NEWS RELEASE
December 19, 2003
Note to Journalists: A publication-quality photograph of Karthik Ramani, Purdue University PRECISE director, and his
student viewing one of ToolingNET's information technology tools is available at
http://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/imaginestics.tool.jpeg
Research Park firm puts more advanced manufacturing assistance online
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue Research Park company announced today (Friday,
12/19) the launch of ToolingNET, an online marketplace designed to help Indiana's industrial tooling
and equipment industry stay competitive.
The first two "communities" within the project's Web site (http://www.toolingnet.org) have
been created for the state's metal-casting and plastics manufacturing industries.
"Now these Indiana industries can gain access to the most current technologies and training
developed by Indiana's leading educational institutions and technology companies," said Nainesh
Rathod, president of Imaginestics, the venture acting as project manager for the state initiative.
Funded by the Indiana 21st Century Fund IV, ToolingNET was developed by a consortium of
educational, industrial and association partners including: Imaginestics; the Purdue Research and
Education Center for Information Systems in Engineering (PRECISE), acting as the primary research
entity for the project; Purdue University; three other educational institutions (Vincennes University,
Tri-State University and Ivy Tech State College); and more than 25 industrial partners, among them
Caterpillar Inc., ALCOA Inc., Lear Corp., Global Plastics, Landis+Gyr, and Metal Technologies Inc.
Indiana manufacturers can use ToolingNET to find an expert; share tips and tricks; use breakthrough technologies in the metal-casting and plastics industries; take online classes from participating
educational institutions; post requests for quotes, online forums and surveys; and use collaborative and
product data management software tools, which would be cost-prohibitive if unsubsidized.
"Although Indiana has a strong manufacturing heritage and industrial base, the state has been
losing significant market share to neighboring states and foreign countries," said Joseph Hornett, senior
vice president and treasurer of the Purdue Research Foundation. "ToolingNET is one more way Purdue
is assisting both large manufacturers and small operations, such as die and molding shops and
foundries, with the technology resources and information technology tools they need to stay
competitive."
… more …
Purdue Technology Center • 3000 Kent Avenue • West Lafayette, IN 47906 • (765) 494-8645
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Purdue Research Park News
Sam Lombard, president of Indiana Precision Plastics in Williamsport, Ind., said, "We have
already gained tremendous benefit from ToolingNET. We had early access to innovative mold design
technology that enabled us to apply the segmented mold approach to our designs and reduce our
tooling cost by over 50 percent."
ToolingNET applies the latest advanced manufacturing techniques learned from research
conducted at PRECISE. Started with funding from the state of Indiana and the National Science
Foundation, the center was established to develop information technology applications necessary to
make customer-driven manufacturing productive.
"ToolingNET is well on its way to becoming a sustainable resource for the state," said
Karthik Ramani, Purdue professor and PRECISE director. "As a result of industry partnerships formed
through ToolingNET, we have developed several information science-based technologies relevant to
the modernization of Indiana's design and manufacturing sectors.
"We've got to help Indiana's manufacturers make their products better, cheaper and faster,
because if they capture just 1 percent of manufacturing work from neighboring states, they will bring in
an additional $180 million in revenue."
Founded in December 2002, Imaginestics is a privately held software and services company
with headquarters at the Purdue Research Park that specializes in knowledge-based systems for the
manufacturing and life sciences industry. Imaginestics' mission is to unleash the power of existing
engineering and manufacturing systems through an integrated product suite that taps companies' past
and present knowledge and optimizes their future development.
Purdue Research Park encompasses 591 acres in West Lafayette and is home to the largest
university-affiliated, state-of-the-art business incubator facility in the nation. Within the park, 104
businesses, of which 58 are high-tech, employ more than 2,200 people.
jsp/Imaginestics.tool
Writer: Jeanine Phipps, media relations, Purdue Research Park, (765) 494-0748, jsphipps@purdueresearchfoundation.org
Sources:
Nainesh Rathod, (765) 464-1700 x 111, nainesh.rathod@imaginestics.com
Joseph Hornett, (765) 494-8645, jbhornett@purdueresearchfoundation.org
Karthik Ramani, (765) 494-5725, ramani@ecn.purdue.edu
Related Web sites:
Purdue Research Park: http://www.purdueresearchpark.com
Imaginestics LLC: http://www.imaginestics.com
ToolingNET: http://www.toolingnet.org
Purdue Research and Education Center for Information Systems in Engineering (PRECISE):
http://tools.ecn.purdue.edu/~cise/
PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue University Professor Karthik Ramani and his student Joon Hong, view one of ToolingNET's
information technology tools being developed at the Purdue Research and Education Center for
Information Systems in Engineering (PRECISE), where Ramani is director. ToolingNET is a
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Purdue Research Park News
collaborative, online marketplace launched in December to help Indiana's industrial tooling and
equipment industry stay competitive. (Photo/Dave Umberger).
A publication-quality photo is available at http://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/imaginestics.tool.jpeg