Microsoft and Team of Industry Leaders to Host European Manufacturing Road Show
Peak Performance events to bring industry experts and leading manufacturers together to learn from each other.
LONDON — 25 Jan 2006 — Today Microsoft EMEA announced the launch of the Peak Performance Road Show, a series of two-day conference exhibitions wholly focused on the manufacturing sector for CxO and line-of-business executives. The events will take place in cities across Europe between March and June 2006, starting in Munich, Germany, on 13 and 14 March.
Hosted by Microsoft and supported by companies including Accenture, AspenTech, Dassault Systèmes, HP, ICONICS Inc., Intel Corporation, Meridio, Panorama Software, OPC Foundation, OSIsoft Inc., Reynolds and Reynolds, Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D), TXT e-solutions and Wonderware, each two-day Peak Performance Road Show event has been designed to develop collaboration between manufacturing industry leaders by providing a forum in which they can share their thoughts, opinions and experiences.
Executive attendees will have the opportunity to hear presentations from industry experts, thought leaders and analysts. They will also have the chance to debate current industry issues with their peers and address the challenges that manufacturers from all industries are experiencing: how to reduce new-product development time while continuing to innovate; how to improve the performance of complex plant floor operations; how to obtain a real-time view of the global value chain and achieve lean manufacturing goals; and how to gain a complete view of sales and customer service channels. Delegates can also meet with market-leading manufacturing technology providers and view solutions in action by visiting the exhibition hall.
The Munich event will be entirely focused on the automotive industry, while the other events in Milan, Moscow, London and Paris will take a holistic approach to the manufacturing sector by including tracks about the consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals, fashion, high-tech, aerospace, oil and gas, utilities, metal, chemical and engineering and construction industries.
“We have been listening intently to the feedback from our manufacturing customers and in conjunction with a team of industry leaders have developed a series of finely tuned and focused manufacturing events designed to address their needs. We are bringing together an expert group of analysts, industry experts, solution providers and manufacturing company executives under one roof with the aim of helping them to find ways to compete more successfully in the global marketplace,” said Lorenzo Pengo, managing director of Manufacturing Industries EMEA at Microsoft. “This initiative is a strategic move for Microsoft and demonstrates how serious we are about helping manufacturers realise a more efficient industry through insight and innovation.”
About Microsoft in Manufacturing
Microsoft, in conjunction with industry-leading partners, delivers enterprise solutions to a range of manufacturers including those in vertical industries such as automotive, chemical, consumer packaged goods, high technology, and oil and gas. These industry-specific solutions provide a flexible, scalable and reliable platform that helps to enable businesses to be more agile and connected. As a result, manufacturers can shorten product development cycles, integrate operations with partners and suppliers, acquire and share intelligence in real time, and more easily communicate with customers. More information about Microsoft in manufacturing can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/manufacturing.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With more than 126,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$15.55 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2005. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
About AspenTech
AspenTech provides industry-leading software and professional services that help process companies improve efficiency and profitability by enabling them to model, manage and control their operations. AspenTech’s integrated aspenONE™ solutions are aligned with the key industry business processes, providing manufacturers the capabilities they need to optimize operational performance, make real-time decisions and synchronize the plant and supply chain. Over 1,500 leading companies already rely on AspenTech’s software, including Bayer, BASF, BP, Chevron Corporation, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Fluor, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, Shell, and Total. For more information, visit
www.aspentech.com.
About Dassault Systèmes
As world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, the Dassault Systèmes group brings value to more than 80,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire life cycle of products from conception to maintenance. Our offering includes integrated PLM solutions for product development (CATIA®, DELMIA®, ENOVIA®, SMARTEAM®), mainstream 3D design tools (SolidWorks®), and 3D components (Spatial/ACIS®). Dassault Systèmes is listed on the Nasdaq (DASTY) and Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) stock exchanges. For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com
About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended Oct. 31, 2005, HP revenue totaled $86.7 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.
