KTI and Rolls-Royce to SPEDE up Knowledge Adoption

    BOSTON--Feb. 26, 2001--

Knowledge Technologies International and Rolls-Royce partner to make
    knowledge methodologies available to industry

    --`daratechSUMMIT 2001--Boston Park Plaza Hotel--

    Knowledge Technologies International (KTI) and Rolls-Royce plc today announced a joint alliance to deliver SPEDE to industry. SPEDE is a powerful combination of methodologies and software tools that enable businesses to formalise the capture and deployment of their knowledge assets.
    Developed from a jointly funded EPSRC research project, SPEDE has grown rapidly within Rolls-Royce over the last three years and forms a major plank in its knowledge management strategy.
    Garreth Evans, CEO KTI said. "This unique combination of skills brings together Rolls-Royce's world renowned engineering and process excellence with our leading knowledge and process automation tools. Rolls-Royce is a valued customer of our ICAD(R) System and has seen the benefit of formalising electronic knowledge processes in the development of its aero-engine programs. We believe SPEDE will ease the way for companies to join the fast growing `knowledge revolution' and build their own `Business Operating System'."
    John Gould, Director - Business Process Improvement, Engineering, Rolls-Royce adds, "We have put significant effort into developing the SPEDE method from its former research roots and have applied it very successfully in a number of areas across our business. In particular business benefit is being derived because SPEDE was able to do a part of the base-line process capture for the new Rolls-Royce Quality Management System about a year earlier, with fewer experienced people and at lower cost."
    "We have already gained good value from the use of KTI's ICAD tool, and look forward to seeing KTI working with us to drive even greater benefit through the synergy between the SPEDE knowledge acquisition technique and KTI's knowledge-based tools. The alliance will also provide the necessary leverage to improve delivery across the Extended Enterprise."
    In a move that will see KTI delivering software and consultancy, KTI's latest product, KPM (The Knowledge-based Process Modeler(TM)),(1) is set to form a delivery architecture of future versions of SPEDE.