Press Releases

New bom.com Functionality Improves Component and Supplier Management

Features Offer Insight into Key Analytics and Enable Strategic Sourcing Throughout Development

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., December 3, 2001 — bom.com, the first company to provide web-native software that enables collaborative product development around a bill-of-materials (BOM) framework, today introduced new functions that improve cost and sourcing analytics. These features enable hardware design and manufacturing businesses to streamline the management of complex supply chain information and make strategic sourcing decisions throughout the development process. The web-native architecture of the bom.com application means that all customers enjoy immediate access to these new features as part of their current subscriptions.

“In order to stay competitive in today’s markets, hardware manufacturers require better sourcing capabilities earlier in product development,” said Michael Topolovac, chief executive officer and co-founder of bom.com. “Many companies cobble together a combination of manual systems and MRP tools that generally do a poor job at offering early visibility into product costs and tracking detailed sourcing information. bom.com gives companies a strategic advantage by providing an easy-to-use application tailored for managing complex design chains - and complex design processes - from the earliest stages of development.”

The new bom.com functions improve component and supplier management (CSM) by allowing users to capture additional cost and sourcing data and gain early visibility into volume requirements, detailed cost estimates, target margins and other information needed to make strategic sourcing decisions. Specific benefits include:

• Complete purchasing history: bom.com users can now capture and view the complete purchase history for any item they manage in bom.com - even when that history extends across multiple suppliers. Users can leverage these buying histories by automatically extracting all the information needed to repurchase an item in a single click.
• Complex supply chain relationship management: New enhancements enable bom.com users to capture supply chain information with greater accuracy. For each item, users identify a procurement type of either “made-to-specification” or “off-the-shelf”And then create source relationships to reflect whether the item is purchased directly from the manufacturer or indirectly via a vendor. The application also lets users identify each source relationship as “approved” or “potential,” giving engineers the flexibility to explore possible sources while allowing purchasing managers to retain control over which relationships are used for purchases.
• Improved cost analysis: bom.com users now have a choice of using quotes or purchase histories for the cost roll-ups automatically calculated by the application. Another new feature lets users specify a resale price and set standard and target costs for items. They can instantly compare the resulting target margins to current projected margins.
• Instant sourcing analytics: In a single click, bom.com users can distill a complex, multi-level BOM into a flat list of items that clearly delineates how much of an assembly has been sourced. Users can instantly see which items require purchasing and, of these, which need suppliers confirmed. This knowledge offers insight into the accuracy of current cost estimates and development timelines. In another click, users can sort items by cost to immediately view the most expensive parts within the BOM for both prototype and production runs. These functions position bom.com users to make strategic sourcing decisions.

Pricing and Availability
The new purchasing and sourcing functionality is offered as part of the bom.com application and is available immediately at no additional cost to bom.com customers. Customers must already have a bom.com account, which is available for an annual prepaid subscription of $1000 per user with no set-up or installation fees. Customers can access bom.com from any computer with a web browser; there is no traditional software to buy, install, maintain or upgrade. New customers can sign up by visiting the company’s web site at www.arenasolutions.com or by calling the sales department toll-free at 866.937.1438.

About Arena Solutions
Arena Solutions is the leading provider of on–demand (SaaS) product lifecycle management solutions for manufacturing companies of all sizes. As the only true on–demand, secure Internet–based PLM service, Arena PLM provides a superior alternative to complicated, lengthy and expensive traditional PLM software deployments. Through its award–winning service, Arena enables product manufacturers and their global supply chains to streamline outsourcing, improve operational efficiencies, and speed time–to–market. Arena PLM has been adopted by more than 15,000 users across companies at all stages of development, including industry leaders Foundry Networks, Color Kinetics, Intuit, Sierra Wireless, Align Technology and more.

Arena Solutions’ market–changing approach to PLM has received significant recognition in the industry, including Manufacturing Business Technology’s Top 40 Emerging Vendors, the Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100, Industry Week’s “Technology of the Year – Notable Innovators” and Start Magazine’s “Hottest” Companies.

Founded in February 2000, Arena Solutions is headquartered in Foster City, California. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.arenasolutions.com.

Contact:
Cindi Goodsell
cgoodsell@arenasolutions.com
1.510.479.9015

Arena PLM is a trademark of Arena Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names are the property of their respective holders.