Flexware Innovation

Greg Stevens, a 2006 Industrial Engineering Purdue graduate, is well on his way to impact the Manufacturing IT industry as Flexware Innovation’s new Manufacturing IT Consultant.

“I missed you in February of 2006. I hope I don’t miss you now,” wrote Scott Whitlock, president of Flexware Innovation, in a personal letter that Greg Stevens read daily for months before joining Flexware.

Rewind to 2005: As an undergraduate at Purdue, Stevens reached out to Whitlock in hopes of securing a position at Flexware. The timing wasn’t right, and neither was it in 2009, when Stevens chose another job over a Flexware offer.

But, as the saying goes, the third time is a charm: That letter Whitlock wrote several months earlier—which spoke of family values, people above profits, Stevens’ fit and immediate impact on Flexware’s leadership—echoed in Stevens’ mind. “I finally had to change course and chase down the opportunity,” said Stevens. Whitlock was glad to revive the offer.

In his new role, Stevens serves as an advisor to top Midwest manufacturing companies, helping them integrate all parts of their manufacturing operations. The goal? Reducing cycle times, banishing productivity black holes and uncovering new profit opportunities for Flexware’s clients. It’s all part of a custom-built strategy that’s attracted a slew of manufacturing “giants”—from pharmaceuticals to automakers to chocolatiers—to Flexware’s impressive client list.

“Greg is critical to our health, growth and longevity,” said Whitlock, citing the young professional’s blend of technical and people skills. “Having been in this business for a long time and seeing lots of people succeed and fail,” Whitlock added, “I can say Greg would’ve had a bright career whether or not he chose Flexware. But I’m certainly glad he’s on our team.”

Thankfully, it’s a much easier alternative to the “Plan B” Whitlock alluded to in that famed letter: Cloning Stevens.

>> Reach Greg at greg.stevens@flexwareinnovation.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:

Scott Whitlock
President
317.813.5411
9128 Technology Lane
Fishers, IN 46038

Flexware Innovation to Present at Upcoming Slingshot Event

Fishers, IN – January 30, 2009 – Flexware Innovation, a leading systems integrator for manufacturers, announced today their selection to participate in the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce’s Slingshot event on Friday, February 6th, 2009.  Slingshot is an event designed to provide emerging businesses the opportunity to showcase their company to local business leaders. The goal is to increase value and visibility, giving companies the ability to develop important relationships with regional businesses.
Since September 2007, nearly 20 companies have participated in Slingshot events. In creating a forum for companies to share their stories and ideas, the Greater Indianapolis Chamber has facilitated meaningful interactions among businesses that increase the odds for a long-term relationship. “Since implementing this event, we have seen well over 60% of our presenters establish qualified business leads from multiple businesses in attendance,” stated Jillian McHenry, Manager, Corporate Partnerships, Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve gotten excellent feedback and established a venue for emerging businesses to enhance their regional network.”
“This is a great opportunity for us to share our story with businesses with whom we wouldn’t usually speak,” explained Flexware Innovation President Scott Whitlock.  “Our products and services aren’t intended to be off-the-shelf, and the ability to reach a new audience gives us the chance to connect with companies who are looking for what we offer, but have no idea we are right in their own backyard.”  
The event will take place at Rolls-Royce in downtown Indianapolis on Friday, February 6th from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm.  Attendance is limited to companies who have been invited by the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. 

About Flexware
Flexware Innovation is a full-service manufacturing systems integration and IT services company based in Fishers, Indiana.  Over the past 13 years, Flexware has helped numerous Fortune 1000 and Midwestern manufacturers successfully integrate technology into their operations, including connecting shop floor and ERP systems.  Recently, Flexware has begun offering IT services to small and medium sized manufacturers looking to reduce their IT spending without compromising quality and service.  For more information about Flexware, visit www.flexwareinnovation.com.  
About the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1890 by Colonel Eli Lilly and a group of Indianapolis business leaders, the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce is the voice of the central Indiana business community.  Today, with a membership of more than 4,200 businesses, the Indianapolis Chamber is still a voice of progress and improvement, bringing together businesses for a thriving community.  For more information on the Chamber, visit www.indychamber.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:

Scott Whitlock
President
317.813.5411

9128 Technology Lane
Fishers, IN 46038
 
Flexware Innovation Announces the Latest Release of its Manufacturing   Director™ Product
 
Fishers, IN – August 17, 2007 – Today, Flexware Innovation, Inc. announced the release of Manufacturing Director™ version 3.1.  Manufacturing Director™ is Flexware’s flagship Shop Floor Management System designed to help manufacturers plan, execute, and monitor production.

