Frost & Sullivan Award for Memex Automation’s MERLIN

/in

November 4, 2013.  Memex Automation, a leader in real-time shop-floor-to-top-floor technology solutions, has been awarded the 2013 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership for its flagship product, Manufacturing Execution Real-time Lean Information Network (MERLIN).

Based on its recent analysis of the machine monitoring systems market, Frost & Sullivan chose to recognize Memex Automation MERLIN – an integrated hardware and software product suite that enables lean manufacturing through management and monitoring of equipment efficiency.

MERLIN pinpoints bottlenecks in machine cells in real time, allowing plant operators to extract optimum efficiency from each manufacturing process. Its distinguishing feature is its high level of flexibility and interoperability. It can be used in any kind of manufacturing set-up and with any kind of machine – completely automated, semi-automated, and/or with legacy machines.

It bi-directionally connects the equipment on the shop floor with any enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. It can be easily integrated and installed using Microsoft standard software tools and an MS-SQL enterprise database, which can be mined enterprise-wide and its data uploaded to other business intelligence tools.

“MERLIN’s implementation time and costs are modest, and delivers significant value in the form of data analysis and visualization of capacity utilization,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Atin Angrish. “Succinct reports are provided automatically and directly from the shop floor to the management using predefined parameters, eliminating the need for manual data collection, analysis and delivery of results.”

MERLIN increases customers’ productivity levels and simultaneously reduces their downtime. It is claimed that most customers report a 20 per cent to 50 per cent improvement in productivity, but in some cases, customers even reported productivity levels reaching 100 per cent.

Most importantly, Memex Automation is able to price its products almost 150 per cent to 200 per cent lower than the other competing products. This is made possible by MERLIN’s adoption of standardized machine-to-machine (M2M) communication protocols and software based on reliable database technologies.

Angrish added:  “Memex Automation’s solution is innovative because it breaks away into three important directions which are different from the usual ‘patch-and-hack’ methods that are currently adopted by manufacturing firms.

“MERLIN offers a standardized machine-to-machine connection; a real-time standardized rationalization of the data from any asset to measure capacity utilization and a standardized software approach that bi-directionally and objectively integrates an individual machine’s data into the management’s information systems.”

Each year, Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

For the full press release, please click here.

Memex Receives Award from Frost & Sullivan

/in

MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: Tuesday November 5, 2013.   Based on its recent analysis of the machine monitoring systems market, Frost & Sullivan recognized Memex Automation with the 2013 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership for its flagship product, Manufacturing Execution Real-time Lean Information Network (MERLIN).

MERLIN is an integrated hardware and software product suite that enables lean manufacturing through management and monitoring of equipment efficiency. MERLIN pinpoints bottlenecks in machine cells in real time, allowing plant operators to extract optimum efficiency from each manufacturing process.

MERLIN’s distinguishing feature is its high level of flexibility and interoperability. It can be used in any kind of manufacturing set-up and with any kind of machine – completely automated, semi-automated, and/or with legacy machines.

MERLIN bi-directionally connects the equipment on the shop floor with any enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. It can be easily integrated and installed using Microsoft standard software tools and an MS-SQL enterprise database, which can be mined enterprise-wide, and its data uploaded to other business intelligence tools.

“MERLIN’s implementation time and costs are modest, and delivers significant value in the form of data analysis and visualization of capacity utilization,” said Frost & Sullivan Research analyst, Atin Angrish. “Succinct reports are provided automatically and directly from the shop floor to the management using predefined parameters, eliminating the need for manual data collection, analysis and delivery of results.”

MERLIN provides unrivaled value by increasing customers’ productivity levels and simultaneously reducing their downtime. Most customers report a 20 percent to 50 percent improvement in productivity, but in some cases, customers even reported productivity levels reaching 100 percent.

For the full press release, please click here.

Memex Automation to Trade Under TSX Venture: OEE

/in

BURLINGTON, ON — (Marketwired – Oct 30, 2013) – Astrix Networks Inc., operating under the trade name Memex Automation, is pleased to announce that it has completed the previously announced reverse take-over of GPS Investment Corp. The resulting issuer has assumed the legal name of Astrix Networks Inc. and the business of Astrix Networks Inc. will continue to operate under the trade name Memex Automation. Upon receipt of final acceptance of the reverse take-over by the TSX Venture Exchange, the common shares of the post-reverse take-over Astrix Networks Inc. will commence trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol “OEE” (TSX VENTURE: OEE).

Astrix Networks Inc. has raised gross proceeds of $854,645.50 pursuant to its previously announced brokered and non-brokered private placement, the achievement of which was a prerequisite to the completion of the reverse take-over.

Memex Automation is the leader in real-time shop-floor-to-top-floor technology solutions. Memex’s flagship product MERLIN delivers Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) metrics in real-time, enabling manufacturers to enhance production and increase income and profits from operations. MERLIN has earned the 2013 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership. Since 1992, Memex has partnered with 280 dealers worldwide to provide a variety of manufacturing connectivity products and services to over 12,000 customers globally. For sales information, call +1 (905) 635-1540, email salesgroup@memex.ca, or visit http://www.memex.ca.

