North America's First Integration Lab Opens in Orlando

Tompkins Development Lab offers customers a single point for evaluating the latest material handling equipment and information technology.

Raleigh, NC, October 30, 2001—Tompkins Associates, the leader in total operations consulting, integration and implementation, hosted the Grand Opening of the Tompkins Development Lab on Thursday, October 25 in Orlando, Florida. More than 150 customers and partners attended the event, which included a live demonstration and a tour of the facility.

With over 11,000 square feet of the industry's best material handling equipment and technology, the Tompkins Development Lab is North America's first and only fully operational solutions testing facility. The Lab is designed to provide customers with a no-risk environment for testing best-of-breed technology, equipment and expertise under one roof. Over 30 software and material handling equipment vendors contributed technology to this state-of-the-art, $5 million working facility.

Keeping with the event's theme, "This is Your Lab," Tompkins Associates President and Founder Jim Tompkins said, "We created the Lab because our customers asked for it. They've told us that they want change to be transparent in their operations. Our customers want training for their staff and they want solutions that are fast and reliable. Finally, they want the best value for their dollar. The Tompkins Development Lab provides all of those things for our customers."

"Being there demonstrated to me that the 'This is Your Lab' concept really appears to be the first of its kind in North America in terms of its focus on customized testing of specific solutions for specific customers," said Richard Ward, Executive Vice President of the Material Handling Industry of America. "Here you have the potential to configure and reconfigure equipment and control systems on a scale that will perform many, and in some cases, all of the same functions as a full scale system."

The Tompkins Development Lab is designed to help any business seeking to maximize operational success. It allows customers to compare and test new technologies and equipment before they buy and to train future users with no downtime. The Lab includes over 2,500 square feet of meeting rooms and training facilities. A key feature of the Lab is the Total Operations Support Center, which provides software, equipment and operations support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"We know that companies have had to chase down answers in a variety of places when questions come up, even though we were with them through the 'go-live' of implementing new equipment and control programs," Tompkins Associates Partner Tony Gerace said. "The Support Center is our commitment to staying with our customers even after the job is done."

Tompkins Associates collaborated with leading technology and equipment vendors to provide the latest industry "must haves." The Lab includes technologies such as multiple sortation systems, conveyor systems and technologies, Supply Chain Management systems, wireless network and RF devices, Web-based customer order receipt and more. Vendors that are featured in the Lab include: Microsoft Great Plains Business Solutions, HighJump Software, Rockwell Automation, Interlake Material Handling and Remstar, among others.

For more information on the Tompkins Development Lab, contact 800-789-1257 or visit www.tompkinsinc.com/lab.

Media Contact:
E-mail Myra Schwartz or call 919-876-3667.

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