Company President and CEO, Scott Whitlock, explains, “We’re excited by this release, because it incorporates life science features, such as audit trailing, electronic signatures, and Microsoft® Windows® integrated security.  The automotive, food and beverage, and industrial equipment industries will benefit from these and other enhancements as well.”

New and existing features of Manufacturing Director™ include tracking and traceability, real-time schedule dispatching, recipe downloading, and tight integration with shop floor automation. 

Whitlock continues, “Manufacturers are increasingly seeking a paperless shop floor, where demand is communicated in real-time, and operators and equipment are synchronized to the work actively in front of them.  Our system brings them closer to that reality, and gives executives a real-time view of production status.”

Manufacturing Director™ was first released in 2005.  Product Manager Jason Strawhacker describes its genesis, “We’ve been working with manufacturers since 1996 and have unique insights into their needs.  Over the years, we had developed a collection of custom solutions that addressed a variety of needs.  It was a logical progression to combine the best aspects of these solutions into a unified product.”  Manufacturing Director™ is currently running and monitoring production activities in plants in North America and the UK.
 
About Flexware Innovation, Inc.Flexware was founded in 1996 by Scott Whitlock and has served as a leading MES consulting firm.  Flexware primarily services the life sciences, food & beverage, rolled goods, industrial equipment, and automotive industries.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     

Contact Information:
Scott Whitlock
President
317.813.5411
scott.whitlock@flexwareinnovation.com

9128 Technology Lane
Fishers, IN 46038

Flexware Innovation to Showcase RollManager™ at 2007 AISTech
 
Fishers, IN – April 11, 2007 – Flexware Innovation announced today that company representatives will attend the 2007 AISTech hosted by Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) and will showcase the company’s RollManager product. AISTech is May 7-10th at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

RollManager™ is a web-based roll management system designed to support high level decisions regarding purchasing and maintenance of industrial rolls,  by tracking and recording the performance, usage, and maintenance history of each roll. Decisions can be made using objective data regarding which roll covers are performing best, whether backup core inventory levels are appropriate, and which roll vendors are providing quick, cost-effective service.

Chris Sanders, RollManager™ Product Manager, describes the system’s value, “RollManager provides a simple user interface for reporting day to day maintenance activities such as roll changes.  Combine this with automation interfaces that collect information about the material being produced and you build an invaluable repository of performance history data on which to base roll maintenance and purchasing decisions.”

RollManager™ provides real time visibility of currently loaded rolls as well as a complete use and maintenance history of each roll. The reporting capability of the product helps identify problematic stand positions when data shows shorter life spans of rolls at specific positions. This allows maintenance to analyze and correct problems.

The system’s ability to track rolls extends beyond the shop floor. It tracks when and to which vendor a roll was sent for maintenance, and the date it was returned. Sanders explains RollManager™ provides visibility to vendor turn-around time which can be critical when trying to “right-size” the inventory of spare rolls on hand for each line.

“Users of RollManager™ also benefit by knowing when a roll is nearing the end of its life. They are better prepared for routine maintenance issues and avoid interruptions in production,” Sanders added.

Scott Whitlock, President and CEO of Flexware Innovation, discussed RollManager™, “Companies adopt RollManager™ because they gain asset visibility that they were missing. And the fact that this is a relatively low-cost, low-risk system that can be implemented in hours, not weeks or months, gives companies more incentive to use RollManager™ in production.”

Whitlock said that a wide variety of industries can benefit from RollManager’s™ functionality, including coil processing, coil coating, printing, converting and laminate flooring. “Literally any industry that uses rolls can benefit from this system,” he said

Flexware Innovation is a software development firm located in Fishers, Indiana with products and services that support the manufacturing industry.  Flexware was formed in 1996 by Whitlock and a partner as a manufacturing technology and automation firm. Through the years, Whitlock says his company developed deep expertise in custom and commercial manufacturing systems. The development of custom tools over the years led Flexware to develop RollManager™ and Manufacturing Director™. Today, both products are used in numerous materials processing firms and high-mix assembly operations.
 
