SofTech, Inc. News
Workgroup Technology Collaborative PDM Implementation Expanded at Medrad
ProductCenter™ Targeted to Provide Additional Efficiency Gains with ProductCenter™ AutoCAD Integrator and ProductCenter™ GenViewBURLINGTON, Mass., July 23, 2002 — Workgroup Technology Corporation (WTC) (NASDAQ: WKGP), a leading provider of collaborative product data management (PDM), today announced that Medrad, a leading medical device manufacturer, has purchased WTC's latest release, ProductCenter™ 8.1, to utilize the newest technology. Medrad, a WTC customer since 1995, has also expanded its ProductCenter implementation to gain additional efficiencies through the licensing of ProductCenter™ GenView™ and ProductCenter™ AutoCAD Integrator products.
"Our systems were well automated and in control with ProductCenter before," states Paul Kwiecinski, Medrad information technology project manager. "But this new release introduces significant new features, such as electronic signatures, date and time stamps, and transaction logging. This provides additional automation, traceability, and security required at critical regulatory junctures, such as pre-market approval or at audit, and will further expedite time-to-market. We are expecting to achieve a savings of seven minutes per document added or revised, equivalent to eleven person months per year."
Medrad will use ProductCenter™ Workflow to route documents and approvals. The company uses WTC's ProductCenter™ Pro/Engineer Integrator, and recently purchased the ProductCenter AutoCAD Integrator. These integrators let users view, control, modify, and launch drawings and documents for review, and track status, accessing advanced collaborative PDM capability from within their familiar design environment. ProductCenter GenView, in turn, automates the generation of viewable files of drawings and other associated product data. This lets users enterprise-wide securely access critical product data on any platform, while up-to-date links to master documents in ProductCenter are maintained.
"There are many new ease-of-use features in ProductCenter 8.1. Enhanced search, Named Links for flexibility in establishing data relationships, and the Hierarchy Explorer's simplified user interface for managing configurations, to name just a few, are a big boost to user convenience and productivity," adds Kwiecinski. "We also like that the ProductCenter Integrator lets you automatically populate ProductCenter attributes directly from AutoCAD or Pro/E, eliminating time-consuming data re-entry for improved accuracy. All in all, it's a very comprehensive release. We expect to reap considerable cost savings and a very quick return on investment on these WTC products."
About Workgroup Technology Corporation
Workgroup Technology Corporation (WTC) develops, markets and supports ProductCenter™, a web-enabled, extended enterprise Collaborative Product Data Management (PDM) solution that provides document management, design integration, configuration control, change management, and enterprise integration for optimizing product development. Based in Burlington, Massachusetts, the company differentiates itself on the basis of its controlled and secure accessibility, enterprise integration, and quick adaptability of its software. Thousands of users at mid-sized and global companies are in production and benefit from WTC products, including ABB, Inc.; Baker Oil Tools; Eaton Corporation; FlightSafety International; General Electric Company; Goodrich Turbine Fuel Technologies; Honeywell; Millipore Corporation; Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc.; U.S. Army; and Whirlpool Corporation. The company's Web site is located at www.workgroup.com.
About Medrad
Medrad, Inc. is a worldwide leading provider of medical devices and services that enable and enhance imaging procedures of the human body. Used in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging, Medrad's product offerings include a comprehensive line of vascular injection systems, magnetic resonance (MR) surface coils and accessory products, and interventional guidance equipment. Total 2001 revenues were over $217 million. The company's headquarters and main manufacturing facility are located in Indianola, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. For more information, visit Medrad's website at www.medrad.com.
WTC, the WTC logo, ProductCenter, myPDM, GenView and WebLink are trademarks or registered trademarks of Workgroup Technology Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other brands, logos, products or company names are the copyrights and/or trademarks of their respective holders.
