bom.com Signs Tier-One Automotive Supplier Air International US Inc.; Streamlined Change Management and 24/7 Global Access Cited as Key Factors for Adoption

    MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Aug. 21, 2002--bom.com today announced Air International (US) Inc. (www.airinter.com.au), a tier-one supplier to General Motors and other leading members of the world's automotive industry, as a new customer for its online product lifecycle management (PLM) application. Air International is using bom.com to centralize its bill-of-materials (BOM) management, collaborate more effectively with globally dispersed suppliers and gain a more efficient way to control changing product data.
    "Air International uses contract manufacturers and suppliers that are located around the globe," said Michael Repetto, program manager at Air International. "bom.com provides us with a web-based tool that allows suppliers and employees to have access to the latest part and engineering change information at any time of day from any place in the world. We can obtain quotations from multiple potential suppliers in one-third less time, thus directly impacting our competitiveness. And the product change management module has streamlined our change process, resulting in change implementation that is also one-third faster -- and much more effective."
    Air International selected bom.com to address several of the costly issues it was facing during design and manufacturing. The company's change review process entailed weekly, full-team meetings that drained resources and slowed development. Getting a new product quoted required time-consuming, manual supplier communication that limited the number of quotes the company could obtain. Air International chose bom.com for functionality that solved these problems and for its online architecture, which makes communication and collaboration across the supply chain fast, easy, and secure.
    "The adoption of bom.com by a global organization like Air International further validates the bom.com online solution as a highly attractive alternative to expensive, risky and cumbersome client-server applications," said Michael Topolovac, president and CEO of bom.com. "bom.com is unique in its ability to seamlessly connect a global supply chain without expensive VPN links, potential security breaches or additional IT investment. Air International is benefiting from that ability to connect -- and seeing first-hand the value a web-native PLM solution can add to the bottom line."
    bom.com provides a centralized environment for managing product data, making it easy for OEMs, suppliers and outsourced partners to collaborate in real time around a single set of information -- regardless of geographic location or IT infrastructure. This is particularly valuable for organizations that need a secure way to share continually changing product data with contract manufacturers. Other benefits include fewer costly mistakes, improved product quality and faster time to market. The cost-effective subscription model, which makes bom.com affordable for organizations of any size, means that bom.com customers realize rapid ROI.
    bom.com is available for an annual subscription of $995 per user with no set-up or installation fees. Customers can access bom.com from any computer with a web browser; there is no traditional software to buy, install, maintain or upgrade. New bom.com customers can be up and running within days. They can register by visiting the company's website at http://www.bom.com or by calling the sales department at 866/937-1438.

    About bom.com

    bom.com is driving a major shift in product development with collaborative software that unifies fragmented product teams and their remote suppliers into one cohesive design chain. By establishing a shared bill of materials -- the complete set of data that defines a product -- as the central framework around which all design and communication occur, bom.com facilitates real-time, interactive development among the entire network of people involved in moving a product from concept to manufactured reality. The web-native architecture enables the design chain, for the first time, to collaborate around a common set of product information -- "one version of the truth" -- throughout development. The web-native architecture also keeps the total cost of ownership low by eliminating the need to buy, install, upgrade or maintain traditional software. Founded in February 2000, bom.com is based in Mountain View, California. More information is available at www.bom.com.

    About Air International (US) Inc.

    Air International (US) Inc. is a division of Air International Group Limited, a tier-one supplier to the world's automotive industry that specializes in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Seat Systems, Steering Systems, Metal Pressings, Fabrication, Modular Assemblies and Rail and Bus HVAC Systems. Its US customers include General Motors and Lear Corporation. More information can be found at www.airinter.com.au.

    Note to Editors: bom.com is a trademark of bom.com. Other product and company names are the property of their respective holders.