Invention Machine Expands Senior Management Team

In execution of a strategy for continued customer growth, Invention Machine, the leader in semantic search technology and innovation intelligence software, today announced the appointment of four senior executives to the company's management team.

Stefan Lamm joins Invention Machine as Vice President of Sales EMEA, responsible for growing Invention Machine's Europe/Middle East/Africa sales. Previously, Mr. Lamm spent ten years at INFOR Global Solutions, most recently serving as Vice President of Sales for EMEA. Mr. Lamm has a Masters in International Sales.

Eric Israel has been named Vice President of Sales North America and is chartered with expanding the company's North American sales operations and reach. Mr. Israel joins Invention Machine from Biz360 where he served as Vice President of Sales. He is a graduate of Pace University with a degree in psychology.

Ken Klapproth has been appointed Vice President of Product Marketing, responsible for go to market strategies to drive adoption of the Company's semantic search technology and innovation intelligence platform. Previously, Mr. Klapproth served as Vice President of Marketing at Entuity. Mr. Klapproth is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Engineering. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.

Greg Johnson joins Invention Machine as the Vice President of Customer Support. He is chartered with the improvement of the company's customer facing support and maintenance programs. Mr. Johnson comes to Invention Machine from JDA Software Inc. where he served as Vice President of Managed Services. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Nichols College and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Rivier College.

"I am extremely pleased to welcome Stefan, Eric, Ken and Greg to our executive leadership team," said Mark E. Atkins, Invention Machine Chairman, President and CEO. "I look forward to their contributions towards our continued growth and market leadership as we work to consistently exceed the expectations of our growing customer base."

Invention Machine provides software that helps organizations leverage knowledge to accelerate innovation, increase productivity and deliver superior products. Robert Bosch, Johnson & Johnson, Honeywell, Samsung, Arkema, Statoil and hundreds of other organizations use Invention Machine's Goldfire to collaboratively develop new products, find new markets, and improve products and services that materially impact top and bottom line performance.

Frost & Sullivan Honors Invention Machine With 2011 Global Innovation Management Award

Invention Machine today announced the research firm Frost & Sullivan has recognized Invention Machine to be top of the class in the Innovation Management Solutions Market, awarding Invention Machine the 2011 Global Innovation Management Customer Value Enhancement Award.

Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognize companies for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development.

In its Best Practices Award Analysis, Frost & Sullivan notes "while there are several idea capture and management software providers, these companies do not offer the comprehensive coverage provided by pioneering organizations like Invention Machine's Goldfire platform." Frost & Sullivan concludes: "Invention Machine's strong technology-backed solution [Goldfire], diverse implementation experience and consistent customer success delivered designates Invention Machine as one of the most prominent solution providers in the innovation management solutions market."

"This award is an important recognition of Invention Machine and the Goldfire solution," stated Mark E. Atkins, Chairman, President and CEO of Invention Machine. "It is also a great confirmation of our continued efforts to deliver value-driving software that enables companies to deliver superior, competitively differentiated products in less time -- and at less cost."

About Invention Machine
Invention Machine provides software that helps organizations leverage knowledge to accelerate innovation, increase productivity and deliver superior products. Robert Bosch, Johnson & Johnson, Honeywell, Samsung, Arkema, Statoil and hundreds of other organizations use Invention Machine's Goldfire to collaboratively develop new products, find new markets, and improve products and services that materially impact top and bottom line performance.

Accelerating Push Into Mid-Market, Invention Machine Announces New Reseller Agreement With TriStar

Agreement Brings Innovation Software to PLM Users to Help Deliver Innovative Products to Market, Faster.

BOSTON, MA - Invention Machine , a leading provider of innovation software, today announced a new distribution agreement with TriStar Incorporated, a full-service provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) implementation and consulting services, along with the leading CAD software.

Under the terms of the agreement, TriStar now represents Invention Machine's innovation intelligence platform, Invention Machine Goldfire, and will introduce it to their strategic customers: aerospace and defense, automotive, chemical, consumer, food and beverage, life sciences, oil and gas, and technology.

TriStar is a PTC Platinum Authorized Reseller and is PTC's leading provider in North America. Goldfire complements TriStar's PLM/CAD portfolio, helping companies bring better ideas into their PLM processes, while also enabling organizations to get the most out of their design content.

"We are very pleased to have TriStar join the Invention Machine Reseller Program," says Invention Machine CEO Mark Atkins. "Their expertise in the PLM space and particularly their leadership as a PTC partner speak for themselves. I have been personally impressed with their energy, professionalism, and dedication to our partnership. We look forward to a long and successful relationship."

"We are very excited to add Invention Machine as a strategic TriStar partner. Goldfire fills a critical need that our manufacturing customers have; one that is not being addressed by any other software solution. Goldfire's Windchill integration in particular will allow our customers to leverage the content that they are storing in their PTC PLM solution to accelerate their pace of innovation and dramatically improve their productivity," says TriStar President Pat Maderia.

Invention Machine Advances Collaborative Innovation with Latest Software Release

New Goldfire Functionality Automates Collection and Distribution of Relevant Semantic Research to Accelerate Product Development and New Product Introduction.

