Selected Suppliers of Manufacturing Execution Systems Software (In alphabetical order)

Apriso

Apriso traces its roots to 1992, when Teledyne Industries spun off its software business to Apriso’s predecessor organization, CIM Vision International. The company recognized the need for an adaptive MES. As a result, in 2002, FlexNet was launched as a modular and easily integrated application suited to fill the critical gaps between business and process control applications. The FlexNet platform is a unified suite of manufacturing software applications that can coordinate all manufacturing operations within a plant, between plants, and across the supply chain and enterprise. Functionalities include managing and executing production, warehouse, quality, maintenance, and labor activities. In addition, extended quality capabilities enable advanced SPC calculations to be embedded directly within any process, as well as the ability to perform quality planning or quality containment management, should an out-of-spec event occur. FlexNet replicates processes across multiple locations, enabling global KPI reporting with actionable capabilities to instantly remedy an out-of-tolerance event. Apriso’s CEO is Jim Henderson.

Aspen Technologies

Aspen Technologies, led by President and CEO Mark Fusco, is a supplier of software that optimizes process manufacturing in a number of industries. Established in 1981, AspenTech’s annual revenue last year was $166 million. More than 75,000 users at over 1,500 companies rely on AspenTech products. AspenTech’s MES product, aspenONE, provides functionality consistent with S-95 production operations management models to help customers increase profitability, achieve better asset utilization, and drive continuous improvement efforts. The AspenTech MES product aggregates process, production, and business information into a context for understanding and improving performance.

Camstar Systems

Camstar is a privately held company led by President and CEO Scott Toney. The company provides manufacturing execution, process planning, enterprise quality management, and supply chain intelligence products. Since 1984, Camstar has served hundreds of customers worldwide, the majority of which are tier-one companies. Camstar’s MES product supports a broad diversity of manufacturing industries and processes. The highly configurable platform adapts to a user’s business without custom code, and its open SOA architecture was designed for ease of integration to enterprise applications and shop-floor automation. The manufacturing model provides revision-controlled, auditable, structured definition of the product definition and associated manufacturing processes. It includes workflows with approved alternate paths, step-by-step operator procedures, parametric data collection with limits and out-of-spec actions, electronic signature requirements, and detailed bills of materials. By enforcing adherence to processing rules, this model is the basis for the manufacturing audit trail.

CDC Software

Founded in 2002, CDC Software’s MES product is CDC Factory, a packaged manufacturing operations management system that transforms manufacturing performance by letting people make real-time, actionable decisions. CDC Factory integrates the functionality of shop-floor data capture, packaged metrics such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness, analytics and scorecards, continuous improvement capabilities, and paperless quality management. The technology is combined with a change method that focuses on developing a structure of daily performance reviews to drive better performance. The process develops operator skills so operators are able to drive their own improvements; the product is typically deployed in less than six weeks per factory. CDC had 2009 revenues of $204 million, and is headed by CEO Peter Yip. The company delivers industry-specific solutions to 10,000 customers worldwide in the manufacturing, food and beverage, business services, distribution, transportation, retail, government, real estate, financial services, healthcare, and not-for-profit industries.

De Clercq Solutions

De Clercq Solutions has more than 10 years of experience with the implementation and integration of MES setups. The company’s MES offering, Objective MES, starts with detailed planning; it optimally controls operators and machines, and analyzes performance and quality. The product dispatches work orders efficiently, taking into account the real capacity and capacity utilization. Objective MES also helps optimize resources. It monitors production and reacts to problems. The system also supports maintenance activities and quality management. Koen De Clercq is the CEO of the company.

Emerson Process Management

Emerson Electric is a global leader in bringing together technology and engineering to provide solutions to industrial, commercial, and consumer markets through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. The company’s sales in fiscal 2009 were $20.9 billion. Emerson’s CEO is David Farr. Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing, and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, power, water and wastewater treatment, mining and metals, food and beverage, life sciences, and other industries. Emerson Process Management offers two MES products, Syncade and AMS Suite, to the industries it serves.

Eyelit

Eyelit, founded in 1997, delivers a broad set of manufacturing solutions, including eyelit MES. The software provides insight into production process efficiency, performance/equipment efficiency, inventory control, and resource management, along with the ability to automatically react to conditions in any factory system. Led by CEO Salil Jain, Eyelit has designed its MES product for use in the aerospace/defense, electronics, semiconductor, and solar industries.

GE Intelligent Platforms

GE Intelligent Platforms, headed by CEO Maryrose Sylvester, is a global provider of software, hardware, services, and expertise in automation and embedded computing. The company serves industry segments such as energy, water, consumer packaged goods, government and defense, and telecommunications. GE Intelligent Platforms offers a number of products with MES functionality, including Proficy Plant Applications and a number of other products that fulfill the Proficy Platform.

