TPI ENTERS MARKET TO MAKE EMBEDDED SYSTEMS YEAR 2000
COMPLIANT\COMPANY TARGETS $500 BILLION MARKET WITH NEW SOFTWARE AND SERVICE
1998-04-13
MISSISSAUGA, ON
Transformation Processing Inc. (TPI and OTCBB:TPII) announced today that the
Company, which specializes in providing Year 2000 services, has entered the
$500 billion market to make "embedded systems" Year 2000 compliant.
Dr. Mark Burfield, the Company's Vice President of Professional Services,
said the company has developed a new service and software - Embedded/2000 -
to address the problem. The Company is targeting its marketing efforts to
companies in the United States, Canada and western Europe, estimated to
comprise half of the $1 trillion worldwide market.
"Embedded systems consist of computers or microprocessors that run
specialized software to control the operation of machinery, equipment, or
processes," said Burfield. Embedded systems can range from a small piece of
equipment to a large integrated system. In many cases, their inclusion may
be concealed to the casual observer. "In some complex cases, even skilled
engineers need to examine carefully the operation of an embedded system
before detecting its true functionality."
"An embedded system is the code that is built into special purpose microchips
that inhabit just about every modern electronic device," said Burfield.
"They are found in power plants, manufacturing facilities, water and sewage
systems, medical devices and military equipment. The list also includes
planes, trains, ships, automobiles, elevators, telephones, alarm systems and
a multitude of other equipment devices."
According to Burfield, issues associated with resolving the Year 2000 problem
in manufacturing environments, which include Programmable Logic Circuits
(PLC's) and embedded systems, include:
* Sheer numbers present with most organizations.
* Inherent difficulty in identifying and locating them.
* Necessity of assessing millennium compliance on an individual
unit-by-unit basis due to multiple sourcing of components by
manufacturers.
* Isolation and testing, particularly for systems operating in a real
time environment.
* Re-certification following remedial work, particularly for
safety-critical systems.
* Difficulty in assessing the importance of a millennium failure. For
example, apparently simple systems can be present in such high volumes
that failure can result in serious disruption for the organization.
* Strain on resources, with a potential lack of available maintenance
and support engineering staff to carry out even basic reset operations.
Transformation Processing Inc. is an Information Technology company that
develops and markets software and services that enable companies worldwide to
automatically migrate their application programs and data from legacy systems
to open system and client/server environments. TPI has evolved from
providing AS/400 legacy code migration services to a company supporting four
lines of business: Client Server Migration, Year 2000 Solutions, Groupware
and Support Services.
This news release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties, including the timely development and acceptance of new
products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the timely funding
of customers' projects, customer payments to the Company and the other risks
detailed from time to time by the Company.
For more information about TPI, see our web site at www.tpii.com, or contact:
Hal Schweig, Martin E. Janis and Company, Inc. Tel: (312) 943-1100
Samantha Chapman, Internal Investor Relations, Transformation Processing Inc.
Tel: (905) 812-9927 (888) 222-5967 |
