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Infor Announces New Version of Infor PLM

INFOR ANNOUNCES NEW VERSION OF INFOR PLM

                

Enhancements Deliver Enterprise-wide Collaboration and Operational
Visibility

 

ATLANTA - March 3, 2008 - Infor today unveiled the latest version of Infor
PLM 8, its comprehensive product lifecycle management (PLM) software
specifically designed for discrete manufacturing industries such as
automotive, industrial equipment & machinery, aerospace, and high tech &
electronics.  Enhancements to Infor PLM 8, version 8.1, enable companies to
improve collaboration, streamline design processes and drive visibility
throughout the organization, which can help manufacturers reduce time to
market, decrease costs and increase operational efficiencies.

                "Manufacturers face constant pressure to innovate and take
products to market faster than their competitors -challenges that mandate
comprehensive, up-to-the-minute  information during product development,"
said Rory Granros, Infor's director of product marketing for PLM solutions.
"Infor PLM 8 allows stakeholders from R&D, marketing, purchasing, and
production to make informed decisions regarding design changes, raw material
sourcing and production resources to determine the market viability and
cost-benefit of each product.  This enables companies to invest in products
with true market sustainability and substantial profit margins." 

                According to industry analysts, the PLM market is expected
to grow nearly 10 percent over the next five years, with tremendous
opportunities in North America and EMEA, as well as in emerging markets
within Latin America and Asia.  A part of this growing interest in PLM is
driven by corporate initiatives among manufacturers to improve the
efficiency and timeliness of new product development and introduction
processes.

                With Infor PLM 8, manufacturers can streamline the
engineer-to-order production model by leveraging real-time data-sharing,
which provides deep visibility into the design and product development
process. Customer-driven enhancements, such as improved product data
management, enterprise content management, lifecycle analysis, and CAD
integration, provide an end-to-end tool for multi-site collaboration.
Additionally, customers will benefit from seamless integration to Infor and
third-party ERP systems, enabling manufacturers to experience a lower total
cost of ownership, rapid implementation and quicker return on investment.

Rodgers Instruments LLC, the world's largest manufacturer of stereo-imaged
church organs and pipe-digital organs and a long-time Infor customer, has
already seen significant benefits from the CAD integration in the latest
version of PLM 8.  Coupled with improved data exchange from Infor PLM to its
existing Infor ERP Baan IV c4 system, the company has improved its ability
to meet the customized requirements of its customers, reducing the time from
order to completion from four months to only four days.

"With Infor, we are able to support a feature-centric development process to
set ourselves apart from our competitors and provide more value to our
customers. Infor PLM is playing an instrumental role in helping us
collaborate more effectively with our customers and suppliers to achieve new
levels of product customization, which has resulted in a 50 percent
reduction in time to market," said Tony Williams, director of engineering,
Rodgers Instruments. "We view Infor as a partner with solutions that
continue to evolve to meet our needs as our business and customers' demands
change, not just a technology vendor."

 

Enhancements to Infor PLM 8:

-                      Improved holistic check-in operation enables
validation and version confirmation for drawings, formulas, bills of
material, and engineering change orders. This feature furthers collaboration
by alerting departments when changes to an open document are made and
improves data accuracy in CAD workstations, R&D and ERP systems

-                      eCAD integration provides support for electronic
component design, such as GPS for the automotive industry, with Mentor
Graphics Corporation , a world leader in electronic hardware
and software design solutions

-                      Greater Enterprise Content Management functionality
provides enhanced data transparency by centralizing critical product
information that can be shared across the extended enterprise

-                      Improved lifecycle analyzer usability reduces the
steps required to identify the impact of proposed changes to product
information through classification and expanded user-defined fields 

 

                Additionally, the enhanced 2D and 3D CAD integration
provides a straightforward exchange of product drawing and model information
with select CAD software including SolidWorksR 2006 & 2007, Auto Desk:
AutoCAD R 2006 & 2007, Mechanical DesktopR 2006 & 2007, Pro/Engineer
WildfireR 2.0, and Unigraphics: NXR Series.

                Infor PLM 8 is available in English, French, Spanish, Dutch,
German, and simplified Chinese.  For more information, please visit
http://infor.com/product_summary/plm/plm8/.

 

About Infor PLM 8           

Infor PLM 8 provides an integrated, comprehensive lifecycle view of product
design data and definition, giving discrete manufacturers greater control
over the execution of product-related tasks and overseeing review and
approval across the internal and external supply chain.  With Infor PLM 8,
companies can shorten cycle times for changes and approvals, minimize scrap
and rework, and boost productivity.  

 

About Infor 

Infor delivers business-specific software to enterprising organizations.
With experience built in, Infor's solutions enable businesses of all sizes
to be more enterprising and adapt to the rapid changes of a global
marketplace. With more than 70,000 customers, Infor is changing what
businesses expect from an enterprise software provider. For additional
information, visit www.infor.com.

 

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This announcement reflects the direction Infor may take with regard to the
specific product(s) described herein, all of which is subject to change by
Infor in its sole discretion, with or without notice to you.  This
announcement is not a commitment to you in any way and you should not rely
on this document or any of its content in making any decision.  Infor is not
committing to develop or deliver any specified enhancement, upgrade, product
or functionality, even if such is described in this announcement and even if
such description is accompanied by words such as "anticipate," "believe,"
"expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should," "will,"
and/or similar expressions.  Many factors can affect Infor's product
development plans and the nature, content and timing of future product
releases, all of which remain in the sole discretion of Infor.  This
announcement, in whole or in part, may not be incorporated into any
contractual agreement with Infor or its subsidiaries or affiliates.  Infor
expressly disclaims any liability with respect to this announcement.