EPM and ProSTEP establish strategic alliance for collaborative solutions

Oslo, Norway and Darmstadt, Germany – June 8, 2001

EPM Technology AS and ProSTEP GmbH have announced a strategic alliance to support manufacturers in deploying STEP and other data exchange standards to increase interoperability for data exchange and sharing between cust-omers, partners and suppliers in both design and life cycle processes. Tracked down in London, at the recent e-Business for Industry conference, Kjell Bengtsson, EPMT's VP Marketing, provided more insight into the importance of this alliance.

Editor: "What is this strategic alliance?"

KB: "The EPMT and ProSTEP alliance includes the best from technology and services required to seamlessly inte-grating product and configuration management information systems like CAE, PDM, CPC, ERP and trade exchange applications".

Ed: "Has anybody actually done this with any degree of success?"

KB: "Yes, certainly. One major automotive supplier for example, in their PTC/Windchill implementation, have chosen to support the ISO/STEP PDM data model. Within this process, ProSTEP consultants have successfully deployed EPM's EXPRESS Data Manager to obtain a high-quality, robust and scalable STEP solution to provide seamless inter-operability between applications."

Editor: "Why is an alliance so important?"

KB: "While customers are reporting high figures in cost savings, we need to support both large and medium-sized organizations within auto-motive, defense, shipping, process, high-technology, facility management and more."

Kjell Bengtsson, Vice President, Marketing & Sales, EPM Technology

Ed: "Why ProSTEP?"

KB: "We consider ProSTEP to be Europe's leading implementer for Product Data Technology, and is therefore the ideal partner for EPM. Our alliance with ProSTEP will enable us to announce very soon, more new products that will be powered by the EXPRESS Data Manager repository."

Ed: "Why do you think ProSTEP chose EPM"

KB: "EPM has a reputation for quality products in a world-wide market, and ProSTEP's Vice President, Dr. Rainer Bugow, is satisfied that EPMs world-class product EXPRESS Data Manager has proven to be very advanced and reliable. Therefore ProSTEP have the confidence to use it both for the quality process within the STEP Implementers' forum as well as in customers implementation projects."

Ed: "Thank you Mr Bengtsson."

Prostep: http://www.prostep.com/de/