PRI Automation OEM Systems Division Signs Exclusive Partnership Agreement With
NeST Technologies Development Organization to Support PRI's World-Wide
EquipeSoft(TM) Development Efforts
BILLERICA, Mass., Aug 14, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- PRI Automation, Inc.
(Nasdaq: PRIA), the global leader in advanced automation systems and software to
the semiconductor industry, today announced it has signed an agreement with NeST
Technologies, a CMM Level 5 firm, for software development services for
EquipeSoft. The agreement provides PRI with exclusive access to NeST
Technologies' 300+ worldwide software engineers for development projects within
the semiconductor and related industries.
The EquipeSoft equipment control system enables front-end processes developed in
the "lab" to be quickly automated for the "fab" production line in a very short
time. EquipeSoft offers a wide range of product features and out-of-the-box
reliability that allows manufacturers to cut deployment times from the current
industry standard of two to three years to less than one year in most instances.
"The software staffs of equipment OEMs are charged with a near-impossible task
of satisfying increasing requirements, doing so in less time and with fewer
engineering resources," stated Bill Murvihill, Business Unit Director of PRI's
OEM Systems Division. "With NeST as a strategic partner, PRI's EquipeSoft
offering establishes a balance among pre-developed features, development tools,
engineering resources and a worldwide presence. This advantage enables our
customers to meet their software development challenges and provide an
unprecedented level of service to the end user."
"The synergy between NeST and PRI has been amazing. The outstanding results of
the EquipeSoft approach to control system development confirm that price,
quality, and time-to-market need not be exclusive," said Dr. Robert Smith,
NeST's Chief Technical Officer. "Partnering with a world-class company like PRI
and helping them achieve their goals is what NeST is all about. We look forward
to a great future together."
This agreement formalizes a growing three-year relationship between PRI and NeST
Technologies for software development services. On May 13, 2000, NeST became the
19th company in the world to achieve Capability Maturity Model (CMM) Level 5.
The CMM model was developed by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at
Carnegie Mellon University and is the de facto standard for measuring the
maturity of a company's software development processes. CMM Level 5 is the
highest ranking in the model. Ron Radice, a software quality specialist with a
background at SEI, as well as IBM and Groupe Bull, reviewed NeST Technologies
for this rating. "While NeST has achieved Level 5, the fact that they are more
focused on using the model than just achieving the level rank is a clear
indication that they will continue to improve and add increasing value to their
customers, stock holders and employees," observed Mr. Radice. "It also became
clear during the Assessment that people enjoy working at NeST. This, combined
with their emphasis on quality and continuous improvement, makes NeST a
distinctive software company."
NeST engineering resources will continue to be used for EquipeSoft product
development, EquipeSoft application development and worldwide support for
EquipeSoft installations and its growing global customer base.
About PRI Automation
PRI Automation, Inc., headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, is the leading
global supplier of advanced factory automation systems and software to
semiconductor manufacturers and OEM equipment suppliers. PRI is the only company
to provide a tightly integrated and flexible hardware and software solution that
optimizes the flow of materials and information throughout the fab improving the
productivity of semiconductor manufacturing. The company has thousands of
systems installed at approximately one hundred locations throughout the world.
For more information visit PRI online at www.pria.com.
SOURCE PRI Automation, Inc. |