 

AISTech:               http://www.aist.org/convexpo/2007_aistech.htm

Flexware Innovation:   http://www.flexwareinnovation.com

News Release

HighJump Software and Flexware Innovation Deliver a Well-Rounded Offering for Manufacturing Customers

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (June 14, 2006) – HighJump Software, a 3M company, a global provider of adaptable supply chain execution (SCE) solutions, today announced that it is working with Flexware Innovation to help manufacturers select and implement manufacturing execution systems (MES). Flexware has been assisting companies with MES requirements, vendor evaluation tools and integration for more than 10 years. HighJump Software and Flexware have already teamed up on a number of customer accounts.
“We are pleased to be working with HighJump Software to deliver a full range of MES-related services and solutions to the market,” said Scott Whitlock, president and CEO, Flexware. “Flexware serves some of the world’s largest manufacturers in industries such as medical device, pharmaceutical, assembly, food and beverage, and automotive. The combined manufacturing expertise of our two organizations provides a well-rounded offering to these companies.”
“The HighJump MES is a powerful solution within this space,” said Jason Toschlog, vice president of technology, Flexware. “The flexibility of HighJump Manufacturing Advantage and its seamless integration with HighJump Software’s comprehensive supply chain execution suite are strong differentiators.”
“Flexware’s record as a leading MES consulting and integration firm is an excellent complement to our MES offering,” said Paul Steen, vice president of marketing and alliances, HighJump Software. “This pairing further enables companies to define and create lean manufacturing processes which address both emerging market trends and customer requirements for reduced costs and timeframes.”

About Flexware Innovation
Flexware Innovation provides Information Technology and Automation Solutions for the manufacturing industry. Flexware’s core expertise rests in the MES domain. The company offers business and functional analysis, software selection, system design, automation, implementation and long-term support of custom and commercial off-the-shelf solutions for manufacturing execution. Flexware has representation on the board responsible for defining the S95 standard. The company uses the S95 and other standards as guidelines in each MES engagement.

About HighJump Software
HighJump Software, a 3M company is a global leader in providing highly adaptable, best-of-breed supply chain execution solutions that streamline manufacturing and distribution from the point of source through consumption. HighJump Software’s integrated solutions empower operational excellence in the warehouse and optimize the flow of inventory throughout the supply chain by facilitating collaboration with customers, suppliers and trading partners. These solutions combine robust, standard functionality; a best practices-based implementation methodology; and a uniquely adaptable architecture that facilitates fast, cost-effective system modifications. As an independent subsidiary in the 3M family of companies, HighJump Software leads the supply chain execution software industry in financial strength and delivers on an unmatched commitment to innovation and quality. For more information about HighJump Software, visit www.highjump.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Scott Whitlock
President
317.813.5411

9128 Technology Lane
Fishers, IN 46038

Lean Accounting Summit Announces Dr. James Womack as Keynote Presenter, Joining Norman Bodek and Richard Schonberger

Fishers, IN – April 17, 2006 — Dr. James Womack, founder and president of the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), will be the keynote presenter at the 2nd annual Lean Accounting Summit. Womack has authored several cornerstone books about the lean enterprise and is the subject’s internationally recognized authority. Three of his works include, Lean Solutions (Simon & Schuster, 2005), (The Machine That Changed the World (Macmillan/Rawson Associates, 1990) and Lean Thinking (Simon & Schuster, 1996). The Lean Accounting Summit will be held at Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida, September 21-22, 2006.

Jim Huntzinger, founder and president of the Lean Accounting Summit, comments on Womack’s involvement, “To have a man of Jim’s stature as our keynote presenter gives great legitimacy to this emerging movement known as lean accounting. Add to that an additional 20 operations and accounting thought-leaders and it’s no wonder why so many people are excited about the summit.”

Richard Schonberger, president of Schonberger & Associates, will be the closing session keynote presenter. Schonberger is known as the originator of the term and concepts of world-class manufacturing and has authored many books, most recently, Let’s Fix It! Overcoming the Crisis in Manufacturing: How the World’s Leading Manufacturers Were Seduced by Prosperity and Lost Their Way, a 2001 release.

The final keynote presenter is Norman Bodek, president of PCS, Inc., a publishing and consulting company. Bodek has published hundreds of books on productivity, quality, and Lean manufacturing. Many of those works were published under Productivity, Inc., a publishing company founded by Bodek.

Session presenters returning for a second year include, among others, Orry Fiume, Brian Maskell, Jean Cunningham, Jerry Solomon, and Mark Deluzio.

