Japan update

The Plant CALS project was started in 1996 and aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Japanese process plants. The project involves verification tests of electronic commerce systems as well as research activities on data exchange and sharing in the process plant industry. Toshiba, as a new user of EXPRESS Data Manager, is one of the participants in the Plant CALS Project, together with several other large corporations.

Plant CALS is part of the Nippon CALS Research Partnership (NCALS), presently doing research on data exchange and sharing in the field of process plants.

The ship classification society ClassNK is another Japanese user of EXPRESS Data Manager. ClassNK, or Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, has more than 6,500 ships under class. This represents approximately 20 per cent of the world's merchant fleet.

The Tokyo based IHI also uses EXPRESS Data Manager in their research and development activities. IHI, or Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., was established in 1853 as a shipyard. Today, IHI is a major constructor of machinery, ships, offshore installations, aerospace equipment, propulsion systems for rockets and satellites, bridges ó such as the second Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, and much more.

CALS = Continuous Acquisition & Life-cycle Support