RICHMOND, Va., April 17 -- Cadmus Communications Corporation today announced the completion of another module in its integrated Cadmus Knowledge System. This system will substantially automate the process of reviewing and preparing scientific, technical, and medical ("STM") information for print and electronic distribution, enabling substantial time savings and cost efficiencies for its publishing customers. Rapid Review Version 2.0, the most recent module released, solves one of the biggest problems facing scholarly publishers, distributors of scholarly content online, and printers --- time to publication. Rapid Review Version 2.0 is a web based solution that lets publishers manage their complete peer review process, reduce review process costs and administrative overhead, and improve the focus on content and publishing faster. "We wanted to be responsive to the immediate needs of our publishers with the release of Version 2.0," said Walter Peter, Senior Vice President of Cadmus KnowledgeWorks. "We are concentrating our efforts in two development areas: First, we are supporting an article-based digital workflow through the entire publishing process, and second, we are continuing to adapt this powerful software to publishers' specific processes. This determination to bring best-of-breed solutions to publishers has already generated early success, resulting in 13 new publishers representing 28 publications selecting Rapid Review for their use. With these new titles, Rapid Review Version 2.0 will be handling over 28,000 manuscript submissions per year. Journal authors, editors and reviewers have found Rapid Review to be a powerful and reliable tool, yet remarkably easy to use." Cadmus has previously announced its intention to develop a modular end-to- end content processing system. This system, when fully implemented, will dramatically compress the time to process journal pages, reduce content processing costs, and significantly increase the ability to re-purpose scholarly content. In addition to Rapid Review Version 2.0, the Cadmus KnowledgeWorks total solution includes: * Rapid Edit -- a programmatic editing tool that delivers faster turnaround and improved editorial consistency of copy editing services with lower composition production costs. * Rapid Proof -- an electronic proof delivery solution that enables scholarly publishers to deliver page proofs to authors quickly through the Internet and, in turn, to reduce costs and time from manuscript acceptance to publication. * Rapid Inspector -- a digital art application capable of providing full diagnostic feedback to authors prior to submission. This module is scheduled for release early this summer. * Rapid Tracking -- a content management system that will provide publishers with fast, online access to manuscript content and status during the production cycle. The benefits of Rapid Tracking will be more accurate scheduling, shorter publication cycles, and incremental revenue from faster response to re-purposing opportunities. This module is currently under development and expected to be released by early 2003. Bruce V. Thomas, President and CEO of Cadmus, stated: "A decade ago, Cadmus developed technology, proprietary processes, and work flows that dramatically improved turnaround times, efficiencies, and accuracy in STM content processing.Those tools and techniques improved our customers' publishing process and created a competitive advantage for Cadmus that lead to the development of the leadership position we enjoy today. We believe that the Cadmus Knowledge System, when combined with recently enhanced global work flows and processes, will permit us to establish a new industry benchmark for content processing speed and efficiency that will further strengthen this leadership position in the STM market."