Intier Automotive Selects EDS for Integrated Teamcenter Product Lifecycle Sourcing Solution
Closures Group of Leading Tier One Automotive Supplier Marks First Customer For Advanced New Software Suite Integrating EDS' Teamcenter(R) Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and A.T. Kearney Procurement Solutions' eBreviate(R) eSourcing Technologies
PLANO, Texas, June 16 -- EDS and A.T. Kearney today announced that the first customer of a new eSourcing software suite the two groups introduced in April is the Closures group of Intier Automotive Inc., a leading tier one automotive supplier.
Under the agreement, financial terms of which were not disclosed, Intier Automotive Closures will introduce the new Teamcenter(R) product lifecycle sourcing solution as an integrated enterprise-wide product development, collaboration and sourcing platform.
New eSourcing Software Solution
The eSourcing software solution provides purchasing professionals with input to design data earlier in the product development process -- potentially providing companies with significant cost savings.
The solution integrates the new 5.0i version of the eBreviate(R) eSourcing suite of technologies from the A.T. Kearney Procurement Solutions unit into Teamcenter, EDS PLM Solutions' flagship product lifecycle management solution, creating a vital linkage between the engineering and procurement functions. Procurement professionals provide input to product design data via Teamcenter, the digital enterprise backbone that enables companies to unite product knowledge with process innovation.
Incorporating purchasing earlier in the process enables companies to achieve product cost savings of up to 20 percent and reduce time-to-market cycles 10 percent to 20 percent, according to Tim Minahan, vice president of supply chain research at The Aberdeen Group, a leading IT market research and positioning services firm.
"We are pleased to be working with Intier's Closures group as our first customer in this important strategic initiative," said Tony Affuso, president of EDS PLM Solutions. "The value proposition of the Teamcenter product lifecycle sourcing solution is unmistakable. Bringing sourcing professionals into the product lifecycle earlier, will enable Intier to gain significant advantages."
Minimizing the Cost of Growth
Intier Closures' selection of the Teamcenter product lifecycle sourcing solution reflects its decision to combine the sourcing and supplier development functionality of eBreviate with the program management, bill of material (BOM) management, and engineering data management functionality enabled by Teamcenter. The new system will support 900 internal users and suppliers on three continents, resulting in a common product development and sourcing environment across the enterprise.
"Intier Closures is in a position where we need to design and deploy a business and technology infrastructure to support a period of rapid business growth over the next three years," said John Farrell, president of Intier Automotive Closures. "To ensure that significant competitive advantage is realized, we must minimize the cost of this growth while at the same time enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our product development and launch activities. After an extensive review of the industry and a competitive selection process, we concluded that the Teamcenter product lifecycle sourcing solution is unique in the marketplace.
"We believe that EDS' PLM knowledge and experience in supporting the automotive engineering process coupled with A.T. Kearney's eBreviate eSourcing suite and leadership in strategic sourcing offers a combination of technology and domain expertise that no other company can demonstrate."
About Intier Automotive
Intier is a global full-service supplier and integrator of automotive interior and closure components, systems and modules. It directly supplies most of the major automobile manufacturers in the world and employs over 22,000 people at 65 manufacturing facilities, and 17 product development, engineering and testing centers in North America, Brazil, Europe, Japan and China.
About A.T. Kearney
A.T. Kearney Procurement Solutions (www.atkearneyprocurementsolutions.com ) provides comprehensive strategic procurement services to clients with needs that range from tactical cost savings to outsourced strategic sourcing services to complete procurement transformation. A.T. Kearney Procurement Solutions augments the strategic sourcing expertise of A.T. Kearney (www.atkearney.com ), one of the world's largest and fastest-growing management consulting firms. With a global presence that includes more than 60 offices in 37 countries, spanning major and emerging markets, A.T. Kearney provides strategic, operational, organizational and technology consulting and executive search services to the world's leading companies. A.T. Kearney is the high-value management consulting subsidiary of global services leader EDS.
About EDS
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 2002. The company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Learn more at www.eds.com .
Teamcenter and eBreviate are trademarks or registered 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.
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