Representatives of the Italian textile industry and IBM programmers developed a program that allows manufacturers to view simulated woven cloth patterns on a color display screen. This eliminates the need for costly preproduction samples and allows a more rapid response to customer requirements.

Partnerships with industry provide the insight into new opportunities and the products and services to respond to them. The goal may be participating in the growth of telecommunications in Japan, or creating a product that helps preserve the vitality of a centuries-old Italian industry. From joint ventures to cooperative development projects, IBM works with organizations in ways that can be both entrepreneurial and international in scope.

IBM Japan and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) announced a joint venture to provide telecommunications services and other products. The worldwide telecommunications market is expected to triple over the next 10 years.