Xerox works with healthcare organizations to manage documents that support their business, such as forms, medical records, manuals and patient educational materials. Through ACS, now a Xerox company, it also manages all aspects of healthcare programs, healthcare IT, clinical workflows, administration and patient accounting, care and disease management, and business office and revenue cycle operations.

“As healthcare undergoes transition, providers face the challenge of keeping their focus on patients despite the distraction of new IT and process requirements,” said John Kelly, President, Xerox Global Services North America. “Having a single point of contact for all document and business process management needs will help organizations keep a steely focus on their real business – patient care and outcomes.”

Xerox delivers powerful technological solutions that improve the delivery of care, providing document and business process management through the following services:

Patient Records: Capturing and linking static documents into electronic patient records as well as implementing and managing Health Information System (HIS) software, provides clients with a comprehensive electronic medical records solution – offering a fast and cost-effective way to manage patient information.

Provider and Patient Communications: From pre-admission to patient discharge and recovery, integrated services from Xerox and ACS, A Xerox Company, help providers transform data and documents used throughout the process into information that educates patients, improving the healthcare experience.

Government Program Administration: With expertise in state and other publicly-funded healthcare programs, Xerox is in a strong position to provide states with the analytics and data necessary to address “Meaningful Use” requirements for Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems. Through ACS, Xerox offers a full spectrum of systems and complementary services from care management solutions and child health programs to pharmacy benefits management and traditional Medicaid fiscal agent services.

Commercial Programs: The company provides multiple industries, including hospitals, clinics, and medical practitioners around the world with information technology, clinical solutions and management services so providers can operate more efficiently and effectively.

Building on a Legacy of Healthcare Leadership
Xerox has spent decades helping healthcare organizations achieve greater cost savings, regulatory compliance and efficiencies throughout their infrastructure including:
• Methodist Healthcare: The largest provider of healthcare in San Antonio and South Texas is cutting millions from its annual operating spend by working with Xerox to better manage the documents flowing through its 23 facilities – and the costs associated with printing, sharing and updating them.

• Marin General Hospital: Through ACS, Xerox helps Calif.-based Marin General Hospital save $2 million annually with an enterprise-wide hospital information and EHR system.

• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC): UPMC tapped Xerox to reduce office printing costs and simplify work processes for the hospital’s 45,000 employees.

The IT-BPO industry in India has achieved impressive growth rates over the past decade and stood at USD 71.6 billion in 2009, said the report prepared by KPMG and ASOCIO (Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation).

The report, `Asia-Oceania Vision 2020: Enabling IT Leadership Through Collaboration’ was released here today at NASSCOM India Leadership Forum 2010.

India is the current market leader in global sourcing supply, serving approximately 51 per cent of overall global sourcing demand.

“India is expected to achieve double-digit growth in the IT-BPO industry, with a focus on innovation. The country, however, needs to sustain cost competitiveness and develop the requisite skills of its large workforce,” Kumar Parakala, Global Head of Sourcing Advisory, KPMG in India, said.

“India could also develop complementary skills in hardware, so that it can showcase a more diversified portfolio of products and services.”

The report highlighted that the composition of demand will undergo a change from 2008 to 2020. The contribution of some of the developed countries like Japan, Australia and New Zealand in the regional demand for IT-BPO service is likely to decrease.

However, the contribution of developing countries like India and Thailand is expected to increase in the coming years. Countries such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh are also expected to make their mark on the global sourcing supply landscape by 2020, it said.

According to NASSCOM, the Indian IT-BPO industry should aim to drive innovation, in addition to retaining its competitiveness. In order to successfully achieve its goal, key stakeholders of the Indian IT-BPO industry need to address the issues currently faced by the industry.

One of the focus areas of the KPMG-ASOCIO report was to identify the potential for effective collaboration among countries of the Asia-Oceania region. The report emphasises that if diversity within the region is effectively leveraged it could lead to collaborative growth.

Collaboration is likely to act as a facilitator for nations to address common challenges, leverage each others’ competitive advantage and thereby aim for a much larger target market in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) industry by 2020, it said.

“ICT based transformation would be a major enabler of socio-economic transformation of Asia. We foresee an emergence of a diverse set of globally competitive IT organisations in the region, which would be the key enablers of this IT-based transformation,” ASOCIO President Ashank Desai said.

