SofTech Case Study: ProductCenter PLM at Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions

ProductCenter PLM Reduces Design Cycle Times and Cost by Streamlining Data Management and Business Processes.

SofTech, Inc. (PK: SOFT), a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announces its latest ProductCenter® PLM case study featuring Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions of Waterbury, Connecticut. Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions is the joining of two world-class brands in the field of linear motion; Haydon Switch and Instrument, Inc. and Kerk Motion Products, Inc. Together as Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions, it offers a wide range of high-performance and precision linear motion products.

Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions today utilizes ProductCenter throughout its organization including users from Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Customer Service, Accounting, Finance and Purchasing, which has resulted in the following benefits:

Streamlined engineering change processes, enhanced collaboration and improved control of SolidWorks® product data thereby significantly reducing design cycle times and cost
Enhanced control over production information critical for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) requirements
Improved data management and process automation that saves time and enables design re-use.

For the complete case study on ProductCenter PLM at Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions, visit the SofTech Web site at http://www.softech.com/plm-customersuccess/?ref=prhk.

Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions is recognized as a leading manufacturer of stepper motor-based linear actuators, rotary motors, lead screw assemblies, and linear rail and guide systems used in niche market applications. Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions is a unit of AMETEK, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with annualized sales of $3.0 billion. For more product information and CAD links, visit www.HaydonKerk.com or contact Haydon Kerk at 203-756-7441 to speak with an engineer to discuss a specific application.

SofTech Announces Large Multi-Year Support Contract

Also Announces Immediate Availability of Latest CADRA Release.

LOWELL, Mass: SofTech, Inc. (PK:SOFT), a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced a multi-year $250,000 support contract win from its largest European CADRA customer.

CADRA is an industrial strength 2D CAD technology that enjoys the benefit of a large installed base throughout the industrialized world.

In November 2011 we released CADRA 20 which includes the following:

Support for AutoCAD 2012, SolidWorks 2011, Windows 2008 Server R2X64;
Improved structured figure list views and geometry editing;
New line horizontal/vertical feature choice selection;
Upgraded Flexnet licensing and support; and
Easier installation and a variety of other feature and function enhancements for our customers.

“We continue to experience strong support contract renewal activity and re-licensing as some of our off-maintenance CADRA users upgrade their operating systems to Microsoft’s Windows®7,” said Bob Anthonyson, SofTech Vice President. “Older versions of CADRA will not run on the new Microsoft operating system. It is an important time for our existing customers to maintain support coverage. For our many CADRA users that have chosen to forego maintenance coverage in the past several years during the recession, we absolutely welcome you back.”

SofTech Exhibiting ProductCenter PLM at Autodesk University 2011

SofTech, Inc. (PK: SOFT), a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announces that it is exhibiting at Autodesk University 2011 in Booth 811. SofTech will be presenting its ProductCenter® PLM solution including an Autodesk Certified Application integration to Autodesk® Inventor® as well as integrations for AutoCAD® Mechanical and AutoCAD® Electrical.

Additionally, SofTech has been selected to present an Autodesk University 2011 Virtual Class entitled “Improving Business Process Management to Facilitate Global Collaboration and Compliance”, class code CM5275.

SofTech has been an Autodesk partner for over 15 years providing solutions for managing product information generated through the AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Electrical, and Autodesk Inventor software applications.

ProductCenter PLM is focused on helping companies maintain a comprehensive, fully integrated and useful “Bill of Information” that consolidates all product-related information used to define, design, manufacture, and service their products.

ProductCenter PLM accelerates products and profitability by fostering innovation, extended enterprise collaboration, product quality improvements, and compressed time-to-market cycles. SofTech excels in its sensible approach to delivering enterprise PLM solutions, with comprehensive out-of-the-box capabilities, to meet the needs of manufacturers of all sizes quickly and cost-effectively.

Tech Soft 3D and SofTech Announce ProductCenter PLM Built With HOOPS 3D Exchange

Robust Data Access Libraries Manage Complex 3D CAD Information Within Latest ProductCenter PLM Release.

