Invistics, a manufacturing performance management (MPM) software company, has received a $500,000 Phase II-B grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“We are honored to receive this grant from the National Science Foundation. The NSF understands that technological innovation drives business results,” said Invistics President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Geller. “This grant will help us work with our customers to transform their factories into ‘world class operations’ where they can focus on continuous improvements and enhancing profits.”

Invistics Flow Path Management System (FPMS) is a MPM solution that helps companies with factory performance. Manufacturers use FPMS to identify, optimize and implement the operating policies to achieve their performance objectives.

The Phase II-B grant monies from the NSF will go toward a 12-month project where Invistics will collaborate with manufacturing veterans, operations research scholars, and professors from Georgia Tech, Duke University, MIT and the University of Alabama.

“These research efforts will further advance the development of our software and the specific optimization algorithms for manufacturing excellence,” said Tom Knight, chairman and chief strategy officer for Invistics, “enabling our customers to continuously improve operational efficiency and tie directly to customer demand.”

In 2001, the NSF awarded Invistics a Phase I grant to conduct research and develop advanced optimization algorithms in conjunction with MIT and Georgia Tech. A year later, the NSF awarded a follow-on Phase II grant to Invistics.

This new grant is part of the NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research Program and Invistics is one of only three companies in the country to receive a grant of this magnitude. Organizations submitting an initial proposal into the Phase I stage have approximately a two percent chance of achieving this Phase II-B level.

“During the rigorous NSF review process, the evaluation panel was impressed with Invistics’ proven approach and application for accelerating manufacturing performance and the economic impact it can bring to the manufacturing marketplace,” stated Cheryl Albus, program manager for the NSF. “The Invistics solution capitalizes on innovative mathematical techniques that advance the knowledge base of operational research for the benefits of complex manufacturers.”

Invistics: www.invistsics.com