European process manufacturers are to find themselves targeted by Newton, Massachusetts-based Marcam Corp. The IBM Corp applications software developer is aiming to generate 50% of its revenue outside of the US and is targeting the UK and the rest of Europe as its key markets. This attempt to step up its presence in Europe is being made from its European headquarters in Maidenhead, Berkshire. A support centre has been set up in Best in the Netherlands, and direct sales and marketing offices are to be established in France. Marcam’s latest UK customer is household cleaning product manufacturer Jeyes Group Plc, which has signed contract valued at UKP1m. The $56m-a-year company has recently extended the range of modules making up its Prism process manufacturing software. Prism deals with business planning and control and provides integrated manufacturing, financial, logistics and maintenance management applications. Specific modules have been introduced that run on IBM personal computers instead of just System/38s and AS/400s as previously.
Prism/CP
These are Prism/CP, formula management and regulatory compliance. Two products from the maintenance management range, acquired from Ontario, Canada-based ShareWare Inc, also run on personal computers. They are imaging and executive information. Prism/CP incorporates cooperative processing technology using AS/400 and PS/2 hardware and has a graphical user interface that complies with IBM’s Common User Access spec. Formula management assists in both the defining of process formulae and in their maintenance. Regulatory compliance provides various functions to help manufacturers meet report requirements for the US government’s Right to Know regulations. Imaging enables engineers to scan assembly plant drawings and zoom in on particular areas of plant design for quick reference. Executive information is intended to enable management to measure information on any critical business area that is pre-set into the system. Other new modules still operating purely on IBM mid-range systems – AS/400, System 36 – consist of warehouse management and various financial applications. The financial applications have been developed by financial software specialist Denver, Colorado-based J D Edwards & Co and replace the former Prism financial range. Warehouse management is designed to provide detailed management of inventories, warehouse space, equipment and labour. The financial packages comprise Currency for currency conversion, Address Book, Modelling & Allocation for budgeting and financial