COSTA MESA, Calif.--SYSPRO, a leading enterprise business solutions provider, has announced that SYSPRO customer Airflow Research has been named a winner of the Managing Automation Progressive Manufacturing 50 Award.

The awards program recognizes manufacturers that are being progressive in their businesses, in the management of their operations and in their use of advanced technologies. The Progressive Manufacturing 50 Awards Program recognizes 50 companies that have achieved distinction in at least one of the eight core disciplines defined by Managing Automation as critical to business success in the years ahead. These disciplines include: Business Model Mastery, Customer Mastery, Supply Network Mastery, Data & Integration Mastery, Innovation Mastery, Training & Education Mastery, Leadership (new), and Operational Excellence (new). Airflow Research won in Operational Excellence category.

Project nominations were reviewed by an independent judging panel chaired by David Brousell, Editor-in-Chief, Managing Automation. Judges included Tim Carroll, Vice President, Supply Chain Operations, IBM Integrated Supply Chain; Douglas A. Engel, Vice Chairman and U.S. Manufacturing Industry Practice Leader, Deloitte; Paul E. Martin, Global Chief Information Officer, Rexam; Haider Nazar, CEO, Kemco Manufacturing; Ann Grackin, CEO, ChainLink Research; Eric Middelstadt, CEO, The National Council of Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM); Maureen Steinwall, President, Steinwall Inc.

Judges evaluated and scored nominated projects based on the following criteria: project scope, business impact, customer impact, technology use and scale. Progressive Manufacturing 50 winners were the companies receiving the highest total scores.

Airflow Research Heads Inc. (AFR), based in Santa Clarita, Calif., is a leader in cylinder head manufacturing and flow dynamics. Two years ago, Airflow selected SYSPRO enterprise software to control the flow of product through the factory and maintain product delivery schedules.

Airflow utilizes SYSPRO modules to manage its Manufacturing, Accounting and Distribution operations.

In addition the AFR sales department uses the SYSPRO Product Configuratior to customize the specific heads to meet customers’ needs for various levels of performance. Dedicated terminals at each CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) shop work center are connected to the central server through a custom DNC interface specifically developed by SYSPRO USA. Bar code labels on each individual head are scanned at succeeding work centers to provide real time WIP (Work in Process) tracking using the SYSPRO APS system.

In addition, the DNC interface is connected to AFR’s CNC programming library. Each time a job is scanned, checks determine whether the right program is loaded into the machine control, and, if not, the correct program is called up to prevent machine crashes and scrapped parts.

The DNC interface tracks the actual time used to complete the machining cycle and also provides operational results, such as the quantity completed, scrap or repair and further outside processing required. Additionally, it sends an email notification to the production department for anything other than a successfully completed operation so that further action can be taken in a timely manner to correct any deficiencies.

Stock code files and the DNC work centers enable the transfer of inventory directly to the individual jobs during the manufacturing cycle. This provides complete inventory accountability for each work order. By automating the transferring of inventory stock transactions for the 5,000 sets of cylinder heads normally produced in a year, the possibility of manually produced errors is eliminated.

SYSPRO CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is used exclusively by the AFR sales department personnel for all customer transactions. Direct links to the SYSPRO WIP Query and Sales Order Query screens enable sales personnel to track the actual progress of jobs through the shop, allowing them to directly answer customer delivery questions over the phone.

The Progressive Manufacturing 50 awards will be presented at the Progressive Manufacturing Awards Gala Dinner to be held on the final day of the 2007 Progressive Manufacturing Summit, June 12-14, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas. In addition to presenting the awards to the Progressive Manufacturing 50 winners, Managing Automation will also announce at the High Achievers in each of the 8 disciplines as well as the 2007 Progressive Manufacturer of the Year.

“These companies exemplify the best in manufacturing,” explained David R. Brousell, Editor-in-Chief of Managing Automation. “They are developing new ways of building products, bringing those products to market, and managing the relationships they need to succeed. They are masters of new ways of thinking about their companies, applying advanced technologies and achieving breakthroughs in the business of manufacturing.”

About Managing Automation

Managing Automation, published by Thomas Publishing Company, LLC, provides a complete set of decision-support informational tools for progressive manufacturers – companies who are using information and automation technologies to transform their businesses and create a sustainable competitive advantage. Its monthly magazine, website, information technology comparison and match database, and executive conferences reach the entire integrated technology buying team – executives, line-of-business managers and IT management – at every stage of the technology buying process. Additional information can be found at www.managingautomation.com.

About SYSPRO

Since its inception in 1978, SYSPRO has been delivering state-of-the-art business solutions to some of the world's leading companies. As a global leader in the production of world-class ERP software, the company now caters to the specialized needs of 12,000 licensed companies in more than 60 countries worldwide. SYSPRO is marketed globally through regional territory distribution centers and a global reseller network in the US, Canada, Africa, Asia Pacific, Australia and the UK.

SYSPRO is a fully integrated business software solution that provides complete control over the planning and management of all facets of business including accounting, manufacturing and distribution operations in a variety of industries.

For more information, contact Stanley Goodrich at 1-714-437-1000 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Airflow Research is located in Santa Clarita, Calif. The telephone is: (661) 257-8124. For more information, please go to: www.airflowresearch.com.

For additional information on SYSPRO, go to www.syspro.com.