Massachusetts Capital Resource Company

April 2012 Newsletter

mrubin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:33:26 +0000

MCRC is pleased to announce a new investment in Datawatch Corporation (NASDAQ-CM: DWCH), the leading global provider of report analytics software and services. Datawatch’s technology empowers organizations to transform the massive amounts of valuable information that is trapped in static reports, PDF files, HTML and other content-rich, but difficult-to-use data sources, into a dynamic information analytics system that accelerates and improves decision-making throughout their operations. Datawatch is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, with offices in London, Munich, Sydney and Manila, and serves customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. In March, the Company completed the purchase of the intellectual property underlying its Monarch Report Analytics platform from Raymond Huger, d/b/a Math Strategies. The $8.5 million purchase was funded through the combination of a $4.0 million subordinated note with warrants from Massachusetts Capital Resource Company, $1.5 million of a $2.0 million working capital loan from Silicon Valley Bank and Datawatch’s cash balances. Michael A. Morrison, president and CEO of Datawatch, said “We are very pleased to have completed this important transaction, which will provide us with the needed financial, marketing and technological flexibility to pursue our business strategy going forward. For more information, visit www.datawatch.com.

HighRoads and bswift Partner to Deliver Employee Benefits Compliance Solution to Mid-Market Companies

mrubin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:18:31 +0000

HighRoads, the industry leader in SaaS-enabled (software as a service) employer health care compliance and benefits management, announced today that it has partnered with bswift, a national leader in software and services for employee benefits administration. Together, the companies are automating the creation of and change management for required Summary of Benefits & Coverage (SBC) and Summary Plan Description (SPD) documents to assure compliance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

SBCs are newly mandated documents required by health care reform that provide consumers with a specific and concise summary of their plan benefits. SPDs are also a federally required summary of plan benefits that must be distributed to employees, retirees and beneficiaries. These documents are important and required materials for employees reviewing their benefits plans and making critical decisions on whether to change their coverage. The ACA and the Department of Labor hold employers of all sizes equally accountable for complying with SBC and SPD requirements.

“The increased regulatory environment as a result of health care reform impacts small, midsize, and large employers equally,” said Michael Byers, CEO, HighRoads. “However, most smaller employers are out of compliance due to lack of resources. The HighRoads partnership with bswift now makes SBC and SPD compliance accessible and easy for small and mid-sized companies that may not have the in-house resources to develop the compliant materials that are required of them.”

“Our partnership with HighRoads now makes benefits administration, annual enrollment and compliance automation for mid-market companies available from a single vendor,” said Rich Gallun, CEO, bswift. “Companies of all sizes now have access to the same, proven compliance automation solution used by Fortune 500 companies. No longer do they need to fret over how they will become compliant with healthcare reform mandates.”

With this new partnership, bswift will now offer HighRoads’ QuickSPD, ACA Compliance Portal and full SBC and SPD management solutions. HighRoads’ QuickSPD solution is an intuitive online service that quickly develops ERISA-compliant SPDs for small and midsize businesses. For more information, please visit: www.bswift.com.

Quadrant Software Launches QuadraDocV, the First Virtual Fax over IP Solution Native to IBM i (AS400/System i) Environments

mrubin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:24:00 +0000

Quadrant joins VMware Partner Network to ensure stringent technological requirements

MANSFIELD, Mass - Quadrant Software, LLC the leader in Document Output Management (DOM), today announced the launch of QuadraDocV, the industry’s only virtual Fax over IP (FoIP) product native to the IBM i (AS400/System i). QuadraDocV, powered byFastFax, runs on the industry standard VMware platform, enabling organizations to take full advantage of virtualized environments, simplifying infrastructure and continuing to minimize carbon footprint. QuadraDocV will be available April 17, 2012.

“Our customers are quickly moving down the path of virtualization and do not want to add another ‘box’ to their data centers,” said Steve Woodard, CEO of Quadrant Software, which has the largest installed base of any fax server vendor tailored for the IBM i platform. “We can now offer our customers an alternative to traditional fax while leveraging their existing IT investment. QuadraDocV, a proven solution based on industry standards, also offers the benefit of cost savings along with the backing of an organization that carries an unsurpassed tradition of excellence.”

QuadraDocV incorporates SR140 software technology from the leading communications vendor, Dialogic, to integrate with customers’ current telephony systems, eliminating the need for a physical fax card, and is easily deployed in the VMware environment.

