Mar 19, 2003
MAPICS has been involved with Georgia Tech's MARC for nearly three years and leads the Framework Implementation Project (FIP) as the only manufacturing-focused enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution provider involved. The purpose of the FIP program is to design, implement and test industry standards that streamline information exchange for electronics assembly and link all aspects of a manufacturing enterprise in real-time.
"We're using live factory environments to prove that electronics manufacturers can reduce the cost and time of manufacturing their products by decreasing the complexity of communication among shop floor equipment and extended enterprise applications," explained Steven Danyluk, director of Georgia Tech's MARC. "A flexible and complete set of enterprise applications is a critical contributor to the interoperability of a manufacturing enterprise, so we're very pleased that MAPICS has joined us in this industry-leading effort."
Georgia Tech's MARC, with the backing of major equipment manufacturers, electronics manufacturers, and software and hardware vendors, has established the FIP to build upon and implement the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI) Plug and Play Factory Project--an initiative created to standardize data syntax and semantics in electronics assembly, establishing rules for data exchange from the factory floor and across the enterprise. The coalition is implementing and testing a computer aided manufacturing exchange (CAMX), a series of standards that are based on extensible markup language (XML) and define how and what information is exchanged on the factory floor and throughout a manufacturing organization. These standards, which electronics manufacturers know as the IPC 2500 series, are used to provide a common language that facilitates real-time, efficient sharing of critical business data among shop floor equipment and business process applications--reducing costs and decreasing cycle time.
"MAPICS recognizes the importance of linking all the parts of a manufacturing operation, from the shop floor to the executive offices," said Jeff Cashman, chief marketing executive of MAPICS. "The Framework Implementation Project gives customers a unique opportunity to connect the business side of manufacturing with real-time shop floor information and achieve efficiency, accuracy and significant cost savings--a truly world-class manufacturing environment."
To date, three in-plant deployments of the FIP have been completed: September 2002 at Motorola's plant in Seguin, Texas; January 2003 at NACOM's plant in Griffin, Georgia; and February 2003 at the Nortel Networks plant in Calgary, Alberta. In all three projects, the CAMX standards provided real-time data about products, processes and the shop floor equipment, giving users quick and easy access to information such as work in process, throughput, yield and equipment utilization.
About the Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation's leading research universities, providing a focused, technologically based education to nearly 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Georgia Tech has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked in the nation's top ten public universities by U.S. News and World Report. It offers degrees through the Colleges of Architecture, Engineering, Sciences, Computing, Management, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 50 interdisciplinary research centers that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to America's government, industry, and business.
About MAPICS
MAPICS is the largest global solutions provider focused exclusively on manufacturing. Building on more than 25 years of industry experience and proven success, MAPICS helps manufacturers be world class by gaining market share, operating at peak efficiency, and exceeding customer expectations. MAPICS solutions include software--extended ERP, CRM, and supply chain management--and professional services. The solutions are implemented on the two industry-leading technology platforms--Microsoft and IBM.
Headquartered in Atlanta, MAPICS has implemented solutions in more than 10,000 customer sites in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit http://www.mapics.com.
MAPICS is a trademark of MAPICS, Inc.
Other brand and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Editor's Note: The correct usage of the MAPICS name is all capitals.
Statements in this press release or otherwise attributable to the Company regarding the Company's business which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "recognizes," "helps," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, none of which can be predicted or anticipated. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company including, without limitation, relationships with our customers and business partners, the effect of fluctuations in the economy, the impact of competitive products and services, the availability of qualified resources, the ability to develop and enhance products, and other risks detailed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10K and other filings with the SEC. The company undertakes no obligation to revise or publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or otherwise.
CONTACT: MAPICS, Inc.
Heather Crary, 678/319-8558
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