Invention Machine, a leading provider of innovation software, today announced availability of Invention Machine Goldfire 6.6, the Company’s innovation intelligence platform. The latest release features enhancements that help companies build and foster a collaborative culture for accelerating innovative products and services to market.

Goldfire 6.6 includes several feature enhancements to fuel innovation not only for Goldfire users, but also for other knowledge workers, managers, or executives involved in new product development and introduction processes. Any role needing to understand or remain current on the latest developments in the market, competition, state of the art in technology, progression of patents or IP, or maturation of their corporate product line will benefit from this release. With features such as one-click semantic search, scheduled research email notifications, and access to additional, relevant scientific, engineering, and industry data sources, Goldfire 6.6 empowers innovation workers, management and personnel across the enterprise.

Access to Goldfire’s patented semantic research capability has been enhanced for “one-click search” in this release. Featured on the product’s entry dashboard and other product screens, the new Research query field streamlines and expedites day-to-day research tasks. Users can also selectively toggle between the broad range of patent, scientific, personal and corporate knowledge bases semantically indexed by Goldfire. With one-click, users are presented with answers tailored to their most pressing innovation challenges.

This release improves a company’s ability to collaboratively innovate new products and services through Goldfire’s scheduled research email notifications. Delivered through standard email to multiple individuals or distribution lists, Goldfire automates discovery, alerting, and distribution to the latest development both inside your company and across industries. Communities dependent upon sharing up to the minute developments in technologies, competitive strategies, patents, academic advancements, market shifts, breaking news, or their own internal product development programs can receive timely highlights with hyperlinks to relevant content at their convenience in their email inbox. Scheduled Goldfire research updates not only help engineers and scientists create optimal products, but also help managers and executive tune go to market strategies driving profitability.

Goldfire 6.6 connects product teams to contemporary content to drive product innovation now including several specialized industry sources. New for this release is connectivity to MIT DSpace, a collection containing more than 940,000 scholarly articles from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; FSTA Direct, the world's leading database of information covering food science, food technology and nutrition from the International Food Information Service (IFIS); and the SPIE Digital Library, a collection containing more than 313,000 research papers, scholarly journals, and eBooks from the International Society for Optics & Photonics.

“Companies in all industries tell us innovation is key to their sustained profitability. Their “secret weapon” is the vast experience, tribal knowledge and domain expertise of their engineers, scientists and researchers but they are challenged to leverage it across teams and disciplines,” said Mark E. Atkins, Invention Machine Chairman, President and CEO. “The innovation platform in Goldfire gives organizations the ability to connect people to that knowledge whether it exists inside or outside the company. With Goldfire, companies gain the capability to insource their product innovation – finding and sharing concepts, collaborating around ideas, strategies and problems and, ultimately, delivering unique products to market.”

Invention Machine Advances Collaborative Innovation with Latest Software Release

New Goldfire Functionality Automates Collection and Distribution of Relevant Semantic Research to Accelerate Product Development and New Product Introduction.

Invention Machine today announced availability of Invention Machine Goldfire 6.6, the Company’s innovation intelligence platform. The latest release features enhancements that help companies build and foster a collaborative culture for accelerating innovative products and services to market.

Goldfire 6.6 includes several feature enhancements to fuel innovation not only for Goldfire users, but also for other knowledge workers, managers, or executives involved in new product development and introduction processes. Any role needing to understand or remain current on the latest developments in the market, competition, state of the art in technology, progression of patents or IP, or maturation of their corporate product line will benefit from this release. With features such as one-click semantic search, scheduled research email notifications, and access to additional, relevant scientific, engineering, and industry data sources, Goldfire 6.6 empowers innovation workers, management and personnel across the enterprise.

Access to Goldfire’s patented semantic research capability has been enhanced for “one-click search” in this release. Featured on the product’s entry dashboard and other product screens, the new Research query field streamlines and expedites day-to-day research tasks. Users can also selectively toggle between the broad range of patent, scientific, personal and corporate knowledge bases semantically indexed by Goldfire. With one-click, users are presented with answers tailored to their most pressing innovation challenges.

This release improves a company’s ability to collaboratively innovate new products and services through Goldfire’s scheduled research email notifications. Delivered through standard email to multiple individuals or distribution lists, Goldfire automates discovery, alerting, and distribution to the latest development both inside your company and across industries. Communities dependent upon sharing up to the minute developments in technologies, competitive strategies, patents, academic advancements, market shifts, breaking news, or their own internal product development programs can receive timely highlights with hyperlinks to relevant content at their convenience in their email inbox. Scheduled Goldfire research updates not only help engineers and scientists create optimal products, but also help managers and executive tune go to market strategies driving profitability.

Goldfire 6.6 connects product teams to contemporary content to drive product innovation now including several specialized industry sources. New for this release is connectivity to MIT DSpace, a collection containing more than 940,000 scholarly articles from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; FSTA Direct, the world's leading database of information covering food science, food technology and nutrition from the International Food Information Service (IFIS); and the SPIE Digital Library, a collection containing more than 313,000 research papers, scholarly journals, and eBooks from the International Society for Optics & Photonics.

