INFORMANCE INTRODUCES THE PERFORMANCE SCOREBOARD FOR "THE VISUAL FACTORY"

Real-time metrics delivered in a rich media environment for EMI applications.

REDWOOD CITY, CA — April 27, 2007 — Informance International, a leader in Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence (EMI) solutions, announces the release of The Informance Performance Scoreboard for manufacturing companies eager to accelerate improvement initiatives, drive operating strategies and obtain actionable insight for operational performance. Manufacturing facilities will now have broad shop-floor visibility to real-time operational metrics and performance in order to make fast, informed decisions and make production adjustments throughout the plant.

Informance Performance Scoreboard is a next generation EMI solution for the visual factory that blends real-time metrics, rich analytics and production alerts and notifications delivered on large format displays throughout the factory. With "up to the second" information, the plant floor workforce can now quickly see and respond to meaningful production and performance information. Up until recently, line and plant staff had to rely on end-of-day, -shift, or -week performance reporting on bulletin boards, white boards or delivered during meetings, creating a significant lag time to take corrective action.

Manufacturing companies that achieve the highest levels of productivity and quality find ways to involve the entire team, including those with the most immediate impact throughout the plant – the line workers. In "the visual factory", information flows in every direction, not just top to bottom, so that every team member can take improvement action. The Informance Performance Scoreboard is a breakthrough in delivering facility performance indicators. Now, every team member –line professionals, line managers, facility manager, and executives – will have the same constant, real-time intelligence on performance, including asset status, shift and line statistics, production, variances or numerous other available metrics. The solution is especially critical for the plant workforce, so that they can consistently focus their attention and effort where it will have the greatest impact at any given time. This concentrated focus throughout the facility helps to increase the effectiveness of lean and improvement initiatives and improves overall performance.

"Most people are visual learners and want to know the score, and manufacturing plant staff is no exception," comments Carol Ptak, Executive in Residence at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. "With Informance Performance Scoreboard, everyone in the plant can see, understand and make decisions based on what’s happening now, not yesterday or last week."

To illustrate the importance of real-time reporting of performance metrics, Informance recently published a benchmark study analyzing efficiency of best-in-class manufacturers compared to average and laggard companies. During the study, researchers found that best-in-class manufacturers and their workforce had greater visibility to key metrics and more frequent measurement of those metrics. As a result, best-in-class identified 99.5% of operating losses against their key performance metrics and have processes to quickly react to key performance indicators (KPIs) that deviate from acceptable levels. The researchers found that KPI reporting propagated throughout each plant enables a much more agile and proactive enterprise. To read the executive summary of this report, visit www.Informance.com/FoodPack.