Spellman Puts a New Charge into Manufacturing Operations; Selects Apriso for Quality, Continuous Improvement Initiatives

Manufacturer looks to standardize operations processes across locations, as part of its Lean and Continuous Improvement programs; best practices to be distributed globally across enterprise  

(LONG BEACH, CA – March 13, 2008) – Apriso, a provider of adaptive software solutions for global manufacturing operations management, today announced Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation has selected Apriso FlexNet® to enhance real-time visibility and control over shop floor operations; to help identify and distribute ‘best-practice’ processes across the enterprise; and to support the firm’s Lean and Continuous Improvement initiatives.

Having already set the standard for excellence in the design and manufacturing of high voltage power supplies, Spellman’s challenge was how to further enhance their Lean and Continuous Improvement programs to include processes spanning across operational ‘silos’, such as those impacting production, quality, inventory management and their supply chain, as well as ensuring best processes are globally standardized.

“With FlexNet, our plan is to enhance visibility so we’re better able to adapt operations, letting us more efficiently respond to changing customer requirements without disrupting operations or sacrificing quality,” commented Mitch Alexander, CIO, Spellman.  “In the end, we selected Apriso as a solution provider that could provide  global visibility down to the shop floor, helping us identify which processes are indeed a ‘best practice’, which we will then globally distribute.”

When Spellman initially embraced their Lean and Continuous Improvement philosophies, first steps produced substantial improvements.  Over time, however, the challenge is how to continue performance improvements while ensuring benefits are sustained.  Deploying Apriso FlexNet as part of their Continuous Improvement program will help ensure their business processes:

• Are easily updated – as often as needed – to continue to improve performance
• May be wide in scope – spanning multiple areas of manufacturing operations, such as quality control and inventory management
• Can be standardized – as part of a ‘Core’ implementation approach – to then be consistently distributed to multiple plant locations
• Are automated – helping ensure benefits remain in place

Spellman recognizes the importance of monitoring and continually improving operations processes spanning multiple functions and geographic regions, beyond just on the plant floor.  This expanded functionality was a contributing factor to their selection of Apriso FlexNet as their manufacturing operations management solution. 

“Lean and Six Sigma programs have clearly proven their value on the plant floor.  But, this area represents only 20% of the cost of goods sold for a typical manufacturer.  The rest resides in the form of purchased materials and capital tied-up in inventories spread throughout complex supply chains.  Leaders in CI program management recognize this opportunity and are applying continuous improvement to their extended enterprise,” wrote Ralph Rio, Research Director Enterprise Software, ARC Advisory Group, in his ARC Insights: Lean Manufacturing beyond the Plant Floor and into the Extended Enterprise, published March 29, 2007.

“Simply having an extended vision isn’t enough to implement and maintain continually improving processes,” stated Jim Henderson, CEO and president, Apriso.  “You must be able to easily change processes, test those changes and compare performance to measure which processes are truly a ‘best practice’.  Spellman can achieve this functionality with our FlexNet solution.”

About Spellman
Spellman High Voltage Electronics, celebrating its 61st year of operations, is the world’s leading independent manufacturer of high voltage DC power supplies, Monoblock® X-ray generators and power systems for medical and industrial applications, semiconductor manufacturing, scientific instrumentation, telecommunications, X-ray and automatic test equipment. Spellman High Voltage offers a broad line of standard products and specializes in providing custom designs to suit unique requirements. Spellman is headquartered in the U.S. and has facilities in the U.K., Japan, China, and Mexico that provide design, manufacturing, and service to customers throughout the world.

For additional information on Spellman products and services, contact Spellman High Voltage at (631) 630-3000, or visit the Spellman website: www.spellmanhv.com.

About Apriso
Apriso Corporation is a software company dedicated to providing competitive advantage for its customers.  It does so by enabling organizations to adapt quickly and easily to market changes and unexpected events.  Apriso’s FlexNet platform provides visibility, adaptability and real-time control of manufacturing operations across the enterprise and supply chain network.  This is accomplished by integrating planning, execution and control, increasing operational efficiency and eliminating errors in the production process.  Apriso serves more than 160 customers in 40 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia, powering more than 600 installations worldwide. Its customers include General Motors, Lear, Honeywell, Microsoft, L'Oreal, Trixell, Lockheed Martin, Becton Dickinson, Rubbermaid, Saint-Gobain, Novelis and Essilor.  For more information, please go to www.apriso.com.

Apriso and FlexNet are registered trademarks of Apriso Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.