| WESTBROOK, CT and ALPHARETTA,
GA - July 7, 2004 – Axiom Systems, Inc.,
an IBM Business Partner, today announced that The
Lee Company, a pioneer in the development of miniature
precision fluid control components, has implemented
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) from IBM to streamline
the product development process between engineering,
manufacturing, sales and quality assurance departments.
Founded in 1948, The Lee Company is a small business
with big aspirations. Looking to replace its aging
technical document management tool with a more robust
PLM environment, The Lee Company looked at several
applications, but chose SMARTEAM from IBM for its
seamless integration with multiple computer aided
design tools and Microsoft® Office, ease of implementation
and out-of-the-box workflow management. The implementation
was completed in less than four weeks with installation,
configuration and training services provided by Axiom
Systems.
"Using SMARTEAM's workflow capabilities, our goal
is to replace processes handled through inter-office
memos and e-mails with SMARTEAM-based processes that
ensure proper audit trails and provide better status
on the progress of various projects," said Serge Doyen,
vice president, Industrial Micro Hydraulics division,
The Lee Company. "This has enabled us to automate
more documentation processes and include more people
in the approval cycle for a lower cost."
Today, over 30 engineers, sales and marketing employees
have access to the SMARTEAM environment, which facilitates
more collaboration and discussion on product design
to meet customer requirements. In addition, the use
of SMARTEAM's Web Editor product has been implemented
on the manufacturing floor to provide searchable access
to the latest design data, including inspection reports,
to the shop floor staff. The sharing of this data
has already reduced errors and has helped to streamline
their problem-reporting process, resulting in time
savings.
"One of the great benefits of the SMARTEAM solution
is that it's possible to implement a robust solution
so quickly," said Chuck Stickels, Vice President of
Enterprise Solutions for Axiom Systems. "Working with
The Lee Company's team, we were able to configure
SMARTEAM to meet their needs with very little effort."
Future capabilities to be deployed include SMARTEAM
Gateway to seamlessly link ERP with engineering and
BOM management as well as configuration control. Synchronizing
the two systems will ensure consistent information
and eliminate errors. These will allow The Lee Company
to greater leverage its engineering intellectual capital
and increase its responsiveness to customer demands.
About The Lee Company
Since our founding in 1948, The Lee Company's goal
has been clear -- engineer innovative products that
meet our customers' design challenges efficiently
and economically. We continue to set the standards
for fluid control components through designs and products
developed at our Technical Centers in Essex and Westbrook,
Connecticut.
Driven by a commitment to technology, our ongoing
engineering, research, and development activities
create new products and identify Lee as a company
continually advancing the technology of miniature
fluid control components.
About Axiom Systems
Axiom Systems, founded in 1994, is an Enterprise Technology
Company providing solutions and services to address
the engineering and manufacturing enterprise. With
a focus on software used to manage the creation of
new products, Axiom Systems provides deployment services
for its customers, including business process analysis,
systems integration, software customization and project
management services. For more information, please
visit the company's website at
www.axiomsys.com
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology
company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses
innovate. IBM Sales & Distribution, which supports
more than a dozen key industries worldwide, works
with companies of all sizes around the world to deploy
the full range of IBM technologies. The fastest way
to get more information about IBM is through the IBM
home page at
www.ibm.com
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