Tech Soft 3D, leading provider of component technology to the engineering software industry, and SofTech, proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announce that the latest version of SofTech's ProductCenter® PLM is integrated with the HOOPS 3D Exchange data access technology.

The recently released ProductCenter PLM version 9.2.0 uses HOOPS 3D Exchange to traverse through a company's Dassault Systèmes CATIA® V5 or Siemens UG NX™ drawing, assembly and part files, establish how they are related, and create a document hierarchy. This resulting "Bill of Information" is a comprehensive, fully-integrated and useful consolidation of all information a company needs to define, design, manufacture and service its products.

SofTech has relied on the original TTF translation libraries for ProductCenter PLM since early 2005. Tech Soft 3D acquired these libraries, now developed as HOOPS 3D Exchange, from Adobe in 2010. Since then, it has aggressively updated, enhanced and supported this technology, which empowers development teams to read and write popular 3D file formats within their applications using PRC, the 3D format used to store precise 3D data within PDF documents.

"The transition of the TTF Library to the HOOPS 3D Exchange library, the improvements in the functional content of the HOOPS 3D Exchange technology, and maybe most importantly, the knowledge, expertise and support of the entire Tech Soft 3D organization has reassured SofTech that we made the right decision," says Jay Pappas, ProductCenter Product Manager.

"We're pleased to see HOOPS 3D Exchange integrated within ProductCenter PLM," says Tech Soft 3D CEO, Ron Fritz. "SofTech is a great example of a long-standing customer of the original TTF libraries finding continued success with this important data access technology."

SofTech Announces Latest Release: ProductCenter PLM 9.2.0

SofTech, Inc. (PK: SOFT), a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announces the availability of ProductCenter® PLM version 9.2.0. SofTech’s latest ProductCenter release builds on enhancing the overall user experience and greatly improving user productivity.

This ProductCenter 9.2.0 release includes platform support for the following application integrations: Adobe® FrameMaker® 10; AutoCAD® Electrical 2012; AutoCAD® Mechanical 2012; Autodesk® Inventor® 2012; Oracle® AutoVue® 20.1; SofTech CADRA® 19; CATIA® V5 R20; NX™ 7.5; and SolidWorks® 2011. The ProductCenter Inventor Integrator is an Autodesk Inventor Certified Application and the ProductCenter SolidWorks Integrator is a SolidWorks Gold Partner Product.

With ProductCenter 9.2.0, SofTech utilizes the HOOPS 3D Exchange technology from Tech Soft 3D for integrating with Dassault Systèmes CATIA® V5 and Siemens NX™ 3D solid modeling applications. ProductCenter uses the HOOPS 3D Exchange to traverse through the drawing, assembly and part files, establish how these files are related and create a document hierarchy, which contributes to the ProductCenter “Bill of Information” as the complete product definition.

“Our ProductCenter 9.2.0 release includes updated platform support for ProductCenter’s application integrations and introduces HOOPS 3D Exchange technology from Tech Soft 3D for our CATIA® V5 and NX™ integrations,” states Jay Pappas, ProductCenter Product Manager. “The SofTech product development approach is a very simple – listen to your customer. Our customers are looking for a technology partner that understands their business problems, is focused on their specific requirements, and can rapidly respond with software and service solutions to assist in managing their Bill of Information.”

SofTech Announces Latest Release: ProductCenter PLM 9.2.0

ProductCenter PLM 9.2.0 Includes New Platform Support, Utilizes HOOPS 3D Exchange Technology from Tech Soft 3D to Integrate with CATIA® V5 and NX™.

SofTech, Inc. (PK: SOFT), a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announces the availability of ProductCenter® PLM version 9.2.0. SofTech’s latest ProductCenter release builds on enhancing the overall user experience and greatly improving user productivity.

