Welch Foods Inc. Selects Planalytics GasBuyer for Natural Gas Market Guidance

Welch Foods Inc. Selects Planalytics GasBuyer for Natural Gas Market Guidance

WAYNE, Pa., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Planalytics Inc. announced today that Welch Foods Inc., A Cooperative has licensed Planalytics(R) GasBuyer(SM), a price analysis and risk management tool used for natural gas purchasing and hedging decisions.

The GasBuyer helps clients more effectively protect themselves from volatile prices, reduce risk exposure and contain gas costs. The GasBuyer's 18-month advance view of the market enables clients to make better decisions in a market where funds and speculative traders are increasingly driving large price fluctuations. This environment has amplified the need for more proactive risk management, and companies choose the GasBuyer because it offers:

-- Flexibility to fit into new, developing or existing risk management
programs. Clients can choose hedging approaches, select decision-
making time intervals and establish specific contract rules. The
GasBuyer can be used to support both physical and financial
transactions, including forward buys, strips, futures, options and
swaps.

-- Comprehensive natural gas risk management. The GasBuyer provides
clients with live market information, fundamental- and technical-based
analysis, advanced charting tools, weather intelligence and purchasing
guidance.

-- Unparalleled forecasting expertise. Planalytics' proprietary long-
range climate forecasts allow the GasBuyer to project how weather will
impact gas demand, storage and prices 18-months into the future.
GasBuyer clients also have daily telephone access to nationally-
recognized meteorologists.

-- Proven results. Over the four-year period between 2000-2003, the
GasBuyer helped clients reduce monthly price volatility by 36.5% and
lower gas costs by 10.1% in comparison to NYMEX settlement prices.



The web-delivered GasBuyer evaluates natural gas prices and determines when it is a good time to buy gas and, just as importantly, when it is not. The GasBuyer provides clients with buying, selling, or hedging actions by combining Planalytics' proprietary long-range climate forecasts, long-range storage projections, key fundamental and technical market factors, historical analyses and real-time market data.

Welch's is the food processing and marketing arm of The National Grape Cooperative Association, Inc. Organized in 1945, National Grape is a grower- owned, agricultural cooperative with 1,350 members. For more information visit http://www.welchs.com/.

Wayne, PA-based Planalytics (http://www.planalytics.com/) helps companies make more effective and profitable decisions by forecasting weather-driven changes in supply, demand and prices for products and services. Companies in all industries use Planalytics' technologies to capitalize on market opportunities and improve financial results by hedging the impacts of weather volatility.


Source: Planalytics Inc.

CONTACT: Jim Gagne of Planalytics, +1-610-407-2956

Web site: http://www.welchs.com/

Web site: http://www.planalytics.com/


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