“Companies in all industries tell us innovation is key to their sustained profitability. Their “secret weapon” is the vast experience, tribal knowledge and domain expertise of their engineers, scientists and researchers but they are challenged to leverage it across teams and disciplines,” said Mark E. Atkins, Invention Machine Chairman, President and CEO. “The innovation platform in Goldfire gives organizations the ability to connect people to that knowledge whether it exists inside or outside the company. With Goldfire, companies gain the capability to insource their product innovation – finding and sharing concepts, collaborating around ideas, strategies and problems and, ultimately, delivering unique products to market.”

Invention Machine Launches Small and Mid-Market Innovation Initiative In EMEA

BOSTON – Invention Machine has announced the expansion of its reseller network to help European small and medium businesses (SMBs) adopt a sustainable innovation process. Invention Machine Goldfire is fast becoming the innovation platform of choice for SMBs as it allows them to design and deliver cost efficient products quickly and consistently. By adding a network of new resellers, Invention Machine can now help boost and accelerate innovation initiatives in Europe.

“The recent downturn has made European companies -- large and small enterprises-- realize that in order to remain competitive in the global market, they need to do more than just cost reduction,” said Pierfrancesco Manenti, EMEA research director, IDC Manufacturing Insights. “European manufacturers today must restructure their businesses through product innovation, streamline and sustain product development process and foster closer relationships with key customers.”

Goldfire, the innovation intelligence platform, combines proven innovation workflows and collaboration capabilities with precise access to corporate and external knowledge, enabling users to design a repeatable and sustainable innovation process. It identifies, validates and ranks ideas and helps deliver the right products the first time, mitigating innovation risks.

With the integration of Goldfire within their Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) portfolio, these resellers can help small and medium enterprises deliver measurable return on innovation, fuel product pipelines and accelerate market expansion. Companies joining Invention Machine’s SMB reseller network include:

ABISSE is a leading French provider of PLM, CAD, CAM, CAE, & data management solutions headquartered in Nantes, France, with offices in Paris, Lyon, and Toulouse. With Goldfire, the company expects to support the innovation needs of their diverse customer base and vertical industries, including food, packaging and special machinery.

BCT Technology is a German-based Value Added Reseller (VAR) and software partner for PLM, PDM & CAD solutions serving customers in different industries around the world. They selected Goldfire to address the innovation challenges faced by their customers in Germany and Switzerland.

Concurrent Engineering and its sister company Honeycomb Solutions is a leading provider of PLM and product development solutions across the UK and Ireland. With Goldfire, Concurrent can help their customers deliver competitively differentiated products, faster and more cost efficiently.

EIT is a leading Italian provider of CAD and PLM software with multiple offices across Italy. With Goldfire, EIT can now increase productivity and innovation efficiencies of the more than 700 customers that they currently work with.

Keonys is a leading provider of 3D and PLM solutions dedicated primarily to serving small and medium businesses in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Keonys provides solutions and services to more than 1,000 customers in multiple sectors, including academic & research, aeronautic, automotive, consumer goods and high-tech. With Goldfire, Keonys plans to infuse innovation into every step of the PLM process, thereby driving and sustaining their customers’ innovation process.

Steinhilber Schwehr (recently merged with ASCAD), is a leading German PLM solutions provider and IT systems integrator serving more than 3,200 customers in the manufacturing and retail industry. With Goldfire, Steinhilber Schwehr and ASCAD, can offer integrated innovation capabilities along with their existing PLM portfolio.

Team Engineering is a reseller of PLM software in the U.K. and works with more than 200 companies. With Goldfire in its portfolio, Team Engineering customers can now leverage the powerful innovation platform to drive growth and productivity.

NET AG is an IT systems integrator and leading supplier of PLM solutions in the German market and also offers related services, consulting and value-added software products to its customers. By adding Goldfire to its portfolio, NET AG customers can now accelerate their innovation initiatives.

Technia is a world-class supplier of PLM solutions in Northern Europe and the Americas, and a subsidiary of the Addnode group, a Nordic IT company. Technia selected Goldfire to further support their customers PLM and innovation strategy, and positively impact their bottom line.

Econocap is a leading PLM solutions provider and VAR, with operations in Sweden and Norway. They decided to collaborate with Invention Machine so they could offer innovation capabilities to their customers in the Nordic region.

“The integration of Goldfire with our partners’ existing portfolio, positions them as major players in a market that’s primed for innovation excellence and growth,” said Mark Atkins, CEO, Invention Machine. “These partnerships with Invention Machine will also vastly benefit the SMBs as they can now speed-up their innovation agenda and improve their standing in today’s global economy.”

