USDATA releases Xfactory 1.4

Staff -- Control Engineering, 2/1/2000

Richardson, Tex.—To enhance large manufacturers' performance and agility, USDATA Corp. announced Jan. 6 that it began shipping the latest version of its Xfactory manufacturing execution system (MES) in December 1999. Xfactory 1.4 gives manufacturers the ability to track and improve production processes "on the fly." Xfactory also allows implementations designed in one plant to be rolled out to multiple plants, while retaining compatibility across the enterprise.

"In the past, large manufacturers with rapid production had to use custom in-house solutions to keep up with throughput. This often led to inflexible designs, which prevent continuous improvement and represent significant costs for IT maintenance and enhancements," says Bob Merry, USDATA's president and ceo. "Large manufacturers can use Xfactory 1.4 to track even the most demanding processes in real-time, while gaining the agility to modify their systems without disrupting production. In addition, our standard commercial solution will dramatically reduce the overall cost of ownership compared to proprietary in-house IT designed systems."

Xfactory 1.4 is built on Microsoft Windows DNA 2000 technologies, which allows large corporations to integrate it seamlessly with their existing systems for a scalable commercial solution. Customers already using Xfactory 1.4 include: Jabil Circuit, a large electronics manufacturing service provider; and Kingston Technologies, which manufactures memory products.

For more information, visit www.usdata.com or www.controleng.com/freeinfo.