This ProductCenter 9.2.0 release includes platform support for the following application integrations: Adobe® FrameMaker® 10; AutoCAD® Electrical 2012; AutoCAD® Mechanical 2012; Autodesk® Inventor® 2012; Oracle® AutoVue® 20.1; SofTech CADRA® 19; CATIA® V5 R20; NX™ 7.5; and SolidWorks® 2011. The ProductCenter Inventor Integrator is an Autodesk Inventor Certified Application and the ProductCenter SolidWorks Integrator is a SolidWorks Gold Partner Product.

With ProductCenter 9.2.0, SofTech utilizes the HOOPS 3D Exchange technology from Tech Soft 3D for integrating with Dassault Systèmes CATIA® V5 and Siemens NX™ 3D solid modeling applications. ProductCenter uses the HOOPS 3D Exchange to traverse through the drawing, assembly and part files, establish how these files are related and create a document hierarchy, which contributes to the ProductCenter “Bill of Information” as the complete product definition.

“Our ProductCenter 9.2.0 release includes updated platform support for ProductCenter’s application integrations and introduces HOOPS 3D Exchange technology from Tech Soft 3D for our CATIA® V5 and NX™ integrations,” states Jay Pappas, ProductCenter Product Manager. “The SofTech product development approach is a very simple – listen to your customer. Our customers are looking for a technology partner that understands their business problems, is focused on their specific requirements, and can rapidly respond with software and service solutions to assist in managing their Bill of Information.”

SofTech Case Study: Fibertek Sets Its Sights with ProductCenter PLM

SofTech, Inc., a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announces its latest ProductCenter® PLM case study featuring Fibertek, Inc. of Herndon, Virginia. Fibertek, Inc. is a leading developer and producer of advanced solid-state lasers and highly sophisticated electro-optical sensor systems for military and aerospace applications.

Initially deployed to integrate Fibertek’s Development and Manufacturing operations, ProductCenter’s use has expanded throughout the organization providing access to critical information. The Engineering, Quality and Finance departments as well as Fibertek’s Management team all rely on ProductCenter to deliver the right information at the right time.

With this implementation, Fibertek, Inc. has achieved the following benefits:

Increased productivity, improved data integrity and streamlined product design and development processes
Early visibility into the product development process, leading to less re-design, fewer change orders and more re-use
Secure control and accurate access to product data significantly improves data management processes and facilitates compliance initiatives

Additionally, by controlling all of the product design and development documentation, ProductCenter will be instrumental in Fibertek’s success with the recent contract award to develop lasers for NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) Observatory mission scheduled to launch in 2016.

For the complete case study on Fibertek, Inc.’s use of ProductCenter, visit the SofTech Web site at http://www.softech.com/plm-customersuccess/?ref=prfi.

Founded in 1983, Fibertek, Inc. produces state-of-the-art lasers and electro-optics systems primarily for the military and aerospace markets. Fibertek specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of advanced diode-pumped solid-state lasers and highly sophisticated electro-optical sensor systems. Fibertek’s pioneering work in electro-optics systems has allowed the company to become a globally-recognized industry leader at the forefront of advanced laser and sensor technology.

SofTech Announces Educational White Paper: The 3 R's of PLM

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Key to Productivity Improvement Initiatives of Global Product Development Companies; Free Educational Briefing Identifies 3 Essential Elements for Justifying a PLM Initiative.

SofTech, Inc, a proven provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions announces the availability of a new educational paper entitled The 3 R’s of PLM. This white paper is geared towards those decision makers in all types of product development companies that are looking to improve business practices, global competitiveness and the bottom line.

In today's competitive global market, companies are implementing PLM to streamline processes, which positively impacts productivity, quality and time to market. Within this white paper, SofTech identifies three essential elements of justifying a PLM initiative, the 3 R’s:

1) Recognize the Need
2) Retain your Intellectual Property
3) Realize the Return on Investment

This paper focuses on the importance of understanding business deficiencies and recognizing areas for improvement to validate the PLM initiative. Additionally, SofTech highlights how PLM provides the foundation for companies to retain and leverage intellectual property and gain the measurable benefits that define the return on investment.