The Lean Accounting Summit is presented by the Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME), the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and Flexware Innovation, Inc., which employed Huntzinger during the inaugural event.

The success of the first summit, which drew more than 300 attendees, led Flexware executives to spin-off the summit as a separate entity. The summit is now operated by Huntzinger’s Lean Accounting Summit, LLC.

Huntzinger explains the growing interest in lean accounting, “Anyone involved in the lean transformation quickly realizes the fundamental inability of traditional cost accounting to recognize positive gains. So when accounting and operations professionals, knowing there is a problem, quickly take notice.”

Dwayne Butcher, Communications Manager for the summit, discusses the 2006 event, “This movement is in its infancy, so it’s difficult to project just how many people will attend. Right now, we’re estimating more than 500, but wouldn’t be surprised to see it swell to over 700.” Butcher explains that last year’s event sold out at 320 participants with only 5 months of promotion.

The theme of the 2006 summit is “Bridging the Gap between Lean and Accounting.” Summit organizers chose this theme to illustrate how operations and accounting often see operational improvements differently.

Huntzinger illustrates this gap, “Traditional accounting practices were designed to support mass production. Today, however, manufacturers need to rapidly and flexibly meet changing consumer demands. To accomplish this, lean seeks to remove waste and leave only processes that add value. Inventory is a glaring example of waste without value.”

Huntzinger notes that traditional accounting considers inventory to be an asset, and when removed, reflects poorly on the balance sheet. “Therein lies the gap,” he concludes. Huntzinger says that there is much more to the lean accounting than his inventory example, but acknowledges that it does represent the types of issues lean enterprises face.

In the midst of planning the 2006 summit, Huntzinger, along with a group of former presenters, is writing a book. The book will summarize many of the presentations and concepts from the inaugural summit. The book is being compiled by Joe and Katherine Stenzel, editors of Cost Management magazine and is being published by John Wiley and Sons. The book is schedule for a fall 2006 release.

In addition to AME, SME, and Flexware, Summit sponsors include Oracle, Superfactory, BMA, Inc., Lean Enterprise Institute, and the Institute for Management Accountants (IMA). Butcher notes that they are actively seeking sponsors to get a wide range of support and perspectives on the subject.

The 2005 summit was held at the Dearborn Inn, located in a Detroit suburb. Attendees heard from Dr. Tom Johnson, known as one of today’s leading thinkers on economic history, management accounting, and quality management.

Details about groups involved in the Lean Accounting Summit can be found at:

– Lean Accounting Summit: www.leanaccountingsummit.com
– Flexware Innovation: www.flexwareinnovation.com
– AME: www.ame.org
– SME: www.sme.org
– Oracle: www.oracle.com
– Superfactory: www.superfactory.com
– BMA, Inc.: www.maskell.com
– IMA: www.ima.org
– LEI: www.lean.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Scott Whitlock
President
317.813.5411

9128 Technology Lane
Fishers, IN 46038

Flexware Innovation to Participate in Microsoft’s 10th Annual Convergence Event

 Fishers, IN – February 23, 2006 – Flexware Innovation, Inc. will exhibit at the 10th annual Convergence event, presented by Microsoft. Convergence will be held March 25-28 in Dallas, TX. The event is designed for professionals seeking to enhance their business and solution knowledge, view product demonstrations, and develop professional networks.

“Flexware has a unique shop floor management solution for manufacturers that Microsoft Dynamics customers will want to see. Manufacturing Director integrates ERPs, such as Microsoft Dynamics AX, with the shop floor to provide real-time shop floor execution and control,” explained Scott Whitlock, President and CEO of Flexware Innovation.

Manufacturing Director provides error-proofing, tracking, traceability, genealogy, routing, assembly management, part disposition, WIP tracking, and more.

Scott Whitlock, Flexware’s President and CEO stated, “We’ve got a unique product here. We’re looking forward to showing the Microsoft community just what it can do for shop floor operations.”

Whitlock describes Manufacturing Director as a good fit in discrete manufacturing, especially when assembly management is required in a complex, high mix environment. Flexware’s solutions are currently running lines in appliance, automotive, life science, and food manufacturing, among others.

Manufacturing Director, like leading MES products, integrates business systems with the shop floor. However, according to Neusaenger, Flexware’s product takes integration to another level and further than most. Whitlock elaborated, “Our tool is uniquely designed to enable manual and automated shop floor operations by providing device connectivity. Direct integration of PLCs, bar code scanners, label printer, torque guns, and other devices to business systems is inherently risky, but can become an enormous asset. Manufacturing Director allows orders to be taken from Dynamics AX, accurately executed at the device level, and completed by relaying information back to Dynamics AX.”

