Adra Systems' Matrix selected by Electricite de France as PDM solution to technical data management requirements; Matrix to manage information and work processes for National Power Company of France, the world's largest exporter of electricity.

CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 23, 1996--Adra Systems, Inc., announced today that Electricite de France (EDF), the national power company of France, has chosen Matrix, Adra's object-oriented PDM (product data management) software, to design a prototype intended to manage the large-scale information management needs of its nuclear power plant in Paluel, Normandy.

"Adra is pleased that Electricite de France has selected Matrix," said William T. Mason, president and CEO of Adra Systems, Inc. "EDF is the second-largest producer of electricity in the world. Their choice of Matrix is testimony to its outstanding ability to manage complex work processes and large amounts of information."

"We were looking for a system that could provide reliable access to the two or three million data objects that make up a nuclear power plant," explained Nicolas Bielski, research engineer for EDF. "The search was an extraordinarily complex undertaking in which we reviewed the capabilities of many products and determined that Matrix presented the best model.

"We chose the Matrix system because we needed data consistency," added Bielski. "In a nuclear power plant, each person requires access to the same information, which resides in many different sources including documents CAD drawings, and databases. Matrix and its object-oriented approach provides unique instances of information. This is a big advantage of Matrix and is instrumental to achieving true data consistency."

Matrix allows users to track the history of each piece of information: who signed off on it; who enhanced it; and who modified it. Said Bielsky, "The ability of Matrix to manage a detailed history for each document is compliant with the regulatory mandates of the French government, whose reporting requirements request specific information about each document's lifecycle." Additionally, this capability supports companies' tracking and security measures. At each step of a work process, users can retrieve detailed technical, commercial and functional information for a specific component. Supervisors are able to redefine user rights and modify the workflow processes at any interval. "The documents of a nuclear power plant have a very strong workflow and lifecycle," said Bielski. "Matrix's tracking functions are essential to accurate reporting and our fundamental need for information consistency."

Matrix, the leading object-based PDM system, enables users to retrieve information through an easily understood graphical user interface. Matrix manages any type of information through the concept of "business objects," while sophisticated browsers and workflow tools allow users to manage the processes that govern these objects' lifecycles. Matrix is a cross-platform client/server solution that supports AIX(tm), Digital UNIX(tm), HP-UX(tm), Irix(tm), Solaris(tm), SunOS(tm), Microsoft(r), Windows(tm) version 3.1, Windows NT and Windows 95, Apple(r) Macintosh(tm) and Digital Alpha NT(tm).

"Ultimately, we plan to extend Matrix's use to between two- and four-hundred people," states Bielski. "I am confident that Matrix will meet our technical information management needs."

ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE

Electricite de France was founded in the late 1940s and since that time has been steadily engaged in developing and implementing new technology. In the 1960s, EDF embarked on an ambitious nuclear energy program designed to reduce France's dependence on external energy sources. Today France operates more than 50 pressurized water reactors and is second only to the United States in nuclear powered electricity generation. EDF is currently the world's largest exporter of electricity employing more than 118,000 people and serving 28 million customers.

ADRA SYSTEMS INC.

Adra Systems, Inc., based in Chelmsford, Mass., is dedicated to providing an information infrastructure for integrating people, information and business processes. Adra creates next-generation distributed information and process-management applications for managing and navigating through complex data and organizations. Adra's flagship product, Matrix, is an object-oriented product data management system focused on information lifecycle management. Additionally, Adra offers five CAD/CAM/CAE software solutions under the Cadra trade name: Cadra Design Drafting, Cadra Solids, Cadra NC, Cadra E and Cadra DM.

Adra serves some 1,600 customers in 20 countries, among them AT&T, Fujitsu, General Electric, Goodyear, Hyundai, Motorola, Polaroid, Toshiba, TRW, Volkswagen and Westinghouse. Information on Adra and its products is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.adra.com. -0-

Cadra is a registered trademark of Adra Systems, Inc. Cadra Design Drafting, Cadra Solids, Cadra DM and Cadra NC are trademarks of Adra Systems, Inc. All other brand names are recognized as trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

CONTACT: Adra Systems, Inc. Schwartz Communications

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