HighJump Software

HighJump Software is a global provider of supply chain management software that streamlines the flow of inventory and information from supplier to store shelf. Founded in 1983, HighJump has more than 3,500 customers worldwide. The company’s CEO is Russell Fleischer. For discrete manufacturers, HighJump provides an MES product called HighJump Manufacturing Advantage. It bridges the disconnect between MES and warehouse management systems (WMS), enabling optimal inventory flow throughout the shop floor. The HighJump manufacturing execution system also provides a flexible and adaptable system architecture.

Honeywell Process Solutions

Honeywell Process Solutions is a unit of Honeywell International’s Automation and Control Solutions business. The CEO of the unit is Norm Gilsdorf. With offices in more than 100 countries, HPS serves a range of industries, including refining, oil and gas, pulp, paper and printing, power generation, chemicals and petrochemicals, life sciences, metals, minerals, and mining. The company employs more than 10,000 people and has installed over 28,000 systems at more than 7,500 sites since 1974. Honeywell’s portfolio of collaborative MES products offers critical real-time performance, business processes, and operations management for process manufacturing industries. The products support virtualization environments to improve total cost of ownership and offer improved business process modeling capabilities.

iBASEt

iBASEt has been a leading provider of high-tech software products and services since 1986. iBASEt’s MES product is called Solumina. The software is an Operations Process Management suite that manages work and quality processes for the manufacturing and maintenance, repair, and overhaul of highly engineered products. Solumina functional modules include process planning, MES and operations management, quality management, and supplier quality assurance in one integrated system. The company’s CEO is Ladeira Poonian.

Intercim

Founded in 1983, Intercim, headed by CEO John Todd, supports more than 100,000 users worldwide in a number of fields, mainly advanced and highly regulated industries. In 2009, Dassault Systèmes took a minority position in Intercim. Both companies believe in real-time information exchange and collaboration between engineering, manufacturing, and the supply network. As a result of the combination, Intercim’s MES software product, Pertinence Suite powered by Velocity, bridges the gap between product design and the supply chain. Pertinence Suite supports Lean, Six Sigma, and other process initiatives. From simplified process planning and advanced predictive analysis to best-in-industry process execution and quality management, Pertinence Suite is designed to help manufacturers reach their operational goals.

Invensys

Invensys PLC formed Invensys Operations Management in 2009, when it merged six long-standing branded product groups into a single unit focused on meeting the manufacturing industry’s need for comprehensive, real-time operations management solutions. Today, Invensys Operations Management, led by President and CEO Sudipta Bhattacharya, is a provider of automation and information technology, systems, software solutions, services, and consulting to the global manufacturing and infrastructure industries. The company’s products are used by more than 40,000 clients around the world in more than 200,000 plants and facilities. Invensys Operations Management’s offerings are delivered under several prominent industry brands, including Avantis, Eurotherm, Foxboro, IMServ, InFusion, SimSci-Esscor, Skelta, Triconex, and Wonderware. Manufacturing Execution Module is the latest MES release. The software is offered in two levels of functionality. Operations -- Standard provides basic MES functionality such as electronic work orders, specifications, bills of material (BOM), product traceability, and genealogy. Operations-- Premium provides all of the Operations Standard functionality plus inventory control, certifications, steps/procedures, and labor tracking. A new addition to Operations and Performance Software 4.0 is the MES Client, an ArchestrA Toolkit-based front end.

MPDV Mikrolab GmbH

MPDV is a leading software provider specializing in recording and processing company data in the areas of production, human resources, and quality management. MPDV’s core MES product is HYDRA. Through HYDRA, MPDV provides a method for increasing economic efficiency in manufacturing plants.

MPDV also produces the xMES product family, which provides SAP users or those using its tools with a wide range of MES functionality based directly on SAP AG’s Composite Application MII. The xMES line offers machine interfaces, collection functions, and modules for shop-floor data collection, machine data collection, and process data collection, as well as information systems and information portals. The company’s CEO is Jürgen Kletti.

Parsec Automation

Parsec Automation, led by President and CEO Eddy Azad, is focused on helping companies rapidly improve the productivity of their factories. Parsec does this by providing TrakSYS, an advanced and scalable manufacturing-productivity management software application suite. TrakSYS is an extensible MES application that is designed to aid lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and operational excellence efforts for companies in many industries, including automotive, chemicals, consumer products, construction materials, electronics, food and beverage, metals, mining, packaging, pharmaceuticals, paper products, textiles, utilities/energy, and wood products.

Performix

Performix, founded in 2005, develops products for the batch process manufacturing industry. Sham Afzalpurkar is Performix’s CEO. The company’s suite of composite software applications, Performix xMES, is designed to leverage SAP technology and manufacturing system infrastructure. Performix serves the chemical, consumer products, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. Performix’ xMES Suite is used by Dow Corning and several leading pharmaceutical companies.