Share Capital Structure

The post-reverse take-over Astrix Networks Inc. now has 48,132,080 common shares outstanding. Of these: (i) 4,143,750 common shares are represented by the GPS Investment Corp. common shares that were outstanding prior to the completion of the reverse take-over and the Astrix Networks Inc. private placement; (ii) 35,441,875 common shares were issued in exchange for the common shares of Astrix Networks Inc. that were outstanding prior to the completion of the reverse take-over and the Astrix Networks Inc. private placement (i.e. such shares issued at a deemed price of $0.10 per share for aggregate deemed consideration of $3,544,187.50); and (ii) 8,546,455 common shares were issued pursuant to the Astrix Networks Inc. private placement (i.e. such shares issued at a deemed price of $0.10 per share for aggregate deemed consideration).

For the full press release, including the reader advisory and forward-looking statements, please click here

Memex Automation goes public, will trade on the TSX Venture Exchange

/in

BURLINGTON, Ont. – (Oct.31, 2013) – Astrix Networks Inc., which operates under the trade name Memex Automation, has completed its reverse take-over of GPS Investment Corp., acquiring 48,132,080 common shares and will commence trading publicly upon acceptance of the take-over by the Toronto Stock Exchange’s Venture Exchange.

A reverse merger takeover (reverse IPO) involves the acquisition of a public company by a private company to ensure the private company may bypass the lengthy process of going public. These deals usually require a reorganization of capital of the acquiring company.

“This deal gives us a public presense on the Venture Exchange and allows us access to the working capital we need to further develop strategic partnerships to bring our products worldwide,” said Dave McPhail, CEO of Memex Automation. “We’re part of a worldwide market, and this opportunity puts us in a position to lead that market.”

Memex develops real-time shop-floor-to-top-floor technologies. Its flagship product, MERLIN, offers overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) metrics in real-time to allow manufacturers to enhance their production through shop-floor data analysis. The product earned the 2013 North American Frost & Sullivan award for Technology Innovation Leadership.

The company also has strategic partnerships with Microsoft and tool builder Mazak. The latter has installed Memex’s automation system at its Florence, Ky. plant.

McPhail, who now maintains a 36% share in the company, says Memex will use a portion of the funds raised from the reverse IPO, which total more than $854,000, to hire up to four employees and to market its products. “We need to get our products into more people’s hands and show them the benefits of using them to uncover what they don’t know about their shop floors,” he says. “This capital will allow us to do that going forward.”

Since it opened shop in 1992, Memex has partnered with 280 dealers and has worked with more than 12,000 customers globally. McPhail, along with a group of private investors, acquired the company in 2008.

Mazak Demos MTConnect Open Source Protocol with Canada’s Memex

/in

Press release date: September 30, 2013

As 2013 Frost & Sullivan leadership award winner, Memex Automation’s MERLIN solution also chosen for Mazak’s Kentucky plant, and offered on machine tool giant’s product list.

Mississauga, ON – Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS 2013) – Mazak Corp., one of the largest machine tool manufacturers, is conducting a live demonstration of leading edge machine tool automation with MERLIN real-time industrial machine monitoring and control technology from Canada’s Memex Automation Inc. The Mazak-Memex demo will take advantage of MTConnect, the open source, royalty-free manufacturing protocol that helps unite islands of unconnected information on the shop floor. Dave McPhail, President and CEO of Burlington, ON-based Memex, is also conducting a seminar on MTConnect Tues. Oct. 1 at 3PM in Mazak’s booth #4638 at CMTS 2013. Memex is at booth #7023.

The Mazak-Memex collaboration at CMTS 2013, Canada’s premiere manufacturing event for buyers and sellers, follows a decision by Mazak to co-market Memex solutions on Mazak’s product list, and install Memex’s MERLIN solution throughout the machine tool manufacturer’s recently expanded 800,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant in Florence, KY. This U.S. plant produces 100 different models of machine tools, including sophisticated 5-axis and multi-tasking machines. Many of these models are designed, and manufactured in the United States, then shipped across North America and also to export markets.

Memex Automation’s flagship product MERLIN is a Manufacturing Execution System application that tracks manufacturing operations bi-directionally from the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) work order to each machine’s detailed operations. MERLIN is able to connect to all machines on the shop floor using various protocols, MTConnect adapters or network connectivity devices. It measures capacity utilization and Overall Equipment Effectiveness metrics, and tracks up to the second detail about every event at a machine, all automatically.

“Using MERLIN’s capability, Mazak is taking another positive step in further increasing the productivity of our North American operations, ensuring the strong competitiveness of our Kentucky manufacturing,” said Brian Papke, President of Mazak Corp. “We continue to take a leadership position in propagating the MTConnect open protocol. MTConnect’s value to our customers is in the ability for them to establish extensive and open channels of communication for plug-and-play interconnectivity between devices. MTConnect allows software to be universally applied between different types of machine models so that information is readily available for improving machine tool utilization.”

Earlier this month, Memex won the 2013 Frost & Sullivan North American Machine Monitoring Systems Technology Innovation Leadership Award. Frost & Sullivan awards recognize companies that demonstrate outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development.

About Memex Automation Inc.

Memex MERLIN delivers Overall Equipment Effectiveness (“OEE”) metrics in real-time, enabling manufacturers to increase production and increase income from operations profitably. Based in Burlington, ON, Memex is a 2013 Frost & Sullivan leadership award winner and a world leader in manufacturing connectivity solutions. Memex offers Shop Floor to Top Floor Information in Real-Time and has sold a variety of connectivity products since 1992 to over 12,000 customers with the help of 280 dealers, globally.  For more information, call +1 (905) 635-1540, email salesgroup@memex.ca, or visit http://www.memex.ca.