To support its growth strategy, Cochlear aims to bring regular new product innovations to market, and the capabilities of Windchill offer numerous operational efficiencies in support of this goal. A specific area where opportunities for improvement were identified was the company’s reliance on paper-based systems for managing product information. Cochlear recognized that a new system that digitally manages its product data would facilitate numerous process improvements. In addition, Cochlear looked to improve the visualization of the maturity status of parts and assemblies as they move forward in their development.

Cochlear deployed Windchill® to improve product development processes, including Product Change Control, Release to ERP, Part Promotion Lifecycle Maturity, and BOM/Bill of Tool Configuration Management. Windchill makes the design process more efficient by controlling and automating the product change control processes. Additionally, by enabling reuse of previously designed product configurations, Windchill helps promote the rapid development of new product configurations. Cochlear anticipates that it will achieve significant improvements in the speed of internal review and approval of product changes and expects benefits to include improved efficiency in creating, archiving and storage of electronic product documentation; a faster, more efficient product design review process; better worldwide visualization of all product data (e.g., designs, BOMs, status of product maturity); and increased speed for the release of product information from design to manufacturing. In addition this new solution further supports compliance with ever-expanding global medical device regulations.

“To support our business growth, we recognized the requirement to move from a paper based system to an electronic management system,” said Brent Barnes, manager of documentation systems, Cochlear. “The PTC Product Development System improves visibility of product changes and product maturity, and continues to enforce quality and regulatory controls to maintain strict compliance at all times.”

“PTC’s integral product development system offers significant benefits to medical device companies by enabling them to essentially ‘hardwire’ compliance into the product development process,” says David Rubin, director, market strategy, medical devices and life sciences, PTC. “PTC is committed to delivering solutions that provide the capabilities needed to help companies like Cochlear meet complex challenges and achieve their business objectives.”

About Cochlear Limited

Cochlear is the world leader in implantable hearing solutions and pioneered the modern day cochlear implant. With its global headquarters in Sydney, Australia, Cochlear today operates in more than 90 countries supporting more than 130,000 recipients of its cochlear and bone conduction implant technology. For more information please visit http://www.cochlear.com.

About PTC Solutions for Life Sciences

PTC solutions for life sciences are designed to meet the product lifecycle management requirements of medical device, pharmaceutical, and medical equipment manufacturers. These solutions include product development, process and data management, electronic verification and collaboration, authenticated electronic signatures and 3D mechanical design. PTC has over 500 medical products customers, including the top manufacturers across the globe.

About PTC

PTC (Nasdaq: PMTC) provides leading product lifecycle management (PLM), content management and dynamic publishing solutions to more than 50,000 companies worldwide. PTC customers include the world's most innovative companies in manufacturing, publishing, services, government and life sciences industries. PTC is included in the S&P Midcap 400 and Russell 2000 indices. For more information on PTC, please visit http://www.ptc.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These include: the successful development and integration of the technology necessary to support an integrated Product Development System that adequately responds to the evolving customer design, data management and regulatory testing requirements of customers within the life sciences industries; continued growth in the adoption of PLM solutions; and PTC’s ability to extend the functionality of our solutions beyond that traditionally served by PTC (including regulatory compliance); as well as other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in reports filed by PTC with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's most recent reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q.

PTC and its logo, The Product Development Company, Pro/ENGINEER, Wildfire, Windchill, Arbortext, Mathcad and all PTC product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Parametric Technology Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries.

Press Releas