Plex Systems

Since 1995, Plex has been a provider of online software for the manufacturing enterprise and is the developer of Plex Online, an SaaS-based product. Its fully integrated, on-demand software solutions have resulted in a near 100% customer retention and solution implementation success rate. Plex Systems serves a global cross-section of manufacturing industries (OEMs and suppliers), particularly automotive, medical device, food and beverage manufacturing and processing, and aerospace and defense companies. Plex Online offers features for virtually every department within a manufacturing company, including manufacturing operations management and quality management systems for the shop floor, customer relationship management for sales and marketing, supply chain management for procurement, and enterprise resource planning for finance and management. Plex Online’s fully integrated model delivers a “shop floor to top floor” view of a manufacturer’s operations. Plex Systems, headed by CEO Mark Symonds, is a privately held company. In 2009, recurring revenue grew 31% over 2008, and total revenue grew 14%.

Oracle

Oracle provides a comprehensive portfolio of integrated ERP applications as part of the Oracle E-Business Suite and as PeopleSoft Enterprise and JD Edwards Enterprise One. Oracle’s ERP offerings are modular, open, and integrated solutions that span channel revenue management, financial management, procurement, manufacturing, asset lifecycle management, human capital management, and enterprise project portfolio management. Oracle’s ERP customers range from large Fortune 500 to midsize companies. Oracle serves 370,000 customers globally across a wide range of industries, including aerospace and defense, communications, engineering and construction, financial services, health sciences, insurance, oil and gas, retail, tax, and utilities. Founded in 1977, Oracle’s annual revenue for fiscal year 2010 was $26.8 billion. Oracle’s CEO is Lawrence J. Ellison.

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, headed by CEO Keith Nosbusch, is a $4.3 billion company with 19,000 employees and an extensive partner network. FactoryTalk ProductionCentre is Rockwell Automation’s MES offering. FactoryTalk integrates quality management and business analytics with paperless shop floor and repair execution. This integrated product improves operational efficiencies while ensuring regulatory compliance and the highest levels of quality.

SAP AG

Headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, SAP is the world’s largest business software company. Founded in 1972, SAP’s 2009 revenues were more than €10.6 billion. The company has more than 95,000 customers in over 120 countries. Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe are co-CEOs. SAP Manufacturing Execution (SAP ME) is an enterprise-level, scalable manufacturing business product that enables global manufacturers to manage and control manufacturing and shop floor operations. It provides a multi-faceted set of functions that integrate business systems to the shop floor, allowing for complete component and material-level visibility for single and global installations. SAP ME collects data from multiple sources, integrating data systems with shop-floor activities to create one comprehensive production record. The result is an aggregate record of the entire product history, stored and available for effective key decision-making and for meeting compliance requirements. SAP ME was added to the SAP Product Portfolio for Manufacturing with the acquisition of Visiprise in 2008. Since the acquisition, SAP continues to invest in technology and functional enhancements adhering to SAP Product Standards, including the introduction of SAP xMII, which it bills as the world’s first Manufacturing Intelligence Portal.

Schneider Electric

As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers a variety of power management and automation products in sectors such as energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centers/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, the company’s 100,000-plus employees achieved sales of more than $22 billion in 2009. Schneider Electric’s MES software, Ampla, empowers businesses to reduce costs and improve production efficiency, performance, and profitability. Ampla’s energy module supports the identification and tracking of energy over-consumption based upon production context. Ampla is used to identify bottlenecks, analyze production downtime causes, calculate key performance indicators, manage WIP inventory, track the real costs of production, and manage other important operational performance issues. Ampla supports continuous improvement projects to achieve operational excellence.

Siemens MES

Siemens, founded in 1847, is a global leader in electronics and electrical engineering, and operates in the industry, energy, and healthcare sectors. With 405,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $104.3 billion in fiscal 2009. Siemens in the USA reported sales of $21.3 billion in the U.S. and employs more than 60,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. SIMATIC IT, Siemens’ MES product, allows companies to implement a cross-plant technological solution for enforcing value-driven strategies on the one hand and performance measures on the other. SIMATIC IT, with its open architecture, offers the collaboration and integration technologies that allow manufacturers to couple disparate systems, support distributed manufacturing operations, and connect manufacturing operations with the rest of the enterprise.

Werum Software & Systems

Werum is a leading supplier of MES for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. Founded in 1969, the company employs more than 400 people at its headquarters in Lüneburg, Germany, and at eight other locations in Germany, France, the U.S., Japan, and Singapore. Hartmut Krome is President of Werum America Inc., and Chairman of the Executive Board of Werum Software & Systems. Werum’s MES software product is called PAS-X. It is installed at 16 of the world’s top 30 pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and runs in more than 500 installations around the globe. Werum provides integrated and ready-to-be-validated MES packages.

(Editor’s Note: This select list of Manufacturing Execution Systems Software suppliers is based on market research reports, analyst reports, and company information.)