Key benefits of QuadraDocV include:

Cost Savings: Eliminates the need for costly servers to be operated within the data center.
Unified Communications: Integrates tightly with existing VoIP infrastructure, unlike traditional fax models. According to a recent survey, approximately 40 percent of Quadrant Software customers currently have VoIP implementations with 14 percent planning implementations within the next 3 years.
Scalability: Easily scales from one to hundreds of fax ports as requirements increase.
Disaster Recovery: The deployment of assets for disaster recovery becomes simpler and more economical, as the elimination of dedicated hardware reduces the time required to bring the DR site online.

Quadrant Software also announced that they have joined the VMware Partner Network to integrate Quadrant products with VMware virtualization platforms and deliver timely, high-value solutions.

“We selected QuadraDocV because we wanted a virtual FoIP solution to integrate with our existing VoiP environment and it is the only product available that works in AS400/System i platform,” said Terry Diamond, vice president, I.S., Tandus Flooring, Inc. “Moreover, we like the idea of working with a trusted vendor, with proven technology and that is partnered with leaders in their respective industries. All of these factors, along with the inherent benefits of virtualization – high availability, disaster recovery and flexibility made Quadrant Software and QuadraDocV an obvious choice.”

About Quadrant Software

Founded in 1990, Quadrant Software is a leading provider of Document Output Management (DOM) software and solutions for the enterprise. Through its award-winning FastFax and Formtastic product lines, companies can electronically create and manage mission critical documents that are delivered via print, fax or email to reduce expenses, increase productivity and improve communication in a more secure and compliant manner. Quadrant Software works with customers and partners around the world in key markets including finance, manufacturing, transportation, retail and healthcare. For more information on Quadrant Software and its DOM solutions visit us online, www.quadrantsoftware.com or call 800-258-3399/508-594-2700 or email quadrant@quadrantsoftware.com.

Process Manufacturers Must Optimize Their Network of Assets to Drive Higher Margins

mrubin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:10:27 +0000

Geographic Market Shift Drives the Need to Optimize Plants and Assets Dynamically Across the Global Supply Chain

BURLINGTON, MA - Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AZPN), a leading provider of software and services to the process industries, announced the availability of a new white paper, The Evolution of Optimization in the Process Industries.The paper says process manufacturing leaders must optimize networks of plants and assets to drive higher margins in response to geographic market shifts. Written by IDC Manufacturing Insights and sponsored by AspenTech, the paper details how optimizing plants and assets dynamically across the global supply chain represents the latest phase in the evolution of process optimization.

The IDC paper highlights how competing effectively today requires a fundamental shift from supply push to demand pull. This requirement is driven by the need to better satisfy customers in today’s environment where they have more supply choice. As a result manufacturers must compete not just on product quality, but also on higher levels of customer service.

Applying optimization technology from AspenTech across engineering, manufacturing and supply chain operations helps process manufacturers achieve those higher quality and customer service levels by enabling them to operate as effectively and efficiently as possible, which translates into superior financial and operating performance.

A case study of Dow Chemical featured in the paper illustrates how the company is addressing critical business challenges through process optimization. The paper underlines how Dow created a center of operational excellence run by a network of practitioners from multiple plants worldwide to rapidly share and disseminate best practices. Dow’s cumulative savings from advanced control and optimization are projected to be more than $1 billion.

Download a free copy of the white paper, The Evolution of Optimization in the Process Industries, here.

Supporting Quotes

Pierfrancesco Manenti, Head – Europe, Middle East & Africa, IDC Manufacturing Insights

“The most critical capability for a process manufacturing firm today is its ability to optimize the global network of production assets dynamically to fulfill customer demand, in the face of extremely dynamic business conditions. We learned from customer interviews that the main reported benefits of a higher level of optimization are improved operational performance and faster response to market opportunities, leading to increased margins across the value chain.”

Blair Wheeler, Senior Vice President, Marketing, AspenTech

“Optimization has evolved to become a core driver of manufacturing performance — enablingfaster response to market changes, improved competitiveness and increased margins across the entire value chain. This paper provides essential insight that process manufacturers can use to help them plan their optimization journey as global markets continue to shift.”

Supporting Resources

About AspenTech

AspenTech is a leading supplier of software that optimizes process manufacturing – for energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, engineering and construction, and other industries that manufacture and produce products from a chemical process. With integrated aspenONE solutions, process manufacturers can implement best practices for optimizing their engineering, manufacturing and supply chain operations. As a result, AspenTech customers are better able to increase capacity, improve margins, reduce costs and become more energy efficient. To see how the world’s leading process manufacturers rely on AspenTech to achieve their operational excellence goals, visit www.aspentech.com.

