SoftFlow 3.0 Will Premiere in March

Rogers-based Delta Systems Inc., the publicly traded maker and marketer of software for automation control systems, will roll out its SoftFlow Version 3.0 in March.

Typical applications for Delta’s PC-based software include integrations with machinery used in manufacturing and distributing industries. A niche market for Delta — which expects its fiscal 2002 revenue to reach $11.6 million, a 90 percent year-over-year increase— has been makers of food products such as snack cakes or poultry.

Steve Martin, vice president of one of Delta’s two subsidiaries, Delta Controls Inc., said the rollout includes both a software upgrade and an increase in back-end database capabilities.

Delta said the product is a robust, plant-server-reporting application that provides full networking from a production floor to a plant-wide server. It makes use of Wonderware’s InSQL Server — a high-transaction database — and MicroSoft SQL .

Real-time access to production data makes it easier for managers to view production line efficiency, manage recipe and security profile information and reduce the time required by production supervisors to handle product changeover and setup.

“SoftFlow has been a stand-alone controls software system,” Martin said. “So if it was implemented on a given line, there was no ability to collect data and push it to a plant server. But now, you might have SoftFlow on say five lines, and we can tie them together and give you a number of features from a [computer] desktop.”

Delta Controls has been working on this particular part of their SoftFlow system for the last four months. Martin declined to release any estimates on the cost of research and development, but did say that several hand-held applications will also be available.

“Our software development focus in the last half of 2002 has been to tie all production lines together, providing real-time access to production data across the enterprise in order to provide tighter control over production processes,” Martin said.

Early 2003 estimates by the company would place its 2003 revenue around $14 million.

Survey says: Sow Seed Capital

The American Venture Resource Association and related AVRA Financial Inc., both of Sun Valley, Idaho., could give Arkansas some good news in the wake of its recent loss to Texas in the bid for a Toyota manufacturing plant. The AVRA system — and equity guarantee program designed to spark development while mitigating the risks associated with entrepreneurial ventures — is working with the $143.3 million Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in Little Rock to establish a reserve fund for the state.

That could help Arkansas become the first state to get AVRA, a feat that’s expected to encourage more than $100 million worth of new businesses because of associated publicity and the demand for capital.

Dr. Allan Isen — founder, chairman and president of AVRA — recently said he has been conducting an informal survey of Arkansas companies. After the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Sept. 30 report that AVRA wanted to launch in Arkansas, Isen said, he’s received numerous calls from entrepreneurs in the state.

“What the article allowed me to do is take a telephone survey of each entrepreneur who called me,” Isen said. “Obviously I’m only getting calls from the guys who are still determined to get something done, but what I’m hearing is a huge amount of frustration. I would get a two-minute description of their business and ask how they’ve tried to raise funding so far.

“What I hear is that there is no seed capital. There are venture investment funds in Arkansas, but they’re not providing seed investments for a simple reason — they’re trying to reduce their risks. It may take some time for people to understand, but I believe our program will be more affective at reducing risks.”

Isen predicts that AVRA will triple the number of businesses operating in Arkansas within five years.

Details about the innovative business plan are available at ArkansasBusiness.com.