MIAMI, February 16, 2006 - Answerthink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANSR), announced today that it has been selected by ABIOMED, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD) for the purchase, implementation, and support of EzLifeSciences, a mySAPtm All-in-One solution designed to streamline business processes and position the company for continued growth.
ABIOMED, headquartered in Danvers, MA, is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of circulatory support technology for patients in heart failure. ABIOMED is currently the only company with FDA labeling on ventricular assist devices for all potentially recoverable acute heart failure indications. To date, more than 8,000 patients worldwide have been supported with ABIOMED devices including the AB5000TM Circulatory Support System and the BVS ® 5000 Biventricular Support System. The company chose Answerthink based on the strength of its life sciences experience and its preconfigured solution built on the industry-leading mySAP software.
EzLifeSciences is an industry-specific offering from Answerthink based on best practices from SAP and customized for companies in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. It provides the benefits of a fixed-price, fixed-scope, fixed-timeline offering that is designed specifically to help life sciences companies achieve goals such as streamline new product development and automate processes required for FDA approvals and regulatory compliance.
ABIOMED is one of nine life sciences companies that have selected Answerthink and EzLifeSciences within the past year.
"We selected Answerthink and SAP in part because we liked Answerthink´s business process focused methodology," said Daniel Lubin, Director of IT for ABIOMED. "Utilizing SAP to implement best practices, ABIOMED will obtain a fully validated system that is up and running faster, to enable powerful visibility into the critical operations of the business and enhance our business decision support capabilities."
According to John McGrath, Managing Director of Answerthink´s SAP Solutions Group, "We´re proud to have been selected by ABIOMED. SAP has been an exceptionally strong partner for us, and the combination of their powerful software with our best practices and industry expertise make this a unique offering for life sciences companies. It does more than just provide comprehensive integrated ERP functionality. It actually helps companies improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations at many different levels."
About Answerthink
Answerthink, Inc. (www.answerthink.com) is a leading business and technology consulting firm that enables companies to achieve world-class business performance. By leveraging the comprehensive database of The Hackett Group, Answerthink's business and technology solutions help clients significantly improve performance and maximize returns on technology investments. Answerthink's capabilities include benchmarking, business transformation, business applications, business intelligence, and offshore application development and support. Founded in 1997, Answerthink has offices throughout the United States and in Europe and India.
About ABIOMED
Based in Danvers, Massachusetts, ABIOMED, Inc. (pronounced "AB´-EE-O-MED") is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical products designed to assist or replace the pumping function of the failing heart. ABIOMED currently manufactures and sells the AB5000TM Circulatory Support System and the BVS ® 5000 Biventricular Support System for the temporary support of all patients with failing but potentially recoverable hearts. In Europe, ABIOMED offers the IMPELLA ® RECOVER ® minimally invasive cardiovascular support systems under CE Mark approval. The Company´s AbioCor ® Implantable Replacement Heart was the subject of an initial clinical trial under an Investigational Device Exemption from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The AbioCor has not been approved for commercial distribution, and is not available for use or sale outside of the initial clinical trial. For additional information please visit: www.abiomed.com.