Information about Convergence 2006 can be found at www.msconvergence.com.

About Flexware Innovation, Inc.
Flexware was founded in 1996 by Scott Whitlock and has served as a leading MES consulting firm. Flexware serves pharmaceutical, medical device, coil, assembly, and automotive industries.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Scott Whitlock
President
317.813.5411

9128 Technology Lane
Fishers, IN 46038

“Made in Indiana” Tour Honors Terre Haute’s Sony DADC, Winner of this year’s U.S. Senate Productivity Award

Fishers, IN – October 26, 2005 – The Great Lakes Region of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) announces the fifth annual “Made in Indiana” World Class Manufacturing Tour, Tuesday, December 6, 2005. This year’s tour will highlight Terre Haute’s Sony DADC, which was also awarded this year’s U.S. Senate Productivity Award. The tour historically honors a firm’s success in Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma quality efforts.

Scott Whitlock, tour organizer and board member of AME’s Great Lakes Region, explains, “I have visited some of country’s most successful manufacturers. Sony DADC stands out as one of Indiana’s elite manufacturers,” Whitlock noted. “We should be proud to have a company of this caliber in our State.” Whitlock is also President and CEO of Flexware Innovation, a Fishers-based firm that serves the I.T., automation, and continuous improvement needs of manufacturers.

Incorporated in 1983, Sony DADC began operations in September of 1984 as the first optical disc manufacturer in the Americas. Terre Haute is the flagship location among Sony’s 13 optical disc facilities worldwide. Any new product introduced in the Western Hemisphere is launched in Terre Haute first. Over five billion optical discs have been produced and distributed to all 50 states and to over 100 foreign countries. CD audio, CD-Rom, DVD, Super Audio CD, PlayStation video games, Dual Disc and the Universal Media Disc are products currently manufactured and distributed. The first High Definition pre-recorded media format known as Blu-ray will be delivered in this fiscal year using blue laser technology. Each day over 2 million units are produced at the company’s three facilities that cover 900,000 square feet.

Sony DADC sets its goals based on business and market drivers, local and global plant comparison reports and best practice exercises. These goals drive sales, marketing and operational strategies. Sony DADC is a very productive and efficient organization from bottom to top. Plant productivity has grown by 40% in the last three years, 118% in the last five years and 350% in the past ten years. Technology is always leveraged to improve productivity, quality and efficiency. Sony DADC has developed numerous technologies in the industry that cannot be found among its competitors.

The company culture at Sony DADC has always been one of continuous improvement and excellence. This creed applies to every functional area of the operation. Although Sony DADC’s production environment is capital intensive and highly automated, credit for the company’s success starts with the employees. To this end, numerous programs have been implemented over a long period of time and each has involved significant training. They include Team Building, Problem Solving, Kaizen and Six Sigma.

The Greater Terre Haute Area Chamber of Commerce recently awarded the 2005 and inaugural “Business, A Level Above” to Sony DADC for excellence in leadership and ethics, product innovation, family-friendly business practices and involvement in the community. Sony DADC has also been selected as the winner of this year’s United States Senate Productivity Award sponsored by Senator Richard G. Lugar, the Indiana Manufacturers Association and the Association for Manufacturing Excellence.

Discussing tour benefits, Whitlock explains, “Imagine you’re a manufacturing executive facing cost-reduction and quality pressures. There’s much to be gained by seeing how other manufacturers address these pressures while exchanging ideas with other tour participants.”

The price of the tour is $200 for AME members and $350 for non-members, which includes 1-year AME membership.

Register for this event on AME’s web site

Agenda

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Registration
8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Welcome and Agenda
8:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Sony DADC Presentation and Q & A
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Plant 1 Tour
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Plant 2 Tour
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Q & A and Wrap-up
2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Award Presentation
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Departure

———–

About Flexware Innovation, Inc.
Flexware offers next-generation manufacturing I.T. and automation services to life science manufacturers, assembly, automotive manufacturers, and food and beverage manufacturers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Scott Whitlock
President
317.813.5411

9128 Technology Lane
Fishers, IN 46038

Why are 300 People Gathering
in Dearborn, MI to Discuss
Lean Accounting?

