Press release

2005-06-23

GE Healthcare launches a new global configurator solution from Tacton

GE Healthcare is launching a global configurator solution, which will significantly improve sales efficiency and reduce lead times. This offers customized products with the same production benefits as standard products by using Tacton's configurator solution.

GE Healthcare is a part of the General Electric Company and is one of the world's leading suppliers in the field of medical technology, biomedicine and associated services. The company has decided to replace its existing solution for the configuration of large-scale chromatography systems - apparatus used for purifying biopharmaceuticals - with the Tacton Configurator.

The GE Healthcare sales force will be able to use the new configurator from Tacton to design customized systems in consultation with their customers without requiring any input from the engineers at headquarters. The configurator will ensure that the customer finds an optimal solution in relation to his or her needs, and it will eliminate inappropriate or incorrect solutions at the same time.

The result of the configuration is displayed in real-time as a 3D image that can be rotated and zoomed in. This provides the customer's production engineers with the opportunity to determine whether the system is optimally configured, as early as the offer stage, which facilitates the decision process for the customer. The 3D components and the application were supplied by Animech.

Details of products, components and prices are taken from the existing PDM (Product Data Management) system at GE Healthcare, where all product data is also maintained. The sales force enters the orders electronically from the configurator into the PDM system, which then channels the order to the company's factories.

"At the same time as we achieve a significant reduction in lead times, we will now also be able to offer fully customized solutions with the same advantages as standard products, and at the same selling costs. We hope to see increased sales in return," says Lone Poulsen, Product Area Manager in the BioProcess Columns & Systems Division of GE Healthcare.

The configurator solution will be used initially by GE Healthcare's approximately 150-strong sales force all over the world.

"When this solution is rolled out, we will introduce Tacton's configurator to other product areas," adds Lone Poulsen.

"It is very inspiring to be involved in the development of an application which transfers knowledge so effectively from headquarters out to the sales force and our customers. We have demonstrated that cutting-edge technology can be transformed into structural capital with the help of a sales configurator, even in an area as advanced as bioengineering," says Christer Wallberg, CEO of Tacton Systems AB.

Further information:
Christer Wallberg, CEO, Tacton Systems AB. tel: +46 8 690 07 50, e-mail: christer.wallberg@tacton.com.

About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare (www.gehealthcare.com) provides transformational medical technologies that are shaping a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and helping physicians tailor treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients with conditions such as cancer, neurological and cardiovascular diseases.
GE Healthcare is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.

About Tacton Systems
Tacton Systems AB (www.tacton.com) develops and sells embeddable software for sales configuration. Customers including Ericsson, ABB, Getinge, Cardo Door, Norstan and FläktWoods use Tacton's configurator solutions to sell their tailor-made, complex products effectively both off-line and on-line. Tacton's configurator can be integrated with surrounding systems and has standard integrations with many leading e-commerce, ERP, CRM, PDM, PLM and CAD systems.