Invention Machine Unveils Invention Machine Goldfire 6.0

BOSTON — Invention Machine has announced the availability of Invention Machine Goldfire 6.0 with integrated collaboration and expert identification technologies to further accelerate product innovation. The new software automatically identifies and connects innovation workers with domain experts, delivers solutions immediately and measures company-wide innovation initiatives and trends in real time. It also empowers the community with precise innovation intelligence by leveraging undocumented expertise from problem-sharing dialogues, then captures and processes those discussions as reusable corporate assets. Goldfire 6.0 is designed to increase productivity between five to 30 percent, accelerate every day innovation activities and deliver cutting-edge products quickly.

Invention Machine has added new content to Goldfire, the innovation intelligence platform. Users can now access patents from local authorities in France, Germany, Japan and the U.K. and also take advantage of Goldfire's intra-lingual capability to read the summaries in their own languages. In addition, more than 18 million citations from PubMed's 5,200 biomedical journals were added to Goldfire and 3.5 million documents from 1,100 deep web sites were pre-indexed, making it easier for users to tap into additional innovation intelligence.

"Maintaining an innovation-edge is critical to our business success," said Kelvin Pitman, director, Open Innovation, Crown Packaging Technology, a subsidiary of Crown Holdings, Inc. "Goldfire 6.0's new capabilities will allow us to easily identify experts and foster better collaboration within the organization, accelerating the development of innovative products for our customers to meet ever-changing consumer demands."

Goldfire drives and sustains the innovation process by helping global manufacturers transform ideas into market leading products, efficiently and economically. The platform combines proven innovation workflows and collaboration capabilities with precise access to corporate and external knowledge. This unique software empowers innovators so they can deliver the right products the first time, validate and rank the right ideas and streamline the ideas to productization process.

"In today's global environment, every day innovation workers must successfully tap into experts and utilize knowledge throughout their innovation intelligence ecosystem," said Jim Todhunter, chief technology officer, Invention Machine. "Goldfire 6.0 connects the right people at the right time, accelerates product innovation so innovators can deliver the right solutions, which in turn can significantly impact a company's bottomline."

Invention Machine Expands Reseller Program

BOSTON - Invention Machine today announced the expansion of its reseller program to meet the growing demand for Invention Machine Goldfire by small and midsize manufacturers. The company is offering its innovation software to small and medium businesses (SMBs) through its reseller channel. New resellers that have joined Invention Machine's global roster to specifically help SMBs accelerate and sustain product innovation include Alignex, Boundary Systems, BRT Solutions, Designfusion and NovaQuest.

SMBs face the same challenges as large companies in today's competitive environment. Industry reports indicate that top pressures driving product innovation include the need to satisfy market demand, deliver the right products and shorten product development schedule.

"Small and medium businesses face difficult trade-offs between product innovation and cost control in today's challenging economy," said Jim Brown, president, Tech-Clarity. "Despite tough times, these companies must continue to invest in innovation to remain competitive in the recovering economy and beyond. A powerful innovation platform like Goldfire can help."

Invention Machine selected the following companies because of their strong market knowledge and experience in selling software, including product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions to mid-market manufacturers. These strategic collaborations will now allow our resellers to seamlessly integrate Goldfire into their customers' innovation process, which in turn will help fuel product pipelines and drive revenue.

Alignex is a leading provider of ideation, design, engineering, and manufacturing technologies. Alignex is partnering with Invention Machine so its customers can implement a sustainable innovation process that will allow them to identify and deliver cutting edge products quickly and cost-effectively.

Boundary Systems is a leading software solutions company focused on product lifecycle management. With Goldfire in its portfolio, Boundary can now deliver new innovation capabilities for their customers and prospects and meet their need to aggressively increase market share in their respective industries.

BRT Solutions is a leading provider of PLM and product development solutions. With Goldfire, BRT customers will be able to quickly and predictably roll out new and improved products to market while taking advantage of emerging technologies and customer demands.

Designfusion is a leading Value Added Reseller (VAR) for PLM solutions, focused on solving simple to extremely complex mechanical design or PLM business issues. With Goldfire, Designfusion will enhance its value-add within strategic accounts that are seeking to increase innovation capacity, establish a sustainable innovation process and drive predictability.

NovaQuest Solutions is a leading VAR of 3D and PLM solutions. By expanding its portfolio with Goldfire, the reseller can enable its clients to create intellectual property with breakthrough technology and develop better ideas upfront, which is especially valuable for SMBs with low product margins or fixed budgets.

"Sustainable innovation is the cornerstone of a global economy, regardless of company size," said Mark Atkins, CEO and chairman, Invention Machine. "Now SMBs can harness the power of our innovation software to accelerate and fuel innovation, deliver the right products and gain competitive advantage in today's innovation economy."

Goldfire, an innovation intelligence platform, helps manufacturing organizations transform ideas into market leading products, making innovation a repeatable and sustainable process. Goldfire combines proven innovation workflows and collaboration capabilities with precise access to corporate and external knowledge. This unique software knowledge-enables innovators across an organization and empowers them to deliver the right products the first time, fuel product pipelines, which ultimately boosts revenue and market share.

NovaQuest's Solution Portfolio to Include Invention Machine Goldfire

Among First Resellers in the U.S. to Join Invention Machine’s Partner Program.

