Federation Provides Technology for Lockheed Martin's JSF Program

Business Wire, Dec 11, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2001

Federation(R), Inc. today announced that Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has contracted for the next phase of implementation of Federation's GCR (Global Content Repository).

Upon completion, Federation's GCR will enable Lockheed Martin to "intelligently federate" product content between its partners and suppliers.

The Global Content Repository, an end-to-end infrastructure to manage product information across distributed sites, enables collaboration within the multi-site enterprise and across the supply chain, thereby reducing costs, improving quality and reducing time-to-market. On large and complex projects, like the Joint Strike Fighter, this can mean significant savings in engineering time, scrap, rework and overhead.

The Global Content Repository is a software system that operates behind the scenes feeding up-to-date product content from remote sites into local application repositories at regular intervals set by user-established rules. Users can then access this information at local access speed through their native applications.

"The Joint Strike Fighter is an example of one of many programs which could benefit from the GCR," states John Gebhardt, Senior Manager of Enterprise Architecture at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. Mr. Gebhardt continues: "We see great potential in having the ability to localize the content while providing enterprise-wide access to partners and suppliers through a virtual distributed repository. Because each of our partner companies have invested heavily in their own IT infrastructure and tools, which are specific to their particular business processes, it is important to leverage these investments. Federation's GCR accomplishes this by providing replication between databases independent of software technology."

"We are very pleased to have Lockheed Martin as a partner," said Andrew J. Lukes, president and CEO of Federation.

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin has revenues in excess of $25 billion and employs approximately 130,000 people. Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics and technology services.

On Oct. 26, 2001, Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, was awarded a $18.9 billion contract to begin development of the JSF for the United States and United Kingdom. Twenty-two aircraft will be built during the initial System Development and Demonstration phase, with the planned procurement of more than 3,000 JSFs over the program's 27-year span. Visit Lockheed Martin at www.lockheedmartin.com.

About Federation, Inc.

Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, Federation develops software for global manufacturing organizations seeking to improve the product development process. This new enterprise application software facilitates the seamless flow of all design and product information as it is created or revised between all partners in the design and manufacturing process in global multi-site enterprises, as well as in online communities of OEMs and their suppliers. Federation is the only company providing a vendor neutral solution to the manufacturing community. Visit Federation at www.federationweb.com.