“We are chasing deals primarily in telecom, banking, financial services and insurance and utilities,” said Ashutosh Vaidya, head of the BPO division in an interview. He also said the company, India’s third-largest software exporter by revenue, expects the BPO division’s revenue to grow more than 15% in the current financial year ending March 31.The division contributed 9% of Wipro’s IT services revenue of 191.66 billion rupees ($4 billion) for the financial year ended March 31, 2009.
The company, along with the rest of India’s IT sector, came under severe pressure and suffered during the global economic slowdown as clients, based mostly in the U.S. and Europe, cut outsourced projects and demanded lower rates.The mood in the sector is now becoming upbeat, with companies saying they are luring new orders and extensions of existing contracts.

Wipro, along with its peers Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. and Infosys Technologies Ltd., reported strong quarterly results last month, indicating the improving fortunes of a sector that is more exposed to economic developments overseas than at home. Back then, Wipro had forecast IT-services revenue of $1.16 billion to $1.18 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter, which it said was based on hopes of strong business volume growth.

Mr. Vaidya said the BPO division is not seeing pressure on billing rates as it provides “more work for the same penny” so has been able to meet customers’ demands for an overall reduction of costs and that going forward there is enough scope to improve the division’s operating margin, which is currently in line with Wipro’s IT-services operating margin.

The operating margin for IT-services stood at 23.6% for the third fiscal quarter ended Dec. 31, according to international financial reporting standards. Mr. Vaidya said the company is looking globally for an acquisition that will help it expand its domain expertise, although he didn’t elucidate. He added that the company is hiring at all levels, at both entry and senior management levels, as it expects more business and growth opportunities.

The revenue figure includes exports by Indian outsourcers as well as by Indian services and software development subsidiaries of multinational companies including Microsoft, Dell, and Oracle. Nasscom has predicted higher revenue growth in the range of 13 to 15 percent from IT and BPO exports in the next fiscal year to March 31, 2011. India has emerged as a significant supplier of IT and BPO services to customers in the U.S., U.K., and other markets. Its business was however hit in the fiscal year to March 31, 2010 due to the recession in some of these economies.

The growth rate of 5.5 percent estimated by Nasscom for the year ending March 31, 2010 is far lower than the 16 percent estimated by them for the previous year. The 2009 figure is still an estimate as the results of Satyam Computer Services, a large Indian outsourcer, are still being re-stated, after a financial scandal at the company.
Top Indian outsourcing companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys Technologies, and Wipro said in January that they were seeing an improvement in demand for their services from customers in key markets, including the U.S.

Indian outsourcing companies have also started hiring in large numbers again. Wipro’s IT services business added 4,855 staff in the quarter ended Dec. 31. The company had cut staff by 630 in its IT services business in the previous quarter. TCS said in January that it is adding about 11,000 staff in the current quarter, including 8,000 trainees. The company added 7,692 staff in the quarter to Dec. 31. Direct employment by the country’s IT industry is expected to be 2.3 million by March 31, 2010, with over 90,000 jobs added during the current fiscal year, stated Nasscom.

A number of new large IT services deals are expected to be signed by the second quarter of this year, said Sudin Apte, principal analyst at Forrester Research. Indian companies are however not likely to achieve soon the revenue growth levels they had before the recession, he added.

A lot of the expenditure by customers still falls under the category of necessary expenditure, with discretionary expenditure on IT services likely to start by the middle of this year, according to Diptarup Chakraborti, principal research analyst at Gartner.

Besides a pick up in exports revenue for the year ended March 31, 2010, Nasscom is also expecting a growth in the domestic services business. Domestic revenue is expected to grow by 12 percent to Indian rupees 662 billion ($14 billion). In the next fiscal year, revenue growth from the Indian market is expected to pick up by 15 to 17 percent.

NASA and General Motors are working together to accelerate development of the next generation of robots and related technologies for use in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Engineers and scientists from NASA and GM worked together through a Space Act Agreement at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to build a new humanoid robot capable of working side by side with people. Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, future robots could assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and help GM build safer cars and plants.

The two organizations, with the help of engineers from Oceaneering Space Systems of Houston, developed and built the next iteration of Robonaut. Robonaut 2, or R2, is a faster, more dexterous and more technologically advanced robot. This new generation robot can use its hands to do work beyond the scope of prior humanoid machines. R2 can work safely alongside people, a necessity both on Earth and in space.

“This cutting-edge robotics technology holds great promise, not only for NASA, but also for the nation,” said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “I’m very excited about the new opportunities for human and robotic exploration these versatile robots provide across a wide range of applications.”

“For GM, this is about safer cars and safer plants,” said Alan Taub, GM’s vice president for global research and development. “When it comes to future vehicles, the advancements in controls, sensors and vision technology can be used to develop advanced vehicle safety systems. The partnership’s vision is to explore advanced robots working together in harmony with people, building better, higher quality vehicles in a safer, more competitive manufacturing environment.”

The idea of using dexterous, human-like robots capable of using their hands to do intricate work is not new to the aerospace industry. The original Robonaut, a humanoid robot designed for space travel, was built by the software, robotics and simulation division at Johnson in a collaborative effort with the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency 10 years ago. During the past decade, NASA gained significant expertise in building robotic technologies for space applications. These capabilities will help NASA launch a bold new era of space exploration.

“Our challenge today is to build machines that can help humans work and explore in space,” said Mike Coats, Johnson’s center director. “Working side by side with humans, or going where the risks are too great for people, machines like Robonaut will expand our capability for construction and discovery.”

NASA and GM have a long, rich history of partnering on key technologies, starting in the 1960s with the development of the navigation systems for the Apollo missions. GM also played a vital role in the development of the Lunar Rover Vehicle, the first vehicle to be used on the moon.

Source: General Motors

Ness Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSTC and TASE: NSTC), a global provider of IT services and solutions, today announced that it would provide outsourcing services to Thomson Reuters Israel for an additional four years. Ness Technologies, which has worked with Thomson Reuters for the past five years, will continue to provide technical and IT infrastructure services, including installations and IT support for Thomson Reuters Israel’s clients.

Ness Technologies’ outsourcing experts provide continuing on-site support and maintenance services to Thomson Reuters’ clients across Israel, including all dealing rooms, brokers, assets management companies, leading corporations and leading Israeli websites. In addition to the ongoing systems maintenance, Ness will install Thomson Reuters’ systems in banks, conduct upgrades, handle satellite dishes, and perform ongoing work vis-a-vis British Telecom in London.

“As Thomson Reuters’ systems are very sensitive and impact on a large population, directly or indirectly, the quality of the team and the service is critical,” said Effi Kotek, President of Ness Israel. “The skill and the extensive experience of Ness Technologies’ outsourcing team, who support and maintain the systems in the best way, led to the extension of the successful collaboration between Ness Technologies and Thomson Reuters.”

“Thomson Reuters Israel serves financial customers and customers from the media employing specialized systems,” said Amnon Ortner, Thomson Reuters Israel’s Manager. “Professionalism and quick response times are the basis for technical service. At Ness, we found an understanding of the very unique needs of our clients, in both technological knowledge and the required service level.”

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. The company combines industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in more than 100 countries.

About Ness Technologies

Ness Technologies (NASDAQ: NSTC and TASE: NSTC) is a global provider of IT and business services and solutions with specialized expertise in software product engineering; system integration, application development and consulting; and software distribution. Ness delivers its portfolio of solutions and services using a global delivery model combining offshore, near-shore and local teams. With about 7,800 employees, Ness maintains operations in 18 countries, and partners with numerous software and hardware vendors worldwide.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often are preceded by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “intends,” “assumes,” “will” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Ness’ actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward looking statements as a result of various factors. Some of the factors that could cause future results to materially differ from the recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements include the “Risk Factors” described in Ness’ Annual Report of Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2009. Ness is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of such changes, new information, subsequent events or otherwise.

Media Contacts:
David Kanaan
Intl: +972-54-425-5307
Email: media.int@ness.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Drew Wright
USA: +1-201-488-3262
Email: investor@ness.com

Source: Ness Technologies Inc

“Having a multi-year agreement allows us to better forecast our costs,” stated Glen Brabant, executive general manager, Operations and Services, Air Pacific. “We have a good relationship with Eagle Services Asia where the work will be performed to help us meet our company’s objective of great work quality at competitive and efficient cost, and yet similarly share our philosophy of high standards of safety and reliability.”

Fiji’s international airline, Air Pacific Limited, operates international and domestic services around the Pacific and to North America and Hong Kong.

“Having world-class shops close to customers like Air Pacific helps to reduce time and cost related to overhauls,” said Tom Mayes, vice president, Pratt & Whitney Global Engine Center. “PW4000 engines continue to be an important part of Asia-Pacific travel routes.”

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has begun integration of the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP).

NPOESS, a joint program between NASA and the Integrated Program Office, is the nation’s next generation low-Earth orbiting operational weather and climate monitoring system.  The VIIRS sensor is the fourth of five weather instruments to be integrated onto the Ball Aerospace-designed and built NPP spacecraft bus.  Instruments already integrated include the Ball-built Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite; the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder; and the Cloud and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System.  The fifth instrument, the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) is scheduled to arrive at Ball Aerospace for integration later this year.