CHARLOTTE, N.C - NovaQuest, a Value Added Reseller (VAR) of 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Solutions, announced today that it has signed a reseller agreement with Invention Machine to market its innovation software, Invention Machine Goldfire, in the United States. NovaQuest is the first U.S.-based reseller for Invention Machine, and joins Invention Machine’s growing list of resellers to help meet the escalating demand for Goldfire worldwide.

“Driving revenue through sustainable innovation is mandatory in today’s economy,” said Mark Atkins, CEO & Chairman, Invention Machine. “This collaboration will further empower NovaQuest customers to fuel the product pipeline with the right products and maintain their competitive edge.”

Under the terms of the agreement, NovaQuest will promote and sell Goldfire in the United States and will provide technical support to customers through the implementation process and ongoing maintenance.

“By collaborating with Invention Machine and adding Goldfire to our portfolio, we are enhancing the most important value-add NovaQuest provides to our clients, which is helping them in their pursuit of innovation,” said Joel Lemke, President and CEO of NovaQuest.

Invention Machine announces availability of Invention Machine Goldfire 5.5

BOSTON - Invention Machine today announced the availability of Invention Machine Goldfire 5.5, a powerful platform that can further accelerate product innovation and increase productivity by 20-30 percent. The company also announced the launch of Invention Machine Goldfire Insight, a new configuration that simplifies research and redefines the role of intelligence in innovation. Goldfire Insight is designed for broad deployment across the entire innovation community, including new business development, strategic planning and competitive analysis teams.

Goldfire, Invention Machine’s flagship innovation software, operationalizes and sustains the product innovation process. It guides innovators through specific innovation tasks and appropriate workflows so they can deliver the right products the first time, as well as track innovation trends within an enterprise, all in real time. Global 2000 manufacturers in more than 25 countries use Goldfire to translate ideas into market-leading products, from rocket engines and algae-based biofuel to anti-leak toilet valves and cardiac stents.

“At Boston Scientific, we are committed to delivering innovative medical technologies, and Invention Machine Goldfire is integral to our innovation and product design process,” said Randy Schiestl, vice president, R&D, Boston Scientific. “The new software will allow us to expand deployment and empower more people so they can research customer needs efficiently and identify the right solutions quickly, increasing our ability to ‘deliver what's next’.”

Version 5.5 builds on Goldfire’s powerful innovation platform. Its new knowledge navigator capability fosters innovation collaboration by accurately reconstructing a user’s past thinking and research process. Goldfire’s enhanced semantic technology automatically categorizes concepts and ties relevant intelligence to the innovation initiatives, all within minutes. With Goldfire 5.5, engineers and scientists can deliver new products even faster, at a lower cost and increase productivity between 20-30 percent -- the time spent by innovation workers looking for actionable information.

Goldfire Insight, the latest member of the Goldfire line, supports essential problem analysis and problem solving capabilities and research work models. Goldfire Insight is designed for broad deployment so the 80-90 percent of innovation workers dealing with vital, yet common, every day innovation activities can leverage the product effectively. These tasks can range from solving problems for customers and resolving field situations to researching competitor landscapes and ways to reuse existing technology.

Numerous best-in-class companies rely on Invention Machine’s innovation software to stimulate their Innovation Intelligence EcosystemTM, a framework for delivering precise and relevant intelligence from various sources. A well designed ecosystem can significantly increase productivity of the entire innovation community, from disruptive and strategic innovation initiatives to simple innovation tasks. The Innovation Intelligence Ecosystem’s end goal is creating a sustainable and repeatable process, which accelerates product delivery as well as increase revenue and competitive edge.

“Actionable knowledge is vital to continuous and repeatable innovation,” said Jim Todhunter, CTO, Invention Machine. “Goldfire, a key component of the Innovation Intelligence Ecosystem, links the community of innovators to critical intelligence thereby driving sustainable innovation and boosting productivity of every day innovators.”

Blue Highway Selects Invention Machine Goldfire to Fuel Product Pipeline and Sustain Breakthrough Innovation

Boston — Invention Machine, a leading provider of innovation software, today announced that it has been selected by Blue Highway LLC to help transform ideas into commercial products that will drive radical innovation in medical diagnostics. A Welch Allyn company, Blue Highway will primarily use Invention Machine’s innovation software to accelerate and sustain product innovation, deliver the right products the first time, identify new market opportunities and track technology landscape to maintain their competitive-edge.

Blue Highway will also use Invention Machine’s Goldfire software platform to design eco-friendly products to help Welch Allyn further expand its European presence. One of the projects is identifying material replacement for Welch Allyn’s 3.5 V Diagnostic Otoscopes disposable ear specula. Otoscope is an instrument for examining the interior of the ear and doctors dispose the plastic ear speculums after examining each patient. Blue Highway is using Goldfire to investigate the use of glycerol-based biopolymer to design bio-degradable ear specula.

“At Blue Highway our primary focus is on radical and breakthrough innovations,” said Albert Di Rienzo, CEO, Blue Highway. “We chose Invention Machine to help triage ideas and adopt best practices from various industries so we can sustain and fuel Welch Allyn’s new product pipeline.”

