Aegis Analytical Announces Agreement With TCS for Discoverant Implementation Services.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

LAFAYETTE, Colo.--(BW HealthWire)--April 24, 2001

Aegis Analytical Corporation today announced the signing of an agreement with TATA Consultancy Services (TCS), one of the world's largest IT and strategy consulting firms.

Under the agreement, TCS will provide data modeling and implementation services for Aegis' Discoverant(R) Manufacturing Informatics(R) software system used by process manufacturers to improve regulatory compliance, and to increase yield and quality. TCS will also provide software engineering support for client site-specific work.

"We are expecting continued strong demand for our Discoverant software system from pharmaceutical and other process manufacturers worldwide. TCS has the skill sets and bench strength to expand our implementation capabilities to meet this demand," said Gretchen L. Jahn, President and CEO of Aegis. "TCS has significant worldwide presence and they are well known for providing software integration services. This agreement assures our customers of our ongoing commitment to the highest level of implementation quality."

TCS has over 17,000 employees worldwide, with a variety of software skill sets, and has met the stringent requirements of ISO 9001 certification. The company can bring together a team of highly qualified individuals as necessary to meet the needs of the most demanding software project. The partnership between Aegis and TCS will promote successful implementations of Discoverant by fielding a qualified team of experts with the necessary backgrounds in data modeling, manufacturing systems, database design, statistics, and operating systems.

"TATA Consultancy Services offers a dynamic blend of strategy consulting and system integration services to help organizations architect and build their businesses in the eEconomy," said Sudhakar Gudala, Regional Manager for TCS. "This agreement allows us to leverage our deep expertise in implementation services in collaboration with Aegis to meet the demanding needs of manufacturing companies." TCS is the fourth-fastest-growing consultancy in the U.S. and the sixth-fastest-growing worldwide.

Aegis developed the Discoverant software system in collaboration with Aventis and other leading pharmaceutical companies. The system allows improved FDA compliance and boosts manufacturing yield and quality by leveraging existing data gathering and process control systems. Discoverant is a single point of direct access to LIMS, MES, EBR, SCADA, DCS, and ERP, etc. databases with integrated analysis and visualization capabilities. These capabilities allow manufacturing professionals to find and control their key process drivers throughout the manufacturing process. Its built-in proprietary data modeling technology is integrated with Aegis' patented animated Visual Process Signatures(R) technology to see and report complex process parameter interactions that drive process outcomes. The large positive bottom-line impact of Discoverant begins to show early during implementation and get increasingly larger as more manufacturing data becomes available for analysis through the modeling and mapping procedure.

About Aegis Analytical Corporation

Aegis Analytical Corporation is the leading provider of Manufacturing Informatics(R) software systems for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, natural products, specialty chemical and medical device manufacturers. Customers use Aegis' Discoverant(R) software system to dramatically improve the profitability and stability of their manufacturing processes. Discoverant is an innovative integration of data access, analysis and visualization technology that enables, for the first time, direct interactive access and analysis of manufacturing data in many data sources scattered across the enterprise. More information about Aegis Analytical Corporation can be found at http://www.aegiscorp.com.

About TCS

TCS is a TATA group company executing innovative projects for over 800 clients across 50 countries. With in-depth knowledge of the Internet economy and over 60,000 person years of experience, TCS provides end-to-end solutions in diverse business areas and technology domains delivering measurable business results to clients. SEI CMM Level 5 status, the knowledge and expertise of over 15,000 consultants, and proven offshore capabilities strengthen the TCS value proposition as a global delivery center of choice for many Global Fortune 500 companies. More information about TCS can be found at http://www.tcs.com.

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