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NCMS MEMBER ECLYPSE INTERNATIONAL SECURES $60 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT WITH DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Award Winning Project Yields First Commercial Sale

ANN ARBOR, MI – April 16, 2008. The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) today announced that its award winning Electrical Wire Integrity System (EWIS) project has resulted in a contract potentially worth over $60 million dollars to NCMS member Eclypse International Corporation of Corona, California.  The EWIS project was funded through the NCMS Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program which matches commercial technology solutions with the needs of the Department of Defense (DoD).

“EWIS is the latest example of how NCMS member companies benefit from our collaborative projects,” said Rick Jarman, NCMS President & CEO. “Eclypse used our collaboration process to develop their technology for the Department of Defense.  The DoD is getting a proven solution at a fraction of the cost and time it would take for them to develop in-house. This technology offers many advantages for any organization with wiring and maintenance issues.”

The other commercial project participant, Sikorsky, A United Technologies Company used this project to become familiar with the Eclypse test equipment. When companies such as Eclypse and Sikorsky participate on cross-industry collaborative projects, they are afforded opportunities to work closely with the users, technology providers and developers to expand the range of their research and development efforts.  In addition, by participating on CTMA projects, companies gain a better understanding of the needs of the DoD through direct access to key military personnel throughout the armed services. 

 “Our collaboration with the NCMS/CTMA program has provided exciting new business opportunities for us,” said C. Alan Ferguson, President & CEO, Eclypse International Corporation. “The fielding of the initial tool sets resulted in valuable feedback which helped us refine tools to directly meet the need of the warfighter.  The immediate feedback from the field maintenance personnel gave us the edge to secure this contract with DoD.”

The NCMS EWIS project initially saved the United States Air Force over $269,000 in the first six months of deployment.  This success resulted in EWIS being awarded a 2005 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award, which honors outstanding team performance to promote systematic process improvement and helps publicize best practices throughout the Air Force.

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS has over 20 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.

For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org

About Eclypse International Corporation

The Eclypse International is a leading developer of Automated Test Equipment (ATE) and total test solutions for today's competitive manufacturing and maintenance environments.  We specialize in circuit analyzers for use in both controlled and harsh environments. Our equipment is currently in operation throughout the United States and abroad with both military and commercial organizations.

For more information, visit  http://www.eclypse.org/

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