Datasweep Announces Support for Web Services.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 13, 2002

Open Integration Platform Extends Real-time Manufacturing Data

to Supply Chain Applications for Increased

Visibility and Reduced Operational Costs

Datasweep, Inc., the leader in Web-based Integrated Plant Systems, (IPS), today announced its support for Web services as part of its upcoming Advantage 5.1(TM) product suite, available August 31st, 2002. Datasweep's Web services architecture delivers platform-independent integration to help manufacturers share information and extend their business processes both within the enterprise and across customers, partners, and suppliers. Datasweep's XML Web services architecture will provide manufacturers with interoperability across platforms, devices, and applications to enable easier and more comprehensive collaboration. Manufacturers gain a robust framework for dynamic integration of Datasweep's mission critical manufacturing, quality, supplier performance and repair data with enterprise systems including ERP, PLM, APS and CRM to drive operational excellence.

Datasweep's Web-based suite already provides a critical backbone to manage the intersection of product design, plant operations and supply chain coordination. Now by allowing operations information to be moved in real time between systems, both inside and outside the enterprise, Datasweep enables manufacturers to:

-- Share work order, sales order, inventory and manufacturing data with their ERP system, to keep the order status up to date and inventory balances accurate.

-- Share unit-level "as-built" and "as-maintained" product information, as well as engineering change information with their PLM system, to ensure the product record is the single source of truth regarding all products at every stage of their lifecycle.

-- Share yield and quality data, supplier performance, and inventory activity information for efficient day-to-day manufacturing and supply chain planning.

-- Share test and quality information, as-maintained configurations, and RMA status with their CRM system to maximize customer satisfaction.

In today's economy, manufacturing companies are focusing on reducing their cost structures, improving product quality, and increasing customer satisfaction. Datasweep Advantage software is designed to meet these needs by streamlining manufacturing operations and increasing visibility into unit level product information to reduce cost of quality and repair, improve time-to-market and on-time delivery, and reduce inventory while complying with governmental regulatory requirements such as 21CFR Part 11. Now with Datasweep Web services, manufacturers gain a universal platform to extend this real-time data to ERP, PLM, APS, and CRM systems for visibility, collaboration and exception management throughout the entire product lifecycle and across the extended supply chain.

"As more leading manufacturers use the Internet to drive their business, our customers are moving away from tightly coupled, monolithic software suites to loosely coupled, dynamically bound applications. Datasweep's Web services provides our customers with easier coordination of information and processes to reduce operational costs," said Kevin Chao, vice president of engineering of Datasweep. "Datasweep already leads the market with open standards Web-centric technology. By supporting Web services, we will continue to provide customers with a lower total cost of ownership."

How It Works

Datasweep Web services provide a unit of managed code that can be remotely invoked using HTTP requests. Datasweep XML Web services use standard HTTP to link together disparate systems and applications for true language and platform integration. Datasweep services relies on XML as a language for tagging data; Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) for transferring data and Web Services Description Language (WSDL) for describing the services available. Datasweep customers gain "dynamic integration" -- the ability to integrate new applications with one another without time-consuming custom coding -- between suppliers, partners and customers. Customers can also integrate systems within the enterprise, to more closely link units or divisions that utilize disparate systems.

About Datasweep

Datasweep develops and markets Web-based Integrated Plant Systems (IPS) incorporating manufacturing execution, quality assurance, repair and business intelligence applications. Global manufacturers and their supply chain partners use Datasweep Advantage software to leverage the Internet to improve delivery and quality while reducing cost and inventory throughout the product lifecycle. Customers include General Electric (GE), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Lucent (LU), Flextronics International, Ltd. (FLEX), KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLAC), Harris Corporation (HRS), Finisar (FNSR) and Sonosite (SONO). Additional information can be found on the Internet at www.datasweep.com.

Note to Editors: Datasweep is a registered trademark of Datasweep, Inc. Advantage is a trademark of Datasweep, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.