xPLM Solution Takes Advantage of Special Membership for PLM Start-Ups

Darmstadt, June 2005 - With it's special "PLM Start-Up" member-ship, which was introduced early 2004, the ProSTEP iViP Association has been making it easier for young, innovative companies involved in the field of product lifecycle management to gain access to the Association's international network of users and system vendors.

The company xPLM Solution GmbH & Co. KG, which was founded in April 2005 and has its headquarters in Dresden, is now taking advantage of this special membership offer. xPLM Solution is an independent provider of PLM/CAD/ERP integration solutions and provides a comprehensive range of services relating to the planning and realization of PLM projects.

"Active participation in the ProSTEP iViP Association ensures access to technical standards and provides the option of helping to shape these standards. The documented know-how, participation in conferences and projects and the dialog between specialists are important sources of information that allow software vendors and service providers to create efficient product and development strategies," says Karl Wachtel, Managing Director of XPLM Solutions. "The Association also has its own publications and organizes various special events, which provide us with a wonderful opportunity to present a clear and comprehensive picture of what our company has to offer."

The Association's new member is planning to participate in the Extended Product Data Integration and Collaborative Product Visualization projects. The Extended Product Data Integration project is responsible for developing the internationally recognized and standardized Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Services. The objective of the Collaborative Product Visualization project is to promote and harmonize the exchange of visualization data.

About xPLM Solution GmbH & Co. KG

xPLM Solution GmbH & Co. KG is an independent provider of PLM-related services and innovative PLM integration solutions. Founded in April 2005, this young and dynamic company provides a comprehensive range of services related to the planning and realization of PLM projects. xPLM Solution develops software components for the integration of PLM, CAD, ERP, CRM and MS-Office systems. All integration solutions are based on a common integration platform with standardized, system-specific connectors, which, in many cases, can be reused. This results in highly functional, cost-effective solutions for the customer. The founding team at xPLM Solution provides a solid foundation for the successful execution of PLM projects. The company's 16 employees represent over 200 years of experience in the field of PLM. The range and depth of integration expertise and know-how that the company has to offer is unique. The company's managing directors, Matthias Gubsch, Rolf Pfenning and Karl Wachtel, as well as xPLM Solution's the other employees, were previously employed at one of the world's leading PLM companies.

Further information (in German) at www.xplm.com

About the ProSTEP iViP Association

The ProSTEP iViP Association is an international branch-specific community comprising leading companies in the automotive and aerospace industries, system vendors and research institutes. The aim of the ProSTEP iViP Association is to find solutions for the challenges facing the manufacturing industry as a result of networked collaboration in a worldwide development network.

A concept based on a coherent, cross-organizational and cross-domain view of data, processes and systems provides a solid foundation for meeting these challenges. The Association's five main areas of focus reflect this approach: process management, sys-tem integration, product data standardization, engineering collaboration and knowledge transfer.

The ProSTEP iViP Association is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, and was founded in October 1993 by 38 industrial companies and a number of system vendors as part of the Ger-man STEP initiative. Members of the ProSTEP iViP Association currently include almost 200 companies and organizations from 17 nations.

www.prostep.org