Bryce Canyon National Park’s Solar Compactors

mrubin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:14:24 +0000

nationalparksblog.com

I am a firm believer that technology has an important role to play in our National Parks. While the parks themselves may be wild and rugged, technology can certainly solve some of the issues that occur when people want to visit these off the beaten track destinations.

One of the things that I love about traveling to National Parks is when I find a simple technological concept in use that makes perfect sense. On a recent trip to Bryce Canyon National Park, I noticed that all the trash cans weren’t simply regular garbage cans, but solar powered trash compactor cans:

It’s such a simple idea that makes a whole lot of sense. The compactor means that the trash can doesn’t need to be emptied as often (freeing up extra time for park staff to do other things), there is no additional electricity being used (since they are solar) and they keep the park cleaner (since it is an enclosed system, birds and other wildlife can’t get into the trash can). I hope that I end up seeing more of these, and other similar simple concepts that make sense, in other National Parks I visit.

Long-Term Care Coverage for Employees Continues to Decline As More Insurers Leave, Says HighRoads Study

mrubin — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:33:25 +0000

BOSTON – Long-term care as an employer-provided benefit continues to be a dwindling part of an employee’s overall health care benefits package, according to the results of a Long-Term Care (LTC) Benefits Program Pulse Survey announced today by HighRoads, the industry leader in employer health care compliance and benefits management. Key findings show that 51% of survey respondents provide long term care while 49% do not. About half of those who have dropped LTC say they did so because the insurance carrier offering the coverage has exited the market. On a positive note: 96% of companies who are offering LTC coverage say they will continue to do so.

In other key findings, the survey found that, of those who do not offer the coverage, some 40% plan to do so again in the future, on a voluntary arrangement, as opposed to a group basis.

HighRoads conducted the survey to assess current employer practices and future plans for offering long-term care (LTC) benefits programs to their employees. Respondents ranged in size from fewer than 5,000 employees to more than 50,000 employees. The majority of respondents have more than 10,000 employees.

“HighRoads’ survey indicates that long-term care coverage is continuing to be an endangered item for employees. The country has a growing number of retirees – many of whom will need some type of long-term medical care services in the future. It is a serious issue when insurers no longer are willing to provide this as part of an employee’s health benefits plan,” said Michael Byers, CEO, HighRoads. “With the elimination of the CLASS provisions from the ACA, which would have enabled working Americans to purchase coverage to supplement LTC and Medicare and pay for non-medical expenses to allow a disabled person to remain independent, millions of Americans will be left without a safety net should they become disabled,” added Byers.

According to data from the 2005 National Interview Survey and the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey conducted by the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University found that over 10 million Americans need long-term services and support to assist them in life’s daily activities and that number is expected to grow with the aging of the population and growing number of people with disabilities.

The HighRoads survey found that more than 90% of the employers who offer LTC do so as an additional benefit to their employees. The remainder is equally divided between offering LTC as part of their overall health care strategy and being required by union contracts to offer this benefit.

Of the employers who responded 71% offer coverage on a group basis. The remainder offer it on an individual basis.

For a copy of the report please contact Petra Marino at pmarino@highroads.com

APS Founder to Present the Benefits of APS eLearning at HealthStream Summit 2012

mrubin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:06:48 +0000

APS founder John Harrington will present “Protect Your Patient: Reduce Avoidable Medical Errors” at the HealthStream Summit 2012 in March.

Advanced Practice Strategies (APS), a leading provider of education solutions for risk management and patient safety, today announced their intention to speak and host an exhibit at the HealthStream Summit 2012 in March. APS will share examples of how their online clinical education and assessment tools assist organizations as they prepare to meet new challenges in the healthcare industry. APS founder John Harrington will present “Protect Your Patient: Reduce Avoidable Medical Errors,” outlining the evolving understanding of perinatal and surgical error and how systems based solutions, such as APS online clinical education and assessment tools, can be employed to address these issues. HealthStream Summit, the premier conference for healthcare learning, research, simulation, and talent management, expects nearly 600 attendees at this year’s event.

APS will host an exhibit to showcase their extensive eLearning course offerings. Their online curriculum focuses on clinically rich, interactive, team-oriented training and addresses many of the main drivers of claims and adverse outcomes. Highlighted at the exhibit will be courses in APS’s Perinatal Safety Curriculum, which includes Advanced Fetal Assessment and Monitoring, Managing Shoulder Dystocia, Operative Vaginal Delivery, and Postpartum Hemorrhage, as well as a monthly Competency Maintenance series designed to reinforce clinicians’ understanding of key concepts from the core training. Additional curricula include the Surgical Safety Curriculum, developed in partnership with AORN to empower nurses in surgical settings, improve communication within surgical teams, and reduce the risk of surgical errors. Additional APS courseware includes topics in patient safety, internal medicine, and core risk content.

