TOKYO and PLEASANTON, CA, Oct. 28, 2009 (Marketwire) --

TOKYO and PLEASANTON, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 10/28/09 -- Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM), the global leader in telepresence, video, and voice communications solutions, today announced a leading global food manufacturer, The Mizkan Group (Handa City, Aichi, Japan), has deployed Polycom high-definition (HD) room telepresence solutions across its key sites worldwide. Subsequently, The Mizkan Group has been able to realize rapid and substantial travel cost savings and considerable improvements in business effectiveness.

The Mizkan Group has deployed Polycom HDX series room telepresence solutions at its headquarters and 13 domestic branch offices, as well as in its strategic international offices in the U.S., U.K. and China. The company has been able to achieve significant market advantage -- and match the responsiveness of competitors based in larger Japanese cities -- by utilizing these Polycom telepresence solutions with content-sharing capability to support a variety of business applications; including meetings amongst managers located in different offices of The Mizkan Group worldwide, meetings amongst domestic branch offices, and planning sessions with external agencies.

More than 1,000 employees of The Mizkan Group have used Polycom telepresence solutions to easily and effectively meet face-to-face, without the need for travel. As a result, The Mizkan Group has been able to substantially reduce its travel costs. Additionally, because Polycom telepresence solutions create a life-like experience that provides a viable alternative to travel, The Mizkan Group has been able to increase its preparedness for pandemics and other potential interruptions to business continuity.

Hiroshi Masuda, Manager, Information Planning Section, Management Information Systems Department, at Mizkan Busitec commented, "By improving work efficiency using Polycom video solutions, The Mizkan Group has been able to realize tangible benefits in productivity and business competitiveness. Reducing the need for travel also ensures our teams have the opportunity to spend more time with their families, promoting an improved work-life balance." Mizkan Busitec manages the IT infrastructure operations of The Mizkan Group.

When evaluating visual communication solutions, The Mizkan Group trialed and compared systems from multiple vendors. The Polycom room telepresence solutions were chosen because they uniquely combine HD video and HD voice capabilities to deliver a virtual meeting experience that is just like having all participants situated in the same room.