Blue Highway LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Welch Allyn, a leader in front-line diagnostic healthcare. The incubator was created to drive disruptive and radical innovations that will enable Welch Allyn to fill its product pipelines faster with new technology and drive highly efficient new clinical practices.

Invention Machine’s task-based innovation platform helps sustain and drive every day innovation. Goldfire accelerates innovation initiatives and empower innovators so they can repeatedly deliver cost efficient, market leading products -- whether it's creating algae-based biofuel, an engine for NASA or radical cardiac stents.

“Global collaboration between corporations and research professionals is key to driving radical and incremental innovation,” said Mark Atkins, CEO and chairman, Invention Machine. “Invention Machine’s innovation software will drive Blue Highway’s sustainable innovation process, underscoring Welch Allyn’s leadership in the industry.”

A leading provider of innovation software, Invention Machine drives sustainable innovation by enabling global organizations to translate ideas into market-leading products, consistently. Invention Machine Goldfire empowers engineers and scientists to conceive and validate the right ideas the first time, so they can rapidly and repeatedly deliver market leading products. Global 2000 manufacturers in more than 25 countries rely on Invention Machine for product innovation, process improvement and market expansion. Its unique software fuels sustainable innovation across numerous industries, including aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer technology, energy and environment and life sciences. For additional information, please visit invention-machine.com.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Welch Allyn, Inc., Blue Highway exists to create innovative intellectual capital by collaborating with academic researchers, industry experts and government agencies. Blue Highway researchers focus primarily on the future of diagnostic healthcare-early detection, diagnosis and aggregation of data for comprehensive clinical support. More information about Blue Highway LLC can be found at www.blue-highway.com.

Johnson Diversey & Invention Machine Share Sustainable Innovation Best Practices at ARC's Annual Manufacturing Forum

Delivering eco-friendly products is a business imperative and key driver in today's competitive environment. Best-in-class companies are focused on designing products and packaging that reduces the amount of waste clogging the landfills, while increasing their bottom-line. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 254 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) or trash was generated in 2007, of which 12.1 percent or almost 31 million tons was plastic -- a non-biodegradable material. When broken down by weight, more than 78 million tons was from containers and packaging, the largest category of products generated in the MSW.

JohnsonDiversey, a $3 billion specialty cleaning solutions company, is committed to delivering environmentally compliant, high value products for its customers. One way the company is responding to the market's demand for sustainable offerings is by using Invention Machine's innovation software. At ARC Advisory Group's event, Rich Batton will discuss a case study on how JohnsonDiversey created a more valuable and sustainable intelligent dispensing system that generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue and continues to drive double digits growth over the last five years.

TOPIC:
"Packaging Innovation and Sustainability" during Innovation, Manufacturing Design, and Sustainability Session, Track II

WHO:
Rich Batton, Packaging Manager, RD&E, JohnsonDiversey
Jeff Boehm, Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Invention Machine

WHEN:
Tuesday Feb. 3, 2009
2:00-5:00 pm ET

WHERE:
ARC's Winning Strategies & Best Practices for Sustainable Manufacturing Forum
February 2-5, Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando

CONTACT:
For additional information, please contact:

Parna Sarkar
psarkar@invention-machine.com
617-305-9250, ext. 3305

Or

Greg Bell
greg.bell@jwp.com
262-631-4127

Invention Machine Unveils Goldfire 5.0 to Accelerate and Sustain Every Day Innovation

New software enables managers to track innovation projects and trends in real time

BOSTON -Invention Machine, a leading provider of innovation software, today announced the launch of Invention Machine Goldfire 5.0 – new task-based innovation software that will accelerate innovation initiatives and help engineers innovate on a daily basis. It will allow managers and users to track enterprise-wide innovation trends and programs in real time. The company also announced that Goldfire users will get unlimited access to online computer-based training courses, including the new Goldfire 5.0 courseware, at no additional cost.

Goldfire 5.0 builds upon Invention Machine's market-leading innovation technology. The software's new user interface provides a flexible approach to innovation as it enables users to navigate through more than a dozen critical innovation tasks — from designing new products and fixing defects to identifying new market opportunities and analyzing technology trends. It allows innovators to define their own innovation tasks, based on the level of problem they are looking to solve, from root cause analysis and function modeling to technology evolution and trend analysis.

In addition, Goldfire 5.0's innovation metrics give executives and managers a snapshot of the company's innovation landscape, trends and program successes as well as detailed view of specific projects with the click of a button.

"Companies are under tremendous pressure to deliver market leading products quickly and cost effectively," said James Todhunter, chief technology officer, Invention Machine. "With Goldfire 5.0's task-based innovation approach, companies can easily operationalize every day innovation and deliver the right products the first time, consistently."

This new innovation platform is designed to easily connect knowledge workers with specific innovation tasks and appropriate workflows. For example, if users are looking for new market opportunities for an existing technology, the software will show users what to look for and expected results as well as guide them through the appropriate steps – from identifying core competencies to analyzing market opportunities. It features the Goldfire Desktop – a dynamic widget that sits on the desktop and details tasks and projects as well as brings the power of Goldfire to the users, even when they are not actively working within the software.

