Advanced Automation Associates Embraces Siemens MES Platform; Partnership will Leverage A3's System Integration Experience and Siemens' Simatic IT Manufacturing Execution System Platform

Business Wire, Oct 24, 2005

EXTON, Pa. -- Advanced Automation Associates, Inc. (A3), one of the nation's largest independent manufacturing control system integrators and providers of manufacturing support solutions, has signed a partnership agreement with Siemens to develop and deploy cutting-edge manufacturing IT solutions using Siemens' Simatic IT Manufacturing Execution System (MES) framework.

As a Simatic IT Partner, A3 will provide Manufacturing Execution System solutions in multiple vertical industries, including food and beverage, metals, pharmaceuticals, printing, and specialty chemicals. With manufacturing solutions based on Siemens' Simatic IT, Advanced Automation Associates will enable its manufacturing clients to optimize their production processes while achieving seamless information integration between the shop-floor and the enterprise systems.

"In 2005 we conducted an exhaustive analysis of available MES technologies and determined that the Siemens SIMATIC IT framework offered the best return on investment for our clients," said Robert Zeigenfuse, president of Advanced Automation. "The versatile, Simatic IT framework allows us to integrate the modular functionality of a powerful MES system one module at a time", he continued, "enabling our clients to improve their manufacturing systems at their own pace."

Simatic IT is fully compliant with ISA-95, the international standard for MES. Simatic IT's modular, graphical, and standard-based approach increases the flexibility and scalability of an MES solution while reducing its Total Cost of Ownership. More information is available at: www.siemens.com/simatic-it.> "Equally important," emphasized Zeigenfuse, "is the fact that Siemens, a world leader in the delivery of manufacturing automation hardware, software, and services, has identified our company as a sound business partner."

Advanced Automation Associates (A3), Exton, PA, has for more than two decades provided manufacturing technology solutions and services to the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, specialty chemical, metals, and printing industries. It is one of the largest independent control system integrators in North America, and has been an industry leader in the successful design, deployment, and implementation of control automation systems, data interoperability and visibility solutions, manufacturing execution software, turnkey project management, and maintenance support services. The company is located in Exton, PA.

The Siemens Automation and Drives Group (A&D), Nuremberg, Germany, is the leading manufacturer in this field worldwide. Products supplied by A&D include standard products for the manufacturing and process industries and for the electrical installation industry as well as system solutions, for example, for machine tools, and solutions for whole industries, such as the automation of entire automobile factories or chemical plants. Supplementing this range of products and services, A&D also offers software for linking production and management (horizontal and vertical IT integration) and for optimizing production processes. A&D employs 51,800 people worldwide and in fiscal year 2004 (to September 30) earned a group profit of EUR 1.077 billion on sales of EUR 8.829 billion and orders of EUR 8.980 billion (figures preliminary and unaudited).

(C) 2005 Advanced Automation Associates, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Business Wire

COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning