CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 25, 2002 – Banta Integrated Media, a leading provider of content management and e-business software and services, today announced that Fastenal, a leading distributor of industrial and construction supplies, has implemented Banta’s Bmedia software as its digital content management solution. In the first "live" production cycle for its flagship catalog, Fastenal has condensed production time by more than 60 percent, from nine months to three months. Introduction of the technology is part of Fastenal’s quest to streamline catalog production, increase timeliness and accuracy of information and better leverage its design staff. Fastenal began converting the design process for its annual catalog, Big Blue, to Banta’s Bmedia software in September 2001. Final page files were submitted to Banta in mid-December and the catalog will premier in February 2002. Furthermore, Fastenal uses Banta’s page spraying capability, an automated page-building process for highly structured content, for about half of its Big Blue catalog pages. Banta’s page spraying technology has enabled Fastenal to reduce the amount of time it takes to build each catalog page from approximately one hour to 15 seconds per page. The catalog is printed in Banta’s business-to-business catalog production facility in Menasha, Wisconsin. Big Blue lives up to its name. In 2002, Fastenal is producing more than 200,000 Big Blue catalogs containing approximately 1,550 pages and 86,000 part numbers. Prior to using a digital content management solution, the production cycle of a catalog of this size took Fastenal eight to nine months from start to finish and did not allow the company the flexibility to produce regionally focused catalogs. With Bmedia in place, production time has already been reduced to approximately three months. This time savings will open new marketing opportunities by enabling Fastenal’s staff to create and produce targeted editions that are market-focused thereby meeting the needs of the company’s more than 1,000 distributing branch offices. In addition, Fastenal plans to utilize Bmedia’s functionality to release a re-tooled version of Big Blue this summer. "When we began researching the transition to a digital content management solution, we were seeking a significant return on our investment," said Darrell Bates, Marketing Manager of Fastenal. "We’ve found Bmedia to be flexible and efficient and allows us to slash production time, provide tools to incorporate the most up-to-date information, and opens new possibilities for us to be more efficient in customizing our catalogs year-round." The Bmedia enterprise-class digital content management software powers the collection, management and multi-channel distribution and publishing of digital information to feed to various channels including Web and variable data printing devices. The software provides organizations with significant benefits: the storage, organization, tracking, versioning, searching, secure access and retrieval of digital assets such as images, graphics, copy, audio and video. "Bmedia software was designed so that staff from different operating groups can maintain current product information and related digital content, and use those assets to produce synchronized, targeted communications that achieve their business objectives," said Karen Anderson, Bmedia product manager for Banta Integrated Media. "Bmedia software will enable companies, like Fastenal, to sharpen its focus on new markets by integrating market-specific and customer-specific data." About Fastenal Based in Winona, Minnesota, Fastenal is a leading industrial supplies distributor of fasteners, tools and accessories, cutting tools, hydraulics and pneumatic fittings, material handling equipment, janitorial supplies, packaging products, electrical and welding supplies and safety products. The company has branches in all 50 states. In addition to their U.S. locations, the company has branches in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Singapore. Fastenal was recently named one of America's "Top Growth Companies" by BusinessWeek (June 11 issue). More information is available by visiting the company's Web site at http://www.fastenal.com. About Banta Integrated Media Banta Integrated Media, a subsidiary of Banta Corporation (NYSE: BN), is a leading provider of software and e-business solutions for digital content management, electronic commerce and Internet-based cross-media publishing. The company’s primary customers include publishers, retailers, catalogers, manufacturers and other product marketing companies. More information about Banta Integrated Media is available at www.banta-im.com. About Banta Corporation Banta Corporation is a technology and market leader in supply chain management and printing. Banta Global Turnkey, its supply chain management division, provides a wide range of outsourcing capabilities to the world’s largest technology companies. Services range from component procurement, product assembly and packaging to inventory control and global distribution. Banta’s printing sector provides a comprehensive combination of printing and digital imaging solutions to leading publishers and direct marketers. Visit www.banta.com for further information.