Maine Technology Institute (MTI) Awards Kepware $500,000 for New Product Development


Kepware is one of 6 companies to win an MTI Development Award in the latest round

Portland, ME, March 3, 2010 - Kepware Technologies, the leader in Communications for Automation, announced today it has been selected by the Maine Technology Institute to win a Development Award of $500,000 to spur Kepware's embedded product development efforts.

Kepware's communication protocols are used on Workstation, Server and Embedded versions of Microsoft Operating Systems and are recommended or resold by most of the automation marketplace. Kepware's success in the market comes from having high quality products and the support of industry standards such as OPC, and specifically OPC DA, OPC AE and OPC UA. Kepware is expanding its market by targeting embedded applications; adding Kepware communications to equipment and devices commonly used in automation. This will facilitate growth in new and emerging markets including Machine to Machine (M2M) and the SmartGrid - Home to Grid (H2G), Building to Grid (B2G) and Industry to Grid (I2G) initiatives. Kepware will migrate its products for operation on non-Microsoft platforms such as Linux and VxWorks.

"Knowing that not all aspects of our product make sense to run on non-Windows platforms, we have been working on a more complete and distributed architecture the past 2 years, setting the stage for this effort," states Tony Paine, President of Kepware Technologies. "Our version 5.0 release of KEPServerEX already includes changes to facilitate porting to other operating systems. Our goal is to create one code base that will support all platforms. In that way, all customers will benefit from the enhancements we make for each customer. Our key to success has always been in the delivery of a high quality and very feature rich product and we will continue to deliver that as we move to the embedded market."

"MTI's Development Awards are direct investments in companies that are pioneering Maine's future through their technology innovations," explained Betsy Biemann, President of MTI. "These awardees are companies doing exceptional work on the front lines of managing the costs and risks of new product research and development that will enable them to grow and remain competitive in the global marketplace. As we support them in their aspirations, we help usher in a better economy for Maine. With every round of Development Awards we make, we see the promise of Maine's future."

About Kepware

Kepware is the world leader in communication software for automation and offers a unique experience in both OPC and embedded device communications. Since 1995, Kepware has focused on the development of communication drivers to automation controllers, I/O and field devices. Applications include M2M (Machine to Machine) and M2E (Machine to Enterprise) communications. Operating system support includes; Microsoft Windows Desktop, Windows Server and Windows Embedded (Windows CE and Windows Embedded NT/XP). Today, with over 140 communication protocols, and through the efforts of our direct sales, distribution and embedded partners, Kepware is the leading provider of communications with annual shipments exceeding 100,000 units. Kepware's responsiveness to customer needs and strong partnerships with other leading automation suppliers ensures that your next application will be a success. Ask around and you'll hear why automation professionals everywhere consider Kepware Technologies "Automation's Best Friend". www.kepware.com

About MTI

MTI is a publicly financed, private, nonprofit organization created by the Legislature in 1999 to stimulate research and development activity leading to the commercialization of new products, processes and services in the state's seven targeted technology sectors. MTI Award programs are either loans, equity investments, or grants designed to enhance the competitive position of those sectors and increase the likelihood that one or more of the sectors will support clusters of industrial activity and create quality jobs across Maine. www.mainetechnology.org

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