
delivers Kanban (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban) visualizations for lean
manufacturing, automating a typically manual replenishment process, which
saves people time. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 also delivers a familiar
Microsoft Office interface
(www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/familiar.aspx) and interoperability
with the latest Microsoft Office 2010 applications, such as Microsoft Word
2010 and Microsoft Excel 2010.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 provides partners with a manufacturing
foundation that can be easily customized and extended for multiple vertical
industries, such as industrial equipment, food and chemical manufacturing.
This foundation gives them the opportunity to deliver further value to and
broaden their customer base.

More information about Microsoft Dynamics solutions for the manufacturing
industry is available at
www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/industries/manufacturing.aspx.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics CRM and ERP solutions empower your people to be more
productive and your systems to last longer and scale as your business grows,
while enabling you to derive the insights necessary to respond quickly in an
ever-changing world of business.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.

Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, +1-503-443-7070, rrt at waggeneredstrom.com; NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.