For a complete copy of this PLM briefing and others, including the Top 10 Business Reasons for Implementing PLM, visit http://www.softech.com/whitepapers/?ref=3R for a complimentary download.

Infinia Corporation Powers Up with SofTech's ProductCenter PLM

ProductCenter PLM Implemented to Streamline Infinia’s Development of Clean, Renewable Solar Energy Products.

SofTech, Inc announced that its ProductCenter® PLM solution has been deployed by Infinia Corporation, an energy technology company commercializing the PowerDish™ – a solar power generation product that converts concentrated solar energy into electricity.

Prior to the ProductCenter implementation, Infinia had been maintaining multiple systems to manage its engineering processes. The disparate systems resulted in time consuming process inefficiencies due to manual data re-entry from one system to the next as well as extended user learning curves for Infinia’s diverse applications. Moreover, utilizing multiple systems created challenges in terms of data integrity as version control was complicated and the tracking of implemented changes was limited. Infinia needed one system and the tools to achieve more efficient processes related to Engineering Change Management and New Product Introduction.

In advance of its initial product launch, Infinia recognized that a single PLM solution was the answer to streamlining its processes and managing its product development process from early concept through production. In addition to its low cost of ownership, SofTech’s ProductCenter® PLM was selected for several reasons including its ability to: manage Infinia’s Autodesk® Inventor® and AutoCAD® product design data; capture and automate the engineering change processes; enable electronic Bill of Materials (eBOM) management; and facilitate collaboration with external suppliers - a critical requirement for Infinia.

“We selected SofTech’s ProductCenter PLM solution for its ability to implement quickly and easily as well as its accessibility from a cost perspective for a small to medium-size business. A primary focus of the implementation has been process improvements, which we have achieved with ProductCenter,” states Robert Slaughter, Infinia Corporation’s CIO. “In our search for a PLM solution, we also wanted a vendor that would fully engage and a partner that was invested in our success and the success of their product at our company. SofTech’s partnership has been exactly what we were looking for.”

Infinia had a very tight, forty-five day requirement to get the implementation of ProductCenter completed. The initial implementation of ProductCenter focused on immediately improving Infinia’s management of its design data and engineering change processes. The ProductCenter software was installed, internal and external users were trained and production engineering data was loaded into the system. Using Infinia’s paper Change Request (CR) and Change Notice (CN) forms as a reference, Workflows were implemented allowing Infinia to streamline their processes by including only the tasks and sign offs that were currently required, leaving out obsolete and non-essential legacy tasks.

ProductCenter was also configured to intelligently control the company’s Part and Drawing Number Generation process based on a set of rules designed specifically by Infinia. As a result, the spreadsheets that Infinia had utilized to manage its part numbers could be replaced by automated logic controlled within ProductCenter. Today, Designers generate part numbers, corresponding CAD drawings, parts and assemblies as well as all pertinent attribute information automatically via a single intuitive web interface.

The next steps for ProductCenter at Infinia focus on extending the enterprise. ProductCenter will enhance Infinia’s external supplier and remote manufacturing communication and collaboration by providing early visibility into the product development process through secure access to product information and its reporting capabilities. ProductCenter will also be integrated with Infinia’s ERP and Purchasing Requisition systems to even further improve processes and the release to manufacturing.

“ProductCenter’s use will be expanded to our Utah facility and then extended to our supplier community. We are looking to leverage our success with ProductCenter to this point and bring our external suppliers into the product development process more productively. ProductCenter has made Infinia more efficient and this has been critical to our success,” adds Slaughter.

SofTech Announces Improved Profitability for Fiscal Year 2009 - $9.5 million Revenue

Net Income rises substantially; operating cash flows improve significantly

LOWELL, Mass : SofTech, Inc. (OTCBB: SOFT), a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced financial results for Fiscal Year 2009. Revenue was approximately $9.5 million for fiscal year 2009, as compared to $10.1 million for fiscal year 2008.