Goldfire 5.0 was designed in collaboration with Invention Machine customers primarily to address their innovation needs and business priorities. Invention Machine engineers also studied customers' innovation ecosystem to better understand the environment in which Goldfire operates and researched usability needs. Participating companies include Lifetime Brands, Baxter Healthcare, ConocoPhillips, Hexcel, Interface and Whirlpool.

Based on customer feedback, Invention Machine has also updated and extended Goldfire courseware to reflect the innovation tasks in release 5.0. All new and existing e-learning courses are being offered to users on active maintenance at no charge.

"Aberdeen's benchmarks show that Best-in-Class companies will continue to invest in innovation technology to help drive product development and growth," said Chad Jackson, vice president, Product Innovation & Engineering, AberdeenGroup. "In fact, nearly 50% of those surveyed in a recent study indicated that they plan to invest in innovation application like Goldfire so they can accelerate and sustain the product innovation process."

Invention Machine Adds S&T Croatia to its Growing Reseller Network

BOSTON : Invention Machine, a leading provider of innovation software, today announced that it has signed a reseller agreement with S&T Croatia to market Invention Machine Goldfire ® Innovator in Croatia. S&T joins Invention Machine’s growing list of resellers to help meet the escalating demand for its innovation software, worldwide. S&T Croatia is part of S&T Group, the leading provider of IT consulting, solutions and services to customers in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Japan and China.

S&T’s first Goldfire Innovator customer is the University of Zagreb. The university’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture will adopt the innovation software to train students so they are well prepared to participate in different aspects of planning, designing, implementing and operating systems, including products, processes, and projects.

“The task of modern engineering education is to help students adopt state-of-the-art technology, be socially responsible and innovative,” said, Dorian Marjanovic, vice dean, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture University of Zagreb. “Therefore extending our engineering education with new computer aided innovation tools like Goldfire Innovator should enable our students to become better innovators as they join the workforce.”

Under the terms of the agreement, S&T will promote and sell Goldfire Innovator in Croatia and provide ongoing technical support to customers, from pre-sales to implementation and beyond.

“This collaboration between Invention Machine and S&T will set the standard for sustainable product innovation in Croatia, increasing our value-add to customers,” said Krešo Galić, director, Information Systems, S&T. “Together we will help companies create a more efficient innovation infrastructure that will accelerate product development as well as support universities to develop world-class innovators.”

Invention Machine’s innovation software helps enterprises innovate repeatedly, accelerating and sustaining product innovation. Its unique semantic technology translate ideas into commercialized products by generating and validating the right ideas the first time — whether it's creating a folding box spring, an engine for NASA or a new printer. Today, Invention Machine helps manufacturing organizations worldwide deliver innovative products that positively impact society and save lives.

“In today’s economy, best-in-class companies and Invention Machine customers continue to invest in innovation to maintain profitability and competitive-edge,” said Mark Atkins, CEO & chairman, Invention Machine. “This collaboration with S&T will empower Croatian companies to drive sustainable innovation and increase top line growth by delivering the right products to market quickly and consistently.”

Invention Machine Discusses Importance of Infusing Innovation into Product Lifecycle Management at the PLM Summit

In today’s competitive environment, innovation must become part of product lifecycle management (PLM), especially if a company wants to deliver market-leading products consistently. Engineers and innovators have to incorporate innovative designs at all points of the product development or product enhancement process in order to accelerate time to market and meet customer demands.

At the PLM Summit, Invention Machine’s Jeff Boehm will share best practices on ways innovators can incorporate innovation across all phases of PLM to drive competitive-edge. He will also demonstrate how companies can transform their PLM infrastructure into an innovation engine, and demonstrate tools that empower engineers so they can deliver the right products the first time.

WHAT: Innovation Workshop: Infusing Innovation into the Product Lifecycle

WHO: Jeff Boehm, VP, Marketing and Strategy, Invention Machine

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008

4:10 p.m. EST

WHERE: PLM Summit North America 2008

The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village

St. Augustine, Florida


Contact: To learn more about the workshop, please contact: Invention Machine Parna Sarkar, 617-305-9250, ext. 3305 or For Invention Machine Sue Fitton, 781-782-5872

Top Innovators Gather in Boston for Invention Machine's Worldwide User Conference

BOSTON— Invention Machine, a leading provider of innovation software, today announced that top innovation practitioners from seven countries are gathering in Boston to exchange trends, best practices and ideas to help drive sustainable innovation across global enterprises. Invention Machine Power to Innovate user conference will be hosted at the Museum of Science in Boston on Oct. 28-29.

Invention Machine CEO Mark Atkins will deliver the opening keynote, focusing on the impact of the recent financial crisis on innovation and developing trends. The customer keynote entitled ‘Advancing Connectivity for Innovation’ will be presented by Sheldon Sloan, Johnson & Johnson’s V.P. of Collaboration & Scientific Excellence. Scott Kirsner, author of the new book Inventing the Movies will share his views on what innovators can learn from Hollywood on Wednesday morning.

