November 10, 2009  |  imaginestics news release

Imaginestics and CCAT to create an online defense supply chain network

West Lafayette, Indiana, USA – Imaginestics announced today its collaboration with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) in developing the Supply Chain Manufacturing Network (SCMN), an online network for suppliers to the aerospace and defense sector. SCMN will leverage Imaginestics’ online industrial networking platform, VizSpace, to allow manufacturers in Connecticut to better connect to opportunities from air logistics depots. SCMN will allow the internal shops within the air logistics depots to connect via their VizSpace to search for parts and capabilities in SCMN’s network of small- and medium-sized manufacturers.

CCAT is a nonprofit corporation that offers services to businesses to help improve their efficiency and workforce development to make them more competitive in an increasingly technology-driven environment. CCAT serves a wide range of companies, but one of their missions is to address the needs of the civilian and military industrial manufacturing sectors by using technology to solve the problems particular to those companies.

As armed conflicts abroad continue, the defense and aerospace sectors have an increasing need for manufacturing support in the U.S. in the form of supply replenishment and equipment replacement and repair. The task of matching appropriate manufacturing companies to these defense opportunities often falls to organizations such as CCAT, to assist machine shops and manufacturers that are equipped to handle the unique requirements and capabilities of making parts for the military.

The network being developed by Imaginestics uses VizSpace as the platform to create a private online community in which the CCAT member manufacturers create individual VizSpaces to define their capabilities and profile information. Defense entities can then use Imaginestics’ patented shape search technology, VizSeek, to match their unique part manufacturing or repair requirements to a manufacturer that can meet their needs. In turn, manufacturing companies will be able receive notification of opportunities that match their capabilities from the air logistics depots, as inquiries are made.

The pilot project for this collaboration has been launched with the goal of reducing total cost of ownership of a part for the air logistics depot, which includes reduction in process time and part costs. Bob Torrani, Director of CCAT’s Manufacturing and Supply Chain Initiative, feels that this goal is “well within reach, given the difficulty that these entities face in working with such complex and hard-to-find parts and materials.”

He continues, “Our SCMN will give small manufacturers with limited marketing opportunities a chance to define their own capabilities and market themselves in a place where they can be certain that defense customers will be able to find them. SCMN will also bring appropriate opportunities directly to these manufacturers, saving them the time of sifting through an increasingly large database of opportunities by giving them the tools to be proactive.”

The network is scheduled to be online in January of 2010 with an initial group of 10 manufacturers and five internal machining shops from a participating air logistics depot.

Nainesh Rathod, CEO of Imaginestics is confident that the VizSpace network will prove to be “an invaluable tool to the both the defense industry and the U.S. manufacturing community. We specialize in translating customer requirements into supplier capabilities, which increases visibility and communication on both sides and results in time and product cost savings. We are particularly excited about this project, where we have the potential to greatly increase the readiness of our U.S. military by giving our manufacturing community the tools to respond to their needs in a timely and effective manner.”

About CCAT
The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. helps private and public entities to apply innovative tools and practices to increase efficiency, improve workforce development and boost competitiveness. CCAT functions as a unique economic development organization that combines expertise in cutting-edge technology with specialized centers of excellence in manufacturing, education, training, energy, and entrepreneurialism. Throughout these efforts, they promote partnership between industry, academia, and government to create a new collaborative framework for addressing 21st-century economic challenges.

About VizSeek
VizSeek is the leading developer of shape-based search technology. The company’s mission is to connect the world’s industrial users through online communities of interest, providing a catalyst for identifying business opportunities. VizSeek solutions are currently used by top government agencies and industrial leaders. VizSeek, a wholly owned subsidiary of Imaginestics, LLC, is a privately held company, headquartered at the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, Indiana. More information on VizSeek and its products is available at www.vizseek.com.