“Northrop Grumman and the IPO, and our customer, Goddard Space Flight Center, have worked long and hard to get to this point,” said Cary Ludtke, vice president and general manager for Ball’s Civil and Operational Space business unit. “Ball Aerospace looks forward to the critical integration of VIIRS, and CrIS later this year, then qualifying the entire observatory for launch. The anticipated delivery and integration of the final NPP flight instruments at Ball will result in several major program milestones by the end of 2010.”

VIIRS will collect visible and infrared imagery and radiometric data about the atmosphere, clouds, earth’s radiation, land/water surfaces, sea surface temperature, ocean color and other types of environmental data. Ball expects to complete integration of the VIIRS instrument by mid-February.

NASA and the NPOESS IPO have developed NPP as the mission precursor to the NPOESS mission, and to provide data continuity between the Earth Observing System Terra and Aqua missions. NPP will also provide risk reduction for the NPOESS program through early flight validation of critical NPOESS sensors.

Under contract to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Ball Aerospace employed a modified Ball Commercial Platform 2000 to accommodate NPP’s five instruments.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions of important national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications.

Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2009 sales of approximately $7.3 billion.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains “forward-looking” statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the current global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of climate change, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company’s defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

Source: Ball Aerospace

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today formally opened its new Precision Components Technology Center, launching a new path toward strategic competitive excellence beginning with the manufacture of CH-53K heavy lift helicopter components. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. ( UTX).

The center will produce major dynamic components of the CH-53K helicopter such as rotating and stationary swashplates, main and tail rotor hubs, and main rotor sleeves. It will showcase the magnitude of the CH-53K helicopter and the unique production challenges presented by its size and technological complexity. Forgings to be machined in the center, for example, will be twice the size of the largest forging produced at the facility to date.

Of UTC’s total investment of $130 million in the program, Sikorsky has committed more than $20 million to the Precision Components Technology Center.

“Sikorsky’s investment in this new technology center is further evidence of the company’s commitment to the CH-53K helicopter program,” said Mark Cherry, Vice President, Marine Corps Programs. “The heavy lift mission is critical; the size and complexity of the CH-53K helicopter’s critical parts necessitated a center dedicated to its production and design iterations as we continue on our path to first flight. We expect the technology center to leverage a number of the manufacturing improvements incorporated in the development of this aircraft, including identifying critical part characteristics to align with manufacturing process capability.”

The center currently employs eight personnel.

The Precision Components Technology Center was designed to allow the development of new product lines with “zero setup time” and quick changeover from one component to another. The equipment in the center has the capability to produce any precision rotor and drive system dynamic component including legacy configurations.

Mick Maurer, Senior Vice President of Sikorsky Operations, said the center’s primary focus will be to support the dynamic components of the CH-53K System Development and Demonstration program, but the facility also was created with an eye toward the future.

“The grand opening of the Precision Components Technology Center marks a significant program milestone that demonstrates our commitment to the U.S. Marine Corps and the development of the next generation CH-53K heavy lift helicopter.  As we expand our global footprint, Sikorsky continues to invest in state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities that offer a unique competitive advantage in the advancement of flight-critical dynamic component technologies,” Maurer said.

Sikorsky Aircraft received a $3 billion System Development and Demonstration contract on April 5, 2006 to develop a replacement for the U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E heavy lift helicopter. The new aircraft program is planned to include production of more than 200 new aircraft. Development money and production quantities will be determined year-by-year over the life of the program based on funding allocations set by Congress and Pentagon acquisition priorities.

Its predecessor, the three-engine Sikorsky CH-53E SUPER STALLION™ helicopter, is the largest, most powerful marinized helicopter in the world. It is deployed from Marine Corps amphibious assault ships and land bases to transport personnel and equipment and to carry external (sling) cargo loads.

The CH-53K helicopter will maintain virtually the same footprint as the CH-53E aircraft, but will nearly triple the payload to 27,000 pounds over 110 nautical miles under “hot high” ambient conditions. The CH-53K helicopter’s maximum gross weight (MGW) with internal loads is 74,000 pounds compared to 69,750 pounds for the CH-53E aircraft. The CH-53K helicopter’s MGW with external loads is 88,000 pounds as compared to 73,500 for the CH-53E helicopter.

Features of the CH-53K helicopter include: a joint interoperable glass cockpit; fly-by-wire flight controls; fourth generation rotor blades with anhedral tips; a low-maintenance elastomeric rotor head; upgraded engines; a locking cargo rail system; external cargo handling improvements; survivability enhancements; and reduced operation and support costs.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning potential production and sale of helicopters. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in government procurement priorities and practices, budget plans or availability of funding or in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corporation’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Source: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.