“APS is excited about attending the 2012 HealthStream Summit,” said APS founder John Harrington. Using stories and data from those partners across the country who have published on the effectiveness of the APS curriculum, Mr. Harrington will describe how lessons learned from the courtroom lead to empowerment of teams through transformative education that reduces risk and improves outcomes. Harrington’s presentation will discuss the sources of perinatal and surgical error based on analysis of malpractice claims data. He will highlight how APS’s Perinatal Safety and Surgical Safety curricula, which emphasize a shared vision of care and a common language within the clinical team, significantly reduce the number of errors and overall mortality associated with the care rendered in these areas.

“Our goal at APS is to be a trusted partner that ensures organizations are preparing their clinicians to practice at the highest levels of quality and accountability,” said Mr. Harrington. “As we increase our understanding of how perinatal and surgical errors occur, we become better equipped to prevent them using education solutions that create a common vision of care and a shared vocabulary among the entire health care team while accommodating the needs of each individual.”

For more information about APS, visit APS. For more information about the HealthStream Summit, held at The Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee from March 6^th to the 9^th, please visit the event website.

About APS
Advanced Practice Strategies (APS) is dedicated to improving the lives of both patients and their caregivers through effective, innovative education solutions. APS’s flexible, state-of-the-art eLearning program has helped hospitals and clinicians reduce risk and enhance patient safety across the country. APS’s Demonstrative Evidence Group is the nation’s leading provider of visual strategies and materials for courtroom defense against medical malpractice claims. Strategic partners include the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions and the Hospital Corporation of America. APS is headquartered in Boston, MA. For more information, visit APS.

AspenTech Acquires SolidSim Engineering GmbH

mrubin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:38:25 +0000

Adds Leading Solids Modeling Technology to aspenONE® Engineering Software

BURLINGTON, Mass - Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AZPN), a leading provider of software and services to the process industries, announced it has acquired SolidSim Engineering GmbH, a leading provider of solids process modeling software, based in Hamburg, Germany. SolidSim software is used by a number of leading process manufacturing companies to model those parts of their processes that involve solids.

The addition of SolidSim builds on existing solids process modeling capabilities in aspenONE Engineering software. The combination of SolidSim and aspenONE Engineering software will eventually enable end users to model the entire facility as one single model consisting of both solids and non-solids process sections. This will allow both process engineers and particle technology engineers to work within a single modeling environment, increasing collaboration and driving increased value from enhanced process optimization for customers in the chemicals, specialty chemicals, energy and pharmaceutical industries.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Supporting Quotes

Mark Fusco, President & CEO, AspenTech
“aspenONE Engineering is the most comprehensive, integrated and easy to use environment for process engineering. The addition of SolidSim will give our customers the ability to model solids, enhancing our aspenONE solutions. With SolidSim and aspenONE software from AspenTech, customers will be able to model the entire facility as one single model consisting of both solids and non-solids. This will not only expand the opportunities for process optimization but will also result in improved engineering work processes and higher productivity of engineering teams.”

Claus Reimers, Co-CEO, SolidSim
“SolidSim software provides leading capabilities for our customers to model solids. Today, many of our customers use both SolidSim and AspenTech software to model their processes. Becoming part of AspenTech will enable us to provide SolidSim functionality in addition to the aspenONE software portfolio, which will provide our customers with a seamless end-to-end solution capable of modeling their entire process.”

Matthias Pogodda, Co-CEO, SolidSim
“Enhancing collaboration between process engineers and particle technology engineers is essential for process companies today. We are excited to join AspenTech and to offer a solution that will allow our customers to drive new levels of optimization across solids and liquids/gas modeling.”

Supporting Resources

About AspenTech

About SolidSim
SolidSim is a leading supplier of Microsoft Windows® based flowsheet simulation software for solids processes in the chemicals, energy, food, mining and process equipment industries. For more information about SolidSim, visit www.solidsim.com

NOTE: Aspen Technology may provide information regarding possible future product developments including new products, product features, product interfaces, integration, design, architecture, etc. that may be perceived to represent “product roadmaps.” Any such information is for discussion purposes only and does not constitute a commitment by Aspen Technology to do or deliver anything in these product roadmaps or otherwise. Any such commitment must be explicitly set forth in a written contract between the customer and Aspen Technology, executed by an authorized officer of each company.

