GE Fanuc, MESA Int'l head webcast on value of continuous improvement methods

• Partners with customer Toray Plastics to show how ISA-95-based methodologies accelerate implementation and lower life cycle costs.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, Nov. 17, 2006 -- GE Fanuc Automation, a unit of GE Industrial, recently participated in a web cast with Toray Plastics and MESA International entitled, "ISA-95 Accelerates Implementation and Lowers Lifecycle Costs." The web cast is part of a series of events sponsored by MESA's Technical Committee.

"Manufacturers are beginning to utilize the manufacturing operations activity models of ISA-95 Part 3 to build requests for proposal (RFP), functional requirement specifications (FRS) and project management plans," said Greg Gorbach, Vice President of Collaborative Manufacturing for ARC Advisory Group who moderated the event. "It potentially saves time and money compared to reinventing the wheel each time."

Charlie Gifford, GE Fanuc's Director of Lean Production Management and a recognized leader in the area of industry standards, added, "For customers, ISA-95 promises to lower the lifecycle cost of B2M interfaces and manufacturing operations applications. This standard practically addresses the construction of a flexible application framework to optimize interoperability."

The ISA-95 evolving methodologies are explained in context of the ISA-95 Manufacturing Application Framework (MAF) that is being published this month in the ISA-95 Best Practices Book 1.0, which is the result of the ISA-95 Best Practices Working Group. Gifford is the chairman of the working group and the author of the MAF.

The web cast explains how the learning process a company like Toray Plastics has to go through to apply ISA-95 methods in the operations management systems. The three-stage learning process is explained:
• Stage 1. "Why" of ISA-95 Business Case
• Stage 2. "How" ISA-95 constructs the MAF
• Stage 3. "How to" migrate from "AS IS" and maintain the MAF throughout organization, systems, interfaces, metrics, events, and reports.

Don Cormier, Director of Information & Quality Systems for Toray Plastics, also participated in the web cast discussing how his company makes use of the ISA-95 standard and methodologies. He shared Toray's experience in applying ISA-95 methods to establish a company-wide integrated MES.

Toray Plastics has been able to achieve project ROI before implementation by mapping out workflow best practices across their plants to an ISA-95 Functional Requirement and then implementing workflow best practices into those plants with similar common requirements -- all prior to system implementation. According to Cormier, "Using ISA-95 methods have streamlined our MES requirements gathering, selection process, and design process to reduce the implementation by six to 12 months."

A playback of the "ISA-95 Accelerates Implementation and Lowers Lifecycle Costs" webcast can be downloaded at: http://207.5.17.204/education_center/ISA95aug2006.asp.

GE Fanuc Automation (www.gefanuc.com), a joint venture between GE and FANUC LTD of Japan, delivers automation hardware and software designed to help users reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance profitability. With solutions and services catering to virtually every industrial segment, GE Fanuc Automation provides a diverse array of capabilities and products, including controllers, embedded systems, advanced software, motion control, CNCs, operator interfaces, industrial computers, and lasers. Headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, GE Fanuc Automation is a part of GE Industrial and combines the diverse global strengths of the GE family with the local presence customers need to design, develop and maintain their automation investments.

###