Fishers, IN – August 16, 2005 – An estimated 300 people will attend the first annual Lean Accounting Summit in Dearborn, MI, September 22-23, 2005. The event is being held at the Dearborn Inn. According to the Summit’s website, presenters will challenge traditional cost accounting methods in a “lean enterprise.”

Jim Huntzinger, Summit President, explains the need for the event, “Manufacturers that embrace a culture of lean have seen significant increases in efficiency, cost reduction, and improved quality. When positive gains aren’t recognized on the balance sheet, it shows that traditional cost accounting methods are fundamentally flawed.”

Brian Maskell, a conference presenter, explains his interest in the Summit, “Traditional cost accounting methods were established to support mass production. It’s important to change our accounting methods to better support today’s lean enterprise. The Lean Accounting Summit will push this to the forefront.”

Huntzinger admitted being surprised by the response and makeup of Summit registrants. “I thought the majority of participants would be lean practitioners. However, more than 75% are financial professionals from the director-level up to the CFO-level.” Huntzinger says it shows that financial executives recognize the inherent problems.

Explaining that the Summit will likely sell out, Dwayne Butcher, Flexware Communications Manager and Summit Promoter, explains, “We certainly don’t want to turn anyone away, but the pace at which we’re receiving registrations, we may very well have to do that.” Butcher explains that the 2006 Summit will be held at Walt Disney World to handle the demand.

The Summit includes more than twenty lean accounting thought-leaders. Notable presenters will include, Dr. Tom Johnson, Professor of Business Administration at Portland State University, Brian Maskell, author of “Practical Lean Accounting: A Proven System for Measuring and Managing the Lean Enterprise,” and Orry Fiume, 2004 Shingo Prize winning author of “Real Numbers: Management Accounting in a Lean Organization.”

Flexware’s President and CEO, Scott Whitlock, explains his company’s involvement, “Flexware supports executives in their attempts to strengthen their businesses with continuous improvement services and manufacturing I.T. and automation solutions. It’s clear to us that traditional accounting doesn’t give an accurate view of the gains made by our clients.”

The event is being presented by Flexware in conjunction with the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) and the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Additional event sponsors include Financial Executive magazine (a publication of the Financial Executives International), the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).

The Lean Accounting Summit website is located at www.leanaccountingsummit.com.

———–

About Flexware Innovation, Inc. Flexware offers two complementary service areas; continuous improvement for manufacturing and healthcare and next-generation manufacturing I.T. and automation services. Flexware serves a variety of industries including healthcare, life science manufacturing, assembly, automotive manufacturing, and food and beverage manufacturing.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Scott Whitlock
President
317.813.5411

9128 Technology Lane
Fishers, IN 46038

Flexware Innovation named GE Fanuc Automation Premier Solution Provider

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. , July 26, 2005, Flexware Innovation, a leading provider of automation technology and integration services, has been named to the GE Fanuc Premier Solution Provider Program. GE Fanuc awards the program designation to industry-leading systems integrators who have proven capabilities with GE Fanuc products and solutions. Integrators must meet technical, operational and quality evaluations, and pass a rigorous audit process that includes an assessment of customer references and knowledge of automation system design and optimization. “We are proud to have Flexware in our Program,” said Steve Weller, program manager. “Their industry and GE Fanuc product knowledge, combined with a focus on customer, quality and growth make them an excellent addition to the Premier Solution Provider Program.”

Flexware was founded in 1996 and today serves some of the world’s largest automotive, assembly, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. The company offers a variety of custom and commercially available manufacturing I.T. and automation solutions, including manufacturing execution systems, manufacturing intelligence solutions, and electronic device/batch history record systems.

“After more than 8 years of implementing GE Fanuc Automation solutions, we are very excited about the future in their Premier Solution Provider Program,” said Scott Whitlock President of Flexware “By working closely with GE Fanuc Automation and their channel partner, Industrial Network Systems, our customers will benefit from the collaborative efforts around marketing, sales and product implementation.”

GE Fanuc Automation, a joint venture between GE and FANUC LTD of Japan, delivers automation hardware and software designed to help users reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance profitability. With solutions and services catering to virtually every industrial segment, GE Fanuc Automation provides a diverse array of capabilities and products, including controllers, embedded systems, advanced software, motion control, CNCs, operator interfaces, industrial computers, and lasers. Headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, GE Fanuc Automation is a part of GE Infrastructure and combines the diverse global strengths of the GE family with the local presence customers need to design, develop and maintain their automation investments.