CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
17 May 2004
Implementation Investments
Renaissance Services Receives Air Force Contract to Implement Product Lifecycle Management
Renaissance Services formally launched its contract with the US Air Force for the e-LINCS program. e-LINCS-the Electronic Industry-wide Network for Characteristics & Specifications-combines advanced information technologies with web-based delivery to enable the efficient interpretation and flow of complex design engineering data. e-LINCS is focused on military organizations and companies throughout the aerospace and defense supply chain. The contract with the Air Force Research Laboratories, Manufacturing Technology Division ( http://www.afrl.af.mil ) represents the first phase of an anticipated multi-year, multi-million dollar effort.
Renaissance Services co-founders Dan Z. Sokol and Robert E. Morris have extensive experience in information technologies and the aerospace industry. They saw a niche that was underserved by existing approaches to the management and flow of technical data.
"Our experience and research have shown that a large percentage of the cost of quality is driven by misunderstanding and misinterpretation of specifications and other aspects of design intent," said Sokol. "Through e-LINCS, we plan to eliminate a lot of these problems."
While Renaissance Services is the lead for e-LINCS, Morris emphasized that the program is a team effort. "We've assembled a very strong team that includes Dayton-based Cohesia Corporation, Cincinnati-based TechSolve, and AT&T Government Solutions. An important feature of the program is a regional pilot involving local producers of aerospace components. The pilot will demonstrate the technology by fully engaging the local companies and their current and potential customers."
Eagle Tool & Machine Co., ( http://www.eagletmc.com/ ) of Springfield is joined by Ferco Tech ( http://www.fercotech.com/ ) of Franklin as the regional participants. Bill Brougher, President of Eagle Tool commented, "As a producer of landing gear components, we deal with very complex technical data from military customers and prime contractors every day. The e-LINCS solution will make this data more understandable, improving our communications, and making us more productive and competitive."
To ensure applicability of the e-LINCS technology across the supply chain, Renaissance Services will establish an advisory board comprised of senior officials from government, industry, and academia. Bill Lewandowski, Vice President of Supplier Management for the Aerospace Industries Association ( http://www.aia-aerospace.org ) is a charter member of the advisory board. According to Lewandowski, "e-LINCS takes a unique view of the aerospace supply chain. The program has a holistic perspective, but it truly considers the needs of the suppliers, who account for as much as 70% of the value-added content of a typical aerospace system. By focusing on the suppliers, e-LINCS is at the heart of global competitiveness for the US aerospace industry."
Renaissance Services provides advanced technology and services to companies engaged in the design and manufacture of engineered products.
Renaissance is a pioneer in the approach of managing detailed product characteristics as part of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). Renaissance is teamed with a number of software companies that are addressing various parts of this PLM vision. The company is headquartered in Springfield, Ohio. Visit the Renaissance web site at http://www.ren-services.com
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