PLANO, Texas
FOR RELEASE: April 11, 2002EDS Launches Digital Collaboration Solution To Redefine Product Lifecycle Management
PLANO, Texas- EDS today launched E-vis Developed in conjunction with Microsoft on the .NET platform, E-vis 4.0 is advanced collaboration, conferencing, and visualization software that can integrate with XML Web services based on industry standards. It allows for a community of users, including both technical and non-technical participants in product development as well as supply-chain partners, to collaborate globally and in real time.
A Teamcenter "The availability of E-vis 4.0 on the pervasive .NET platform revamps traditional thinking on how manufacturers can easily and effectively engage globally distributed supply chains as intimate partners," said Tony Affuso, president, EDS PLM Solutions. "E-vis 4.0 is applicable in all industries, and sets the standard for a heightened focus on product lifecycle management - going beyond procurement to total collaborative product development in a secure environment. E-vis 4.0 users will realize benefits in improved responsiveness to customer needs, innovation, and time-to-market."
Ford and GM Play Critical Roles E-vis 4.0 builds on the defacto industry standard for sharing and visualizing lightweight product data based on the JT format. Today this standard is used by companies such as Ford, General Motors, Daimler/Chrysler, Renault, Hyundai, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Electric, Siemens and over 1,000 other companies worldwide. E-vis enables the visualization of JT data on platforms ranging from PC desktops to immersive virtual reality environments, all from a common data and technology base.
"The introduction of E-vis 4.0 signals a major advancement in product lifecycle management that will allow us to effectively migrate from a batch computing model to a real time, asynchronous communication environment that extends across the enterprise and into our supply base," said Kirk Gutmann, global product development information officer for General Motors Information Systems and Services (IS&S) organization. "This technology will drive significant product development process improvements that will deliver major benefits to GM through increased productivity, improved resource management and better collaboration with our suppliers and alliance partners."
Development of E-vis 4.0 was simplified and expedited by the advanced functionality of the Microsoft .NET enterprise servers and the high productivity developer tools available for the .NET Platform. E-vis is available on the Microsoft .NET Platform running on Intel Architecture-based servers, leveraging functionality from Microsoft's Exchange 2000, SQL Servers and Windows 2000 solutions.
"Manufacturing enterprises need an integrated, secure and scalable platform for collaboration throughout the product lifecycle," said Sanjay Parthasarathy, president of the Platform Strategy Group at Microsoft. "The Microsoft .NET Platform, in conjunction with advanced collaboration, conferencing, and visualization solutions from EDS, connects the 3D-design and manufacturing communities in a whole new way."
Internet Connectivity About EDS Note to Editors: E-vis 4.0 is a Teamcenter product. E-vis and Teamcenter are trademarks of EDS or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.
Ford Motor Company and General Motors played integral roles in the definition of visualization technologies required for the automotive industry, with particular emphasis on addressing the needs of supply chain collaboration. The integration of Microsoft technologies with the EDS visualization and collaboration tools provides a comprehensive approach that reflects Ford's and GM's needs, significantly expanding the potential for closer involvement of suppliers in the design process.
E-vis 4.0 takes full advantage of the connectivity of the Internet to meet sophisticated requirements of OEMs and suppliers for secure collaborative workspaces in a global knowledge network, enabling development teams to interact in real-time and to share accurate project and product data, knowledge, images, and design ideas. Collaborative access is available to all standard engineering tools - from computer-aided design (CAD) and product data management (PDM) to Microsoft's business productivity software. Additionally, E-vis can be used by industry exchanges to provide advanced collaboration and visualization for OEM and supplier communities within a global industry.
EDS, the leading global services company, provides strategy, implementation, business transformation and operational solutions for clients managing the business and technology complexities of the digital economy. EDS brings together the world's best technologies to address critical client business imperatives. It helps clients eliminate boundaries, collaborate in new ways, establish their customers' trust and continuously seek improvement. EDS, with its management-consulting subsidiary, A.T. Kearney, serves the world's leading companies and governments in 60 countries. EDS reported revenues of $21.5 billion in 2001. The company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Learn more at www.eds.com.