September 21, 2006 14:45 ET

NineSigma Expands International Operations, Opens a European Sales Office in Germany

CLEVELAND, OH -- (MARKET WIRE) -- September 21, 2006 -- NineSigma, a leading provider of open innovation solutions to industry, today announced the opening of its first European sales office. The new office is in Heidelberg, Germany and will be managed by Karl Massholder, Ph.D.

NineSigma has been expanding its worldwide network of corporate clients and solution providers to meet the growing demand for managed innovation services. Fueled by a need to improve their speed to market, many international companies are looking to organizations like NineSigma to extend their reach into the global innovation community.

"Europe is an important and strategic market for NineSigma," said Paul Stiros, President and CEO of NineSigma. "This new sales office is the first step in a long term plan to expand our services in this technology-rich region of the world," Stiros added.

Dr. Karl Massholder has worked with NineSigma as a solution provider for more than two years, bringing technology solutions to NineSigma clients. "There is a real demand for the management of technological innovation in Europe," says Dr. Massholder. "This unique opportunity allows me to use my experience with NineSigma and integrate that with my corporate management relations to deliver NineSigma's proven process for open innovation to leading companies throughout Europe," said Massholder.

Dr. Massholder is a successful business leader with significant experience managing the R&D operations of several international companies. He has been a Manager of International Operations and Vice President for ERCO Energy Resources Company, President of UV-Systems Engineering GmbH, Co-Founder and President of IBL Umwelt und Biotechnik GmbH, and Director and Founder of UltraKat Plasmatechnik GmbH. Dr. Massholder received an MBA from Harvard University with an emphasis in the Management of Technological Innovation, plus a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from Universitat Konstanz. He holds 30 international patents related to plasma and photo chemistry.

Technology innovators, solution providers, and others interested in learning more about NineSigma can visit www.ninesigma.com or call NineSigma at 216-295-4800.

Contact information for the new office in Germany is:

     NineSigma, Inc.
     Hans-Bunte-Str. 10
     D-69123 Heidelberg, Germany

     +49-6221-7500068
     massholder@ninesigmacorp.com

About NineSigma

NineSigma partners with Global 1000 companies to transform their innovation capabilities by connecting them with the very best innovators from around the world. NineSigma's proprietary process for Open Innovation enables companies to dramatically improve speed to market while lowering product development costs and reducing risk in decision making. NineSigma's open network of innovators is the largest of its kind and spans industries, geographies, and technical disciplines. Companies such as P&G, Dupont, Kraft, and Unilever engage NineSigma to build new innovation capabilities that leverage research and innovation globally to deliver greater value to their customers. For more information visit www.ninesigma.com.