Despite the decline in revenue, the Company’s profitability improved substantially, with net income increasing by approximately $1.6 million, from a loss of $306,000 ($.03 per share) in fiscal year 2008, to net income of approximately $1.3 million ($.11 per share) in fiscal year 2009.

Net cash flows from operating activities also improved considerably during fiscal year 2009, increasing approximately $700,000 from $974,000 for fiscal year 2008 to $1.7 million for fiscal year 2009 (a 71% increase). The Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2009 and 2008 is included in the attached Financial Summary.

Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“EBITDA”), a non- GAAP financial measure, increased $200,000, from $2.4 Million in fiscal year 2008 to $2.6 million in fiscal year 2009, (an 8% increase). A reconciliation of EBITDA to Net Income (Loss) is provided on the attached Financial Summary.

The Company’s revenue is derived almost entirely from technology acquisitions completed between 1997 and 2002, and the Company’s operations are not capital intensive. As of May 31, 2009, approximately 1.5% of the Company’s assets represent amortizable intangible assets related to these historical acquisitions. The Company does not anticipate making further acquisitions in the foreseeable future. For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2009, amortization expense (a non-cash expense) related to these intangible assets were approximately 5% of total expenses, 4% of total revenue and 31% of net income. Further, the periods over which these intangible costs are expensed are highly judgmental.

The Company believes that EBITDA is useful supplemental information for investors, when considered along with net income and other income statement data. The Company believes that EBITDA is useful because it provides investors with information concerning the potential longer term profitability of the Company’s technology assets (subsequent to full amortization of costs), as amortization of acquisition costs has been added back to net income in arriving at EBITDA. Further, management believes that EBITDA provides a useful financial metric by which the Company can be compared with other companies that have different capital structures (interest (a cost of capital) has been added back to net income in arriving at EBITDA). It is also management’s belief that this non-GAAP measure of performance continues to be used in the investment community as a financial metric for business valuation purposes.

However, the Company believes that EBITDA is not a substitute for cash flow from operating activities, which is disclosed above and in the Company’s financial statements. Investors should carefully review the financial statements of the Company in their entirety in order to obtain a complete understanding of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

Hayward Tyler, Inc. Selects SofTech’s ProductCenter PLM Solution

ProductCenter PLM Chosen to Improve Business Processes and Facilitate Global Collaboration through Secure Access and Sharing of Product and Contract Information.

LOWELL, Mass. - SofTech, Inc., a provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced that its ProductCenter™ PLM solution has been selected by Hayward Tyler, Inc. of Colchester, Vermont, a leading manufacturer of pumps and motors for the power, oil and gas industries.

As the enterprise solution to integrate Sales, Engineering and Manufacturing, ProductCenter will assist Hayward Tyler in overcoming several business challenges including the requirement for controlled access to all product and contract information to ensure regulatory compliance. Collaboration throughout the organization will be significantly improved by providing the field sales and engineering groups with global, 7x24 access to accelerate the exchange of information and facilitate timely resolution of product and contract related issues.

Additionally, ProductCenter will manage the Sales Quote to Product Order Process as well as the 3D CAD product designs. Automation of the Engineering Change and Drawing Release processes and enabling Engineering to manage the Bill of Material (BOM) will ultimately improve the efficiency of the release to manufacturing process and a downstream integration to Hayward Tyler’s ERP solution will facilitate the exchange of information across the Enterprise.

“Hayward Tyler expects ProductCenter to make a tremendous impact on our data management practices as well as our business processes right out of the gate,” states Chad Thelen, ProductCenter PLM Project Lead. “ProductCenter will facilitate secure access and sharing of product design and contract information throughout our organization and accelerate product development as well as our order quoting and processing efforts.”

SofTech Announces the ProductCenter PLM Discovery Program

A Low-risk Alternative for Evaluating, Justifying and Acquiring a PLM Solution.