Segue Manufacturing Services New eBook Provides Essentials for Maximizing Outsourcing Partnerships

mrubin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:22:29 +0000

Comprehensive guide helps organizations select the right partner, overcome long lead times and reduce costs

Lowell, Mass., – Segue Manufacturing Services (Segue), today released a new eBook, “The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding Outsourcing and Establishing a Partnership for Success“. The 40-page guide provides key strategies and practical advice to establish successful partnerships with a contract manufacturer. More than 7 Essential Steps are discussed in detail to help companies maximize the benefits of outsourcing:

1. Understanding key principles
2. Creating the competitive advantage
3. Domestic vs. overseas manufacturing – which is right for you?
4. Controlling and managing lead times and inventory
5. Creating the win/win
6. Analyzing the benefits
7. Ensuring a process for success

Making the decision to outsource your manufacturing either locally or to a low cost region of the world requires time, commitment and focus, but the benefits can be extensive. Selecting the right contract manufacturer can help keep fixed costs low, reduce capital requirements, increase ROI and help gain access to capabilities outside a company’s core competencies.

“The path to success with outsourcing must be a strategic decision and the cornerstone of an overall operations strategy,” comments Peter Frasso, CEO of Segue Manufacturing Services. “We see time and time again where companies don’t effectively manage the partnership and the benefits are limited. The goal of this eBook is to help company’s either jump into a relationship with the keys in hand to succeed with a contract manufacturer or up-level an existing partnership to maximize the benefits of outsourcing either in the United States or in a low cost region of the world.”

The free eBook can be downloaded here.

About Segue Manufacturing Services
Segue Manufacturing Services is a U.S. owned and operated, global contract manufacturer providing a portfolio of engineering services and manufacturing capabilities from sub-assembly level to complete end-to-end manufacturing in a lean manufacturing environment. We provide our customers a competitive edge through a comprehensive suite of cost-effective manufacturing that is unavailable from most regional contract manufacturers. From low-to-moderate volumes, high-mix production and new product introduction in the United States, we transition to high-volume, complex assemblies at our facility in Xiamen, China.

For more information about Segue Manufacturing Services, please visit at www.segue-mfg.com.

Jumpstart Selects AMP Agency for Web Redesign

mrubin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:41:16 +0000

AMP Agency will Provide Creative Design and Development to Support New Website

BOSTON, MA – Jumpstart, a national early education organization that helps preschool children from low-income neighborhoods develop the language and literacy skills they need to be successful in kindergarten, has selected AMP Agency, an integrated communications agency, as its partner for a comprehensive website redesign. Since 1993, Jumpstart has trained college students and community volunteers to deliver its program to thousands of young children nationwide.

“AMP Agency has a strong track record of employing deep insight and analytics to drive marketing and communications strategy,” said Joy Errico Seusing, VP of External Relations at Jumpstart. “We are very excited to work with AMP Agency on designing a dynamic website that reflects Jumpstart’s mission and impact.”

AMP’s Interactive team will be responsible for providing design and development services including: user experience mapping, design of new information architecture, creative skin, search engine optimization and backend development of the new jstart.org website. The new site will be developed as a main communication vehicle for Jumpstart to publicize its impact while highlighting the crisis in early education to external stakeholders including: educators, volunteers, donors and policy makers.

“We’re truly honored to be able to support Jumpstart in their mission to work toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed,” stated Gary Colen, CEO of AMP Agency. “Jumpstart has an extremely compelling story to tell – a story that needs to be heard – and we’re thrilled to have been selected to help tell that story.”

For more information about AMP, including a creative portfolio and client roster, please visit www.ampagency.com, become a fan on Facebook, or follow @AMP_Agency on Twitter.

About Jumpstart

Jumpstart is a national early education organization working toward the day every child in Americaenters school prepared to succeed. Jumpstart delivers a research-based and cost-effective program by training college students and community volunteers to work with preschool-age children in low-income neighborhoods. Through a proven curriculum, these children develop the language and literacy skills they need to be ready for school, setting them on a path for lifelong success. Jumpstart is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. To learn more, visit www.jstart.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Joy Errico Seusing

VP, External Relations

857-413-4537

Joy.errico@jstart.org

About AMP Agency
AMP Agency is an integrated communications agency that employs an “Insights Inspired, Results Driven” approach to conceive, develop and implement innovative marketing solutions across a range of channels. All recommendations AMP makes are inspired by consumer insights and a deep understanding of all media channels and powered by an agency-wide spirit of integration and creativity. Our client roster is comprised of industry leaders including Maybelline New York, Samsonite, Intel, Princess Cruises, NFL PLAYERS and Ansell Healthcare. For more information, visit us on the web at www.ampagency.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Matt Jacobs

Director, Strategic Marketing

617.837.8169

mjacobs@ampagency.com