Press Releases
Joint Solution Offers Improved Production Efficiencies and Rapid Response To Changing
Customer Demand
White Plains, NY and Campbell, CA - December 12, 2002 - IBM and
Camstar, a leading provider of enterprise Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
for global manufacturers, today announced a strategic alliance to deliver collaborative
manufacturing solutions to the Electronics industry. Sectors to benefit from the
agreement are Consumer Electronics Manufacturing and Electronics Contract Manufacturing,
which is comprised of companies that manufacture a variety of electronic
products, such as printed circuit boards, for computer and electronics companies on a contract
basis.
The joint IBM and Camstar solution improves manufacturing operations and reduces
operational costs by seamlessly integrating production information with supply chain,
procurement and customer support enterprise solutions. Under the terms of the agreement,
the two companies will jointly market the Camstar InSite™ manufacturing execution
software optimized for the IBM WebSphere™ infrastructure platform, including the
WebSphere Application Server™, WebSphere MQ™, IBM DB2™ database software, and IBM
eServer pSeries* and xSeries* hardware. IBM Global Services (IGS) will provide consulting
and integration services.
Shorter product life cycles and global price competition have placed the Electronics
industry under pressure to respond more quickly to changing customer demand and
to reduce manufacturing costs. Responding effectively to these challenges requires
tight coordination between customers, manufacturing operations and suppliers. As
part of IBM's e-Business On Demand initiative, the IBM and Camstar solution enables
the coordination and integration of all manufacturing activities across the enterprise
and the ability to respond quickly to changing market conditions.
IBM chose Camstar for its robust integration capabilities and proven scalability,
along with its ability to manage highly
complex manufacturing models, span multiple
factories and adapt to change very quickly. IBM offers manufacturing solutions marketing,
sales resources and open-standards based middleware and hardware solutions.
"Success in electronics manufacturing requires real-time access to product information
throughout the value chain," said Lorene Steffes, General Manager, IBM Global Electronics
Industry. "With the IBM Camstar solution, our customers receive critical manufacturing
information that can be seamlessly integrated into procurement, supply chain, and
customer delivery and support functions."
"IBM understands the business and technical challenges that large manufacturers
face, and has the resources and expertise to get the job done," said Dave Cone, president and CEO of Camstar. "Manufacturers need this kind of support to be successful
with lean manufacturing initiatives and to accelerate their rate of new product
introductions. Our joint solution lets them focus their attention on growing their
businesses."
The strategic alliance with Camstar is another example of IBM's commitment to go-to-market
with leading independent software vendors (ISVs) through the PartnerWorld for Developers
program. Under this initiative, IBM has signed agreements with recognized software
leaders. These alliances target industries such as financial services, retail, healthcare,
manufacturing, and solution segments including enterprise resource planning, supply
chain management, customer relationship management and business intelligence. The
goal is to provide developers with access to new customers and revenue opportunities
through IBM's marketing, sales, and solutions resources. And as part of the agreement
developers commit to lead with IBM's middleware, server platforms, and services
in offerings to customers.
About IBM PartnerWorld for Developers
PartnerWorld for Developers is the developer resource for IBM Business Partners.
It is a worldwide program designed to help software developers reach broader markets,
lower their costs of doing business, and take their products to market faster. For
more information, visit http://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/developer,
or call 1-800-627-8363 in North America, 1-770-835-9902 outside North America.
About IBM
IBM is a global
leader
in the development and implementation of e-business solutions
in strategic areas such as supply chain management, enterprise resource planning,
customer relationship management, business intelligence, product design and management
and e-commerce. For more information, please visit
http://www.ibm.com/e-business/supplychain.
About Camstar Systems, Inc.
Camstar is a leading provider of enterprise Manufacturing Execution and Quality
Systems. Camstar’s InSite and Medical Device Suite applications manage, monitor,
and synchronize manufacturing activities across globally distributed plants, and
integrates them in real-time with core business processes. Rapid to implement, they
provide the manufacturing control needed to help eliminate scrap, rework, paperwork
errors and redundant checks. As a result, manufacturers improve yields and product
quality, shorten lead times and reach volumes quickly, respond to changing demand,
and reduce the cost of compliance. More than 100 leading companies, including Johnson
& Johnson, Roche, Tyco, ZOLL, CIBA Vision, Zeiss, Kinetic Concepts, BIOTRONIK,
IBM, Kodak, AMD, Philips, Hitachi, SCHOTT, Amkor, ASAT, Renesas, Arcelor and Industeel
rely on Camstar as a trusted software partner.
Camstar's solutions for the life sciences industry support
FDA Regulation 21 CFR Part 11 requirements, such as Electronic Records and Electronic
Signatures as well as the Good Manufacturing Practices outlined by FDA Regulation
21 CFR Part 820. The software system simplifies the process of collecting and maintaining
device history records, and includes tightly integrated enterprise Corrective and
Preventive Action (CAPA) functionality.
For more information about Camstar and its InSite product, call us toll free at
1-800-588-0030, or visit at www.camstar.com.
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