Adra Systems, Inc., the technology leader in information lifecycle and process management solutions, today announced that Acorn Computer Group (Cambridge, England) has selected Matrix, Adra's PDM (product data management) system, to produce and manage the reference designs for the network computer.

Acorn's Network Computer division is using Matrix to produce, manage and distribute proprietary reference designs for the new, easy-to-use, low-cost network computer. The reference designs will be licensed to individual vendors who will manufacture the network computer under their own trade names.

"Just as Adra Systems was a pioneer in the information infrastructure market with the development of the industry's first object-based PDM, Acorn Computer Group will revolutionize computing with this next generation of computers," said Mark O'Connell, president of Adra Systems. "We are proud that they have selected the Matrix PDM system to support this ground-breaking achievement."

"The designs for the network computer will be used and re-used by a large number of manufacturers," said David Lowdell, manager of product engineering at Acorn Network Computing. "It is essential therefore, that our development processes are well-planned and controlled and that the many documents which constitute the reference designs are properly maintained and securely held at all times. We selected Matrix because we felt confident that the system could do all of these things as well as be able to meet our future needs as the company continues to expand.

"With a number of development projects running concurrently, and with each project moving through a separate series of phases, tracking the evolution of each design is a sizable task. We must be able to provide our licensees and our internal designers with access to design documents, but in doing so, ensure that everyone is always working with the latest versions," said Lowdell. "We believe that Matrix will be able to manage this particular area very effectively." Acorn Computer Group plc

Acorn Computer Group plc is one of the leading groups of high technology innovators and suppliers in the world. Within the group, Acorn has expertise in the development and marketing of advanced technology products, services and licenses which exploit the emerging standards in interactive multimedia, from Internet to broadband digital iTV.

About Adra

Adra Systems, Inc., based in Chelmsford, Mass., is a leading provider of technology to manage information lifecycles. Adra creates next-generation distributed information and process management solutions for managing and navigating through complex data and organizations. Adra's flagship product, Matrix, is an object-oriented product data management system focused on information lifecycle management. Additionally, Adra offers several CAD/CAM/CAE software solutions under the Cadra trade name, including Cadra Design Drafting, Cadra NC, Cadra E, Cadra DM, CadraWorks and MatrixWorks.

Adra serves some 1,600 customers in 20 countries, among them AT&T, CERN, Draper Labs, Fermilabs, Fujitsu, General Electric, Goodyear, Hyundai, Motorola, Polaroid, Toshiba, TRW, Volkswagen and Westinghouse.