The Advanced Technology Institute’s Managed Program PRO FORGE II Saves an Estimated $110 Million for U.S. Military

For Immediate Release April 30, 2007

Charleston, SC - The project code named “PRO FORGE” is the Advanced Technology Institute’s solution for assisting Original Equipment Manufacturers such as Sikorsky with innovative forging design and buying practices. The first PRO FORGE team was deployed at Sikorsky Aircraft’s main plant in Stratford, Connecticut. The projected savings are based on a 20 year production run with $92,000 saved on each of 1,400 aircraft produced. As of April 1, 2007 Sikorsky Aircraft’s PRO FORGE Team will continue on its own applying the process to other Sikorsky Aircraft helicopters. The PRO FORGE Process includes four concurrently developed and deployed elements: Team Development, Process Management, Training, and Benchmarking. PRO FORGE also invokes technical and enterprise developments under an ATI-led program funded by the Defense Logistics Agency and cost shared by the US forging industry. Examples of these developments include: the National Forging Tooling Database, Dynamic Partnering, Job Shop Lean, FORGE-IT problem solving processes, rapid tooling, and computer simulation. The PRO FORGE process integrates elements of these other projects to improve forging supply chains. The Advanced Technology Institute builds international consortia to develop and implement innovative solutions for manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, maritime, metals, and healthcare industries. ATI-led collaborations attract world-class talent from premier companies, universities, and government agencies, to define technology roadmaps and research portfolios matched to business demands that provide the requisite resources to solve shared challenges. ATI’s partners report improved market transition and return on investment with reduced risk. These practical business benefits enable the downstream economic and social benefits of the new technologies – such as safety, affordability, manufacturing competitiveness, environmental protection, and energy conservation. A private, non-profit research corporation with principal operations in Charleston, SC, ATI is an affiliate of SCRA. For more information on ARINC, visit www.arinc.com

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