National Science Foundation awards Invistics with Phase II-B grant.

Invistics Corporation a Manufacturing Performance Management software company that helps manufacturers accelerate factory performance to world-class levels, today announced that they were awarded a $500,000.00 Phase II-B grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

"We are honored to receive this grant from the National Science Foundation. The NSF understands that technological innovation drives business results," said Scott Geller, President and CEO of Invistics. "This grant will help us work with our customers to transform their factories into 'world class operations' where they can focus on continuous improvements and enhancing profits."

Invistics Flow Path Management System (FPMS) is a Manufacturing Performance Management solution that helps companies accelerate factory performance. FPMS is the only solution to answer the fundamental questions in manufacturing, "how am I doing; how good could I be doing; and, how do I get there?" Invistics advanced optimization and analytics understands the complexity and variability in manufacturing and creates a decision support workbench for plant management and staff. Manufacturers use FPMS to identify, optimize and implement the operating policies necessary to achieve their strategic performance objectives.

"The Phase II-B grant monies will go toward a 12 month project where we will once again, collaborate with manufacturing veterans, operations research scholars, and professors from MIT, Georgia Tech, Duke University and the University of Alabama," states Tom Knight, Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer for Invistics. "These research efforts will further advance the development of our software and the specific optimization algorithms for manufacturing excellence, enabling our customers to continuously improve operational efficiency and tie directly to customer demand."

In 2001 the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Invistics a Phase I grant to conduct research and develop advanced optimization algorithms in conjunction with leading academics at MIT and Georgia Tech. In 2002 NSF awarded a follow-on Phase II grant to Invistics. This new grant is part of the NSF's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Invistics is one of only three companies in the country to receive a grant of this magnitude. Organizations submitting an initial proposal into the Phase I stage have approximately a two percent chance of achieving this Phase II-B level.

"During the rigorous NSF review process, the evaluation panel was impressed with Invistics' proven approach and application for accelerating manufacturing performance and the economic impact it can bring to the manufacturing marketplace," stated Cheryl Albus, Program Manager for the NSF. "The Invistics solution capitalizes on innovative mathematical techniques that advance the knowledge base of operational research for the benefits of complex manufacturers."