Arena Solutions Takes Major Step to Accelerate PLM Adoption; Announces Free Workgroup Edition of Its Industry-Leading PLM Solution

Arena Solutions Takes Major Step to Accelerate PLM Adoption; Announces Free Workgroup Edition of Its Industry-Leading PLM Solution New Workgroup Product Builds on Arena's Mission of Making On-Demand PLM Available, Accessible and Affordable To Companies and Teams of All Sizes MENLO PARK, Calif., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Arena Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of on-demand Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), today announced a major initiative to accelerate adoption and use of PLM among manufacturing and design teams of every size. In a first for the PLM industry, the company now offers Arena PLM Workgroup Edition, an entry-level version of its industry-leading PLM solution, at no cost for the first year. Organizations can request Workgroup Edition immediately via the company's web site, www.arenasolutions.com. Designed for teams of five or fewer, Workgroup Edition is built on the same on-demand PLM infrastructure as Arena PLM Professional Edition, the company's comprehensive, best-in-class PLM offering for larger companies and development teams. Offering full-featured product record management functionality bundled with online tutorials, sample data sets and full customer support, customers can go live within hours on Arena PLM Workgroup Edition. "Arena Solutions continues to deliver on our vision to make PLM pervasive in companies at every stage of development," said Michael Topolovac, Chief Executive Officer of Arena Solutions. "In overcoming traditional software implementation risks and cost of ownership obstacles with our on-demand delivery model, we're confident that we've removed traditional barriers to adoption. We know that no one else in the market can streamline the registration, deployment and go live processes as rapidly and securely as Arena." The appetite for on-demand PLM solutions continues to grow. Kevin O'Marah of AMR Research recently noted, "Two big trends meet in Arena Solutions' business strategy: PLM as the technology infrastructure to improve product innovation processes and on-demand software delivery as a way to minimize upfront risk for buyers. (...) The problem for cynics who slogged through multiyear client/server Product Data Management (PDM) implementations in the late 1990s is that the pain of getting started has been overwhelming. Arena has attacked the problem at its root using Web architectures and single instance software. Arena has proven that on demand and PLM are real, and that many companies can approach PLM with an expectation of strong Return on Investment (ROI) and minimal disruption to daily operations while getting started."* Companies of all sizes recognize PLM as a mission-critical business application given today's increased competition, pressure to reduce costs, and desire to accelerate time to market. Traditionally, the high cost and complexity of implementing and using client/server PLM applications has been a major obstacle to adoption, especially for smaller teams. With Arena Solutions' on-demand delivery model and its new Workgroup Edition, even start-ups at the earliest stages can immediately begin to realize the benefits of PLM. "With Workgroup Edition, Arena has effectively addressed our need for product revision control and streamlined communication with suppliers," said Jaskarn Johal, Engineering Director for Threshold Corporation. "We went live within six hours of registration, and in the process of uploading BOMs, detected product discrepancies that had not been apparent in our previous Excel-based manual process. Adopting Workgroup Edition was an obvious choice, enabling us to implement PLM best practices far earlier in our company's development than we would have and generating material cost savings, before we go to production." Ron Goodall, OVP of SpeedInfo says, "As a young company planning for success and aggressive growth, it was absolutely imperative that we implement PLM discipline from the start. To be competitive, we must concurrently engineer our products with manufacturing and design partners all over the world. With its web based on-demand delivery and ease of use, Arena was absolutely the only choice for us. With no up-front investment, and very minimal training time, we are up and running on Arena PLM and poised for the rapid growth ahead." Designed to help early stage companies and small product teams within large companies, Arena's Workgroup Edition provides core PLM functionality for managing the complete product record. These features include core product definition capabilities, document version control and basic supplier access that enable companies to implement PLM best practices for managing product data in real-time and collaborating with global supply chains. Detailed product definition features include item and BOM management, supplier management, document vaulting and costing. Arena will provide full support options for Workgroup that parallel the best-in-class support options available with Arena PLM Professional Edition. Following the one-year free subscription period, Workgroup Edition can be renewed for $2500 per year for up to five users. Arena PLM Workgroup Edition also offers a turnkey upgrade path to Arena PLM Professional Edition. Companies that require more advanced functionality around business processes, such as change management workflows, request and issue tracking, advanced reporting and analysis, CAD and ERP integration, advanced supplier access, or more user licenses for larger teams, can upgrade to Professional Edition, the most-frequently chosen PLM system on the market today. About Arena Solutions Arena Solutions is the fastest-growing product lifecycle management (PLM) provider, offering the industry's only on-demand PLM solution. Unlike client/server applications, which are costly and cumbersome to deploy, Arena PLM is delivered over the Internet as a secure, rapidly deployed service, for a substantially lower cost of ownership. Arena enables outsourcing, increases operational efficiencies and speeds time-to-market for product manufacturers that are managing complex products and global, outsourced supply chains. Offering the broadest suite of on-demand PLM solutions on the market today -- Arena PLM Workgroup Edition for entry-level PLM and Arena PLM Professional Edition for full-featured, advanced PLM needs -- Arena enables pervasive adoption of PLM across companies at all stages of development. Founded in February 2000, Arena Solutions is based in Menlo Park, California. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.arenasolutions.com. About Threshold Corporation Threshold Corporation, a privately held corporation, is located in Santa Rosa California. Threshold Corporation is helping consumers realize the full potential of their home connectivity by providing an interactive, easy-to-use line of home server products that simplify network setup, maximize the usefulness and ultimately will enhance the quality of life for consumers in the Digital Home. Threshold develops and markets a comprehensive line of home server products and peripherals that will change the way users utilize their home networking. For more information contact Josie Brandis, 707-545-7600 or visit the company's web site at www.threshold-corporation.com. About SpeedInfo SpeedInfo has developed a state-of-the-art traffic monitoring and driver information system, providing drivers with a color digital map in their car, updated continuously, that shows traffic speeds on every major highway in the area. At a glance, drivers can see current traffic conditions and pick the best way to go. By supplementing public traffic speed information with data from speed sensors, traffic data reaches commercial quality standards. This latest technology allows SpeedInfo to cut costs and create the first affordable system for drivers in their car. SpeedInfo, a privately held corporation, is located in Cupertino, CA. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.speedinfo.com. * AMR Research, "Arena Solutions Proves PLM Can Be Quick, Cheap, and Almost Painless", Kevin O'Marah, June 10, 2004 NOTE: Arena Solutions, Arena PLM, Product Arena, Sourcing & Costing Arena, and Integration Arena are trademarks of Arena Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names are the property of their respective holders. Source: Arena Solutions, Inc. CONTACT: media, Pam Kostka, VP, Marketing, of Arena Solutions, +1-650-687-3538, or pkostka@arenasolutions.com; or Aparna Aswani of Neale-May & Partners, +1-650-328-5555, ext. 132, or aaswani@nealemay.com, for Arena Solutions Web site: http://www.threshold-corporation.com/ Web site: http://www.arenasolutions.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment