Latest release of Infor PLM Optiva dramatically reduces time to market

Infor has announced availability of the latest version of Infor PLM Optiva, the product lifecycle management solution designed to meet the unique needs of process industries, including food and beverage, home and personal care and specialty chemical manufacturers. 

This latest release enables process manufacturers worldwide to rapidly respond to market demand for their products by streamlining the business processes that support product innovation.  The new features improve operational efficiency across the enterprise, allowing manufacturers to significantly reduce time to market. 

Features in the new version of Optiva include new user interfaces, regulatory compliance authoring and management capabilities, and SOA-enablement that seamlessly extends business processes across the value chain to drive collaboration.  With these features, companies can benefit from improved data sharing and increased profitability, while remaining industry and government compliant.

"Optiva is a business-specific PLM solution that enables customers to quickly adapt internal and extended enterprise processes - from concept to commercialisation," said Rory Granros, Infor's director of industry and product marketing for Process Industries.  "The result is faster time-to-market for new products, higher product success rates and, ultimately, additional profitable revenue streams."

According to industry analysts, the need for better design and project collaboration is driving the adoption of product lifecycle management solutions.  This is due in large part to the fact that nearly two-thirds of all manufacturing costs associated with taking a product to market are determined during the concept and design stage of a product's life cycle.  Companies need to design products in a way that optimises manufacturing functions while assuring the best cost, quality and regulatory compliance.

"Isolated design decisions can have distressing impacts on a company's profitability," wrote Roy C. Wildeman, Senior Analyst, in Design for Manufacturability Becomes a Reality, Forrester Research, Inc., March 2007.  "At the very start of the design process, product teams need to quickly establish a design strategy that incorporates manufacturability concerns."

Optiva can help companies successfully support design for manufacturing practices by providing enhanced visibility for improved collaboration, coordination, and analysis throughout the design process. 

The solution enables food and beverage, home and personal care and specialty chemical companies to dramatically reduce the risks associated with new product innovation, such as time and cost.  Customers can significantly increase agility and flexibility to dynamically manage changes more efficiently and effectively, and identify new revenue streams through product extensions and market expansion.

Optiva's redesigned user interfaces (UI) enhance ease of use, decrease training time and improve productivitiy. Configurable layouts allow users to customise the screens and improve access to information across the extended enterprise.

To better manage regulatory compliance, Optiva now includes authoring enhancements that allow companies to reduce the time and costs associated with the generation and management of Material Safety Data Sheets and Hazard Labels.  Optiva is automatically updated with industry and government regulatory rules, which helps manufacturers reduce their compliance and maintenance costs.