About ICONICS
ICONICS is a leader of OPC, Web-enabled, HMI/SCADA and Manufacturing Intelligence software for all Microsoft Windows® operating systems. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner of the Year for Technology and Innovation within Business Intelligence, ICONICS designs its solutions from the ground up to take maximum advantage of Microsoft .NET technology, offering an unprecedented level of performance and ease of use. ICONICS' solutions provide real-time manufacturing intelligence from the production floor to the boardroom, turning data into your competitive advantage. ICONICS' out-of-the-box, OPC-To-The-Core™ solutions can improve productivity, reduce integration and operating costs, and optimize your asset utilization. The BizViz™ Manufacturing Intelligence suite enables manufacturers to overcome business challenges with personalized role-based dashboards, configurable key performance indicators, on-demand reporting and real-time alert notification. With more than 250,000 installations worldwide and servicing 70 percent of Fortune 500 manufacturers, ICONICS' award-winning software products are being used in a wide variety of applications across many industries. For more information, or to get a free development CD, please visit www.iconics.com.
About Intel
Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products.
Intel changed in the last years from a Microprocessor Company to a Platform – Solution Company: Intel's role is driving innovation with Intel´s next-generation, power-optimized micro-architecture for future digital home, enterprise, mobile and emerging market platforms -- and low-power products that will enable a new category of converged consumer devices. Intel will deliver 'factor of 10' breakthroughs to a variety of platforms that can reduce energy consumption tenfold or bring 10 times the performance of today's products. At the same time, Intel innovation will continue to deliver unique digital enterprise, home, office and mobile features, such as greater manageability, security and virtualization, along with an increasing capability to manage and view digital content.
Intel announced that forthcoming lower-power products will lead to a new category of ultra energy-efficient "Handtop PC" devices that provide a converged communication and PC-like experience but require less than a watt of processing power and weigh under a pound.
Intersecting Innovation and Needs - From Car Batteries to Better Manageability Emphasizing Intel's strategy to deliver ground-breaking platforms tailored for the digital home, enterprise and developing countries.
Intel is also working closely with the emerging digital entertainment industry to spur innovation in the home, including PC and CE devices that work together effortlessly and deliver the latest online content services for anytime, anywhere access. Specifically, Intel is developing a platform and related technologies to power these PC and CE devices, as well as working with the entertainment and computing industries on interoperability standards and digitizing content.
The introduction of Intel Viiv technology today marks an effort by Intel to enable a broad choice of entertainment and information from around the world so that consumers can more easily download, view, manage, store and enjoy their content anytime and on a variety of devices. Systems based on Intel Viiv technology are available today from various computer manufacturers.
Intel, NetBurst, Pentium and Intel Pentium are marks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. * Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
About Meridio
Meridio is an innovative software company, operational in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific. We develop industry leading Electronic Document and Records Management (EDRM) software exclusively for Microsoft platforms. Meridio solutions are designed to transparently integrate with Microsoft Office System products and allow enterprises to implement state-of-the-art EDRM with minimal additional infrastructure costs and training. www.meridio.com
About Panorama Software
Panorama Software helps global organizations unlock the hidden value of their information assets to improve business performance and results. Panorama extends the Microsoft Platform through integrated business intelligence and corporate performance management solutions. With Panorama, decision makers at all levels and functions can easily analyze data, quickly create and distribute reports, and proactively measure performance. Companies gain a greater understanding of their business and make better decisions. These informed decisions improve profitability, increase revenues, reduce costs and time to market and mitigate competitive risks.
Panorama, a leading innovator of business intelligence solutions, supports customers worldwide in industries such as financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, telecommunications and life sciences. Panorama has more than 250 partners in 30 countries, and maintains offices throughout North America and EMEA. More information is available at www.panorama.com.
About OPC Foundation
The OPC Foundation is dedicated to ensuring interoperability in automation by creating and maintaining open specifications that standardize the communication of acquired process data, alarm and event records, historical data, and batch data to multi-vendor enterprise systems and between production devices. Production devices include sensors, instruments, PLCs, RTUs, DCSs, HMIs, historians, trending subsystems, alarm subsystems, and more as used in the process industry, manufacturing, and in acquiring and transporting oil, gas, and minerals. www.opcfoundation.org
About OSIsoft
OSIsoft delivers performance management software to the world’s leading process manufacturing, life sciences, and utility companies — anywhere real-time operational metrics fuel performance. With more than 10,000 installations worldwide, OSIsoft’s real-time data platform crosses IT and process boundaries to incorporate and display operational information. Providing comprehensive visibility into operations, the OSIsoft platform unlocks the potential for timely analysis and the ability to make critical, informed and profitable decisions.
Founded in 1980, OSIsoft, Inc. is headquartered in San Leandro, Calif., with operations worldwide and is privately-held. www.osisoft.com
About Reynolds and Reynolds
Reynolds and Reynolds (www.reyrey.com) is a dealer services provider. Reynolds helps dealers and car companies improve their retail operations and profitability.
Since 1927, Reynolds' core competence has been to understand the automotive retail business and its challenges and opportunities. Today, Reynolds provides an integrated portfolio of services, tools, and information management solutions that deliver measurable business value, including Dealer Management Systems (DMS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions.
In the U.S. and Canada, Reynolds is the leading DMS provider. Its international DMS solution, incadea®, serves a growing community of over 14,000 users at dealerships in more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia. incadea is built on Microsoft Windows® and Microsoft Dynamics™ Nav, formerly Microsoft® Business Solutions-Navision®, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
Reynolds continues to make significant investments to strengthen its global presence and expand its dealer services solutions portfolio.
About Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D)
The Siemens Automation and Drives Group (A&D), Nuremberg, Germany, is the leading manufacturer in this field worldwide. Products supplied by A&D include standard products for the manufacturing and process industries and for the electrical installation industry as well as system solutions, for example for machine tools, and solutions for whole industries such as the automation of entire automobile factories or chemical plants. Supplementing this range of products and services, A&D also offers software for linking production and management (horizontal and vertical IT integration) and for optimizing production processes. A&D employs 60,800 people worldwide and in fiscal year 2005 (to September 30) earned a group profit of €1,210 million on sales of €9,844 million and orders of €10,190 million. www.siemens.com/automation. Within A&D´s product range, SIMATIC IT is the software platform for managing integration of shop floor with the business level.
About TXT e-solutions
TXT e-solutions leads the European market in solutions - software packages, services and consulting - for demand & supply chain management and for content management.
TXT is highly specialized for the main industrial and retail markets. Amongst these: Fashion, Food&Beverage, CPG, Retail, Discrete Manufacturing, Aerospace&Defence, Telco
Listed on the TechStar and Allstars section of the Milan Stock Exchange (TXTS), it has a staff of over 500 professionals. It is based in Milan and has offices in Italy, France, Germany, UK and Spain.
www.txtgroup.com
About Wonderware
Wonderware, business unit of Invensys Systems, Inc., is the world’s leading supplier of industrial automation and information software. Founded in 1987, Wonderware pioneered the use of the Microsoft Windows operating system in HMI automation software for manufacturing operation systems. Wonderware software powers intelligent plant decisions in real time. The hallmark of the ArchestrA architecture is: “Every system in your plant, working in concert.”
Based in Lake Forest, Calif., the Wonderware has regional sales and development offices throughout the North American, European, Latin American and Asia-Pacific regions to provide support to its network of more than 160 distributor offices. Wonderware has sold in over 100,000 plant sites worldwide, which is about 30 percent of the world’s 335,000 plants with 20 or more employees. For more information, visit www.wonderware.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.
About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft employs more than 12,000 people in over 55 subsidiaries, delivering products and services in more than 139 countries and territories.
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