Press Release

AVISTA Earns CMMI Maturity Level 3 Rating

Certified Quality Process Supports AVISTA’s Excellence in Critical Software Systems

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – March 9, 2005 - AVISTA, Incorporated, a leader in software engineering outsourcing for avionics and medical applications, has attained a Maturity Level 3 rating for systems and software engineering as defined by the Software Engineering Institute (SEISM) Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI). The rating demonstrates AVISTA’s application of systematic and quantifiable approaches enabling results-oriented outcomes for its clients. AVISTA achieved this milestone after rigorous independent assessment by PerformIT Works, a SEI authorized lead assessor.

"With the DO-178B and FDA 510(k) certification projects we manage, a high quality, mature software process is a necessity,” said James T. Schneller, president of AVISTA, Incorporated. “AVISTA is committed to consistent reliability and quality for our projects, and the CMMI Maturity Level 3 certification is an affirmation of our methods. We are proud of this achievement following our ISO 9001:2000 quality certification."

The SEI is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University. The CMMI is an internationally recognized framework for assessing and improving an organization’s business and development capabilities. This model ensures a continuous and comprehensive evaluation and improvement of an organization’s core processes. AVISTA holds the distinction of being one of the few companies within the United States to attain such a prestigious honor.

“I was thoroughly impressed with AVISTA’s approach towards process improvement, specifically their implementation of the CMMI model,” Tara Lemieux, president of PerformIT Works. “AVISTA’s dedication to software process improvement, as well as their deep commitment to client success, is very apparent and set the tone for all phases of their CMMI initiative.”

AVISTA also received the International Organization of Standardization ISO 9001:2000 quality certification in 2003.

About AVISTA
AVISTA Incorporated®, a subsidiary of Esterline Technologies Corporation (NYSE:ESL), is a full-lifecycle software engineering services company, specializing in critical systems development projects for avionics and medical device applications. With more than two million project hours completed, AVISTA fields the strongest, most stable, and most capable DO-178B experienced software development team in the industry. The company has completed more than 750 client projects in systems design, requirements capture and analysis, software design and implementation, and software verification and validation. AVISTA, headquartered in Platteville, Wisconsin, is a SEI CMMI Maturity Level 3 rated company, and an ISO 9001:2000 certified company. www.avistainc.com.