ANSR Hackett Grp., Inc.(The) (MM)

It�s been a record-setting year for working capital management in Europe. Despite challenging conditions, the three-man team driving an Audi R10 sports car won the Le Mans 24-hour motor race in June, giving the German carmaker its seventh title in eight years. Even without the crash helmets, Europe�s finance chiefs have a similar victory to celebrate when it comes to a task that can be as gruelling as the legendary French endurance race. Last year, the 1,000 largest listed companies headquartered in Europe achieved their best working capital performance in some time, as the average number of working capital days reached a five-year low. Excluding carmakers, whose large financing arms skew the data, European days working capital (DWC) fell to 45.2 in 2006, 6.6% lower than the previous year, according to REL, a research and consulting firm which compiles the data for CFO Europe�s annual scorecard. This article provides in-depth coverage of findings from REL's annual Total Working Capital Survey of Europe's top 1000 companies. Click Here to Link to Full Text of Article or visit the following URL: http://www.cfoeurope.com/displaystory.cfm/9395621/l_print. A detailed REL analysis of the survey findings is also available online (with registration) at: www.relconsultancy.com/twcEU. About REL REL (NASDAQ: ANSR) is a world leading consulting firm dedicated to delivering sustainable cash flow improvement across business operations. REL�s tailored solutions balance client trade-offs between working capital, operating costs and service performance. REL�s expertise has helped clients free up billions of pounds in cash, creating the financial freedom to fund acquisitions, pension liabilities, product development, debt reduction and share buy-back programs. In-depth process expertise, analytical rigour, and collaborative client relationships enable REL to deliver an exceptional return on investment in a short timeframe. REL has delivered work in over 60 countries for the Fortune 500. REL is a sister company of The Hackett Group, a global strategic advisory firm is a leader in best practice research and advisory programs, benchmarking and transformation consulting services including shared services, offshoring and outsourcing advice. More information on�REL is available: by phone at (770) 225-7300; by e-mail at info@relconsultancy.com; or on the Web at www.relconsultancy.com.