By David Greenfield
Control Engineering
Week of June 16, 2003

WILMINGTON, Mass. - Omnify Software, a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software for mid-market electronic, medical, and mechanical OEMs, has announced the availability of Omnify 2.5, a business-ready PLM solution that is said to provide a complete view of the product development process throughout the entire enterprise.

This new release has been developed in reaction to customer requirements for greater communication and collaboration within the company and with external suppliers and partners in distributed, complex product development processes. Omnify 2.5 is Web-architected and provides a single, central location for managing product data. The company claims out-of-the-box, bi-directional integration with existing design and business systems.

Although PLM software is typically directed at design engineers, control engineers should understand the impact PLM software can have on their operations.

According to Chuck Cimalore, Omnify Software's chief technology officer, this PLM product is termed 'business ready' because it is 'focused on component data management and all attributes of product design and production,' thereby playing a role in engineering change orders and change management by automating these processes.

Control engineers often 'have problems with the raw material manufacturing aspects of product development and production,' Cimalore says. That's why control engineers should pay more attention to this area. 'PLM allows for control of workflow in engineering change orders,' he says.

New features in Omnify 2.5 include:

• Field service module to track and search on serial numbers, customer information, and RMAs (return merchandise authorizations) from any location;
• New workflow engine that alerts users and enables each part of the production process to work together, understanding exactly what tasks have been completed before moving to the next stage of the process;
• User-permissions engine that allows organizations to define specific function availability for each user in the design process;
• Advanced password-protected signoffs and authorized signatures to manage user authentication and authorization, particularly important to organizations required to meet FDA regulation 21 CFR Part 11; and
• Enhanced Bill of Material features that include: fractional quantities, unit of measure, and loading and report generation.

Press Contact
Alaine Bettencourt / Omnify Software / 978-988-3800 / alaine@omnifysoft.com
Stephanie Beagan / PAN Communications / 978-474-1900 / omnify@pancomm.com

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