LOWELL, Mass - SofTech, Inc., a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announces its ProductCenter™ PLM Discovery Program as a means for companies to achieve the benefits of a PLM solution without the customary uncertainty of whether or not they have invested in the right technology or long term partner.

The program is designed so that in just one week, not months or years, a live PLM solution will be functional using the company’s product data in their own environment. ProductCenter will be tailored to meet the company’s specific requirements and include PLM functionality such as: vaulting and viewing product data; global collaboration; directly managing multi-CAD files from applications such as SolidWorks®, Autodesk® Inventor®, AutoCAD® Mechanical and Electrical, CADRA®, or Microsoft® Office; automating the engineering change process as well as managing the Bill of Materials while achieving the primary objective of managing the complete product definition as the ProductCenter Bill of Information.

“Today’s economic climate is challenging manufacturers to work more efficiently and to promote productivity improvements throughout the organization. Many companies are facing the challenge head on by implementing a PLM solution to manage product data and processes,” states Jean Croteau, SofTech’s President. “Understanding that companies today are in no position to risk valuable dollars on technology investments that may not lend them the expected returns, SofTech is pleased to offer our ProductCenter PLM Discovery Program to companies in search of a PLM solution without the normal risk that is associated with such a decision. Through ProductCenter, companies are able to improve the management of the product Bill of Information, facilitate internal and external collaboration throughout the global enterprise, support standards such as ISO, RoHS or FDA, implement new product development processes and integrate PLM with other critical enterprise applications, such as ERP, MRP, SCM, and CRM systems.”

Croteau goes on to say, “We are confident that this program will not only deliver a practical PLM solution that can manage a company’s entire product lifecycle and improve their business practice efficiencies, but also demonstrate the business partnership that our ProductCenter customers have grown accustomed to. This low-risk ProductCenter PLM Discovery Program allows companies to accelerate the selection process and to prove the justification for a PLM solution.”

SofTech Announces Linux Support with Latest CADRA Release

LOWELL, Mass.- SofTech, Inc., a proven provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) solutions, announced that its latest CADRA® 2008 CAD/CAM release supports the Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS Version 4 operating system.

SofTech’s CADRA solution is a full-featured mechanical design and drafting program designed to significantly increase mechanical drawing production. Since 1983, CADRA CAD/CAM solutions have successfully helped thousands of mechanical manufacturing companies around the world achieve significant improvements in design productivity and product quality. These companies rely on CADRA solutions to help them design and manufacture a wide range of mechanical parts, products, and machinery in almost every industry.

“With long term support already offered for Microsoft® Windows®, Sun Solaris™ and HP-UX operating systems, this new CADRA release expands support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, giving CADRA customers another choice for their preferred OS,” states Jean Croteau, SofTech’s President. “SofTech prides itself on being responsive to our customers’ requirements and is proud to continue delivering software solutions that enhance our customers’ product productivity, profitability and competitive effectiveness.”

For more information on the CADRA solution, please visit SofTech’s CADRA Intelligent Design and Drafting section for complimentary brochures and datasheets.

About SofTech, Inc.

SofTech, Inc. (OTCBB: SOFT) is a proven provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions with its flagship ProductCenter™ PLM solution, and its computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) products, including CADRA® and Prospector™.

SofTech's solutions accelerate products and profitability by fostering innovation, extended enterprise collaboration, product quality improvements, and compressed time-to-market cycles. SofTech excels in its sensible approach to delivering enterprise PLM solutions, with comprehensive out-of-the-box capabilities, to meet the needs of manufacturers of all sizes quickly and cost-effectively.

Over 100,000 users benefit from SofTech solutions, including General Electric Company, Goodrich, Honeywell, Siemens, Sikorsky Aircraft, U.S. Army, and Whirlpool Corporation. Headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts, SofTech ( www.softech.com) has locations and distribution partners throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

SofTech, CADRA, ProductCenter and Prospector are trademarks of SofTech, Inc. All other products or company references are the property of their respective holders.