The user conference attendees are among the world’s elite innovative companies and have adopted Invention Machine Goldfire Innovator to accelerate their product innovation process. Several of these customers will share case studies on how they use Goldfire Innovator to solve innovation challenges including, Applied Materials, Chemtura, Delphi, JohnsonDiversey, Magnet, Northrop Grumman, PolyOne, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and Sun Chemical.

“Sustainable innovation has arguably become the most important topic facing businesses today, as companies must innovate quickly and consistently,” said Mark E. Atkins, CEO and chairman, Invention Machine. “This event is a great opportunity for innovators and industry leaders to learn from each other and get in-depth insight into how they could further leverage our technology to boost their innovation-edge.”

In addition to best practices and case studies, conference attendees will get practical insights and learn hands-on techniques on ways they can better utilize Goldfire Innovator’s capabilities, including rapid problem solving, and predictive risk analysis. Current customers will also be privy to a sneak-preview of the newest version of the software.

Invention Machine’s innovation software helps enterprises innovate repeatedly, accelerating and sustaining product innovation. Its unique semantic technology helps translate ideas into commercialized products by generating and validating the right ideas the first time -- whether it is creating a folding box spring, an engine for NASA or a new printer. Today, Invention Machine helps manufacturing organizations worldwide deliver innovative products that positively impact society and save lives.

About Invention Machine

A leading provider of innovation software, Invention Machine drives sustainable innovation by enabling global organizations to consistently generate breakthrough ideas that accelerate product development. Invention Machine Goldfire Innovator empowers engineers and scientists to conceive and validate right ideas the first time, so they can quickly and easily deliver market leading products. Global 2000 manufacturers in more than 25 countries rely on Invention Machine for product innovation, process improvement and market expansion. Its unique software fuels sustainable innovation across numerous industries, including aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer technology, energy and environment and life sciences. For additional information, please visit invention-machine.com.

Magnet Leverages Invention Machine's Innovation Software

BOSTON — Invention Machine, a leading provider of innovation software, today announced that its customer Magnet, used Invention Machine Goldfire ® Innovator to design the first anti-leak Siphon Flush toilet-flapper for American Innovative Products. Siphon Flush’s unique design eliminates water leakage in toilets, is impervious to harsh chemicals found in most water and cleaning solutions, and has a lifespan 20 times that of existing flappers. Goldfire Innovator empowered Magnet engineers to generate and validate product design concepts and eliminate design risks upfront which enabled them to bring the valve to market quickly. Siphon Flush is being unveiled this week at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.

Research indicates that more than 85 percent of water leakage in residential plumbing systems is found in the toilet and a majority of toilet leaks are caused by faulty or worn flappers. A silent leak in a toilet can waste 500 gallons of water a day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are more than 222 million residential toilets, which means the United States is losing more than 11 million gallons of water a day due to faulty flappers. This is in addition to the 2.1 trillion gallons of water consumed each year due to toilet usage in these homes as well as toilets in hotels, condominiums, etc. Siphon Flush’s revolutionary design not only eliminates water-leakage but obsoletes the standard flush mechanism technology which was originally developed in 1955 and only lasts up to three years.

“I was simply looking for a way to stop my toilet from leaking,” said Wally Berry, CEO, American Innovative Products. “Magnet and Invention Machine turned my idea into a revolutionary new product and delivered more than 56 percent savings on my anticipated cost.”

To develop the Siphon Flush, Magnet product designers used Invention Machine’s innovation software to identify the root cause of water leakage, analyze technology trends and materials, play out the consequences of design features to ensure the validity of the concept and anticipate future failure points. Goldfire Innovator also recommended concepts outside the engineers’ sphere of expertise and offered viable solutions that expedited the idea-to-product process.

“We could not have designed and manufactured Siphon Flush as quickly or efficiently without Invention Machine,” said Dave Pierson, senior design engineer, Magnet. “Goldfire was key in helping us converge unique ideas from various fields, including the life-sciences technology which we adopted into the design.”

“In today’s competitive and cash-strapped business environment, it is imperative for companies to innovate rapidly and cost-effectively,” said Mark Atkins, CEO and chairman, Invention Machine. “Siphon Flush is a perfect example of how even small businesses can leverage our innovation software and build the right product the first time, quickly and profitably.”

Siphon Flush is the second product Magnet has created using Goldfire Innovator. Magnet and Invention Machine helped design the award-winning Accessmount Ladderless, a tool used to install ceiling light fixtures, eliminating injuries associated with people falling off ladders.

About Invention Machine

A leading provider of innovation software, Invention Machine drives sustainable innovation by enabling global organizations to consistently generate breakthrough ideas that accelerate product development. Invention Machine Goldfire Innovator empowers engineers and scientists to conceive and validate right ideas the first time, so they can quickly and easily deliver market leading products. Global 2000 manufacturers in more than 25 countries rely on Invention Machine for product innovation, process improvement and market expansion. Its unique software fuels sustainable innovation across numerous industries, including aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer technology, energy and environment and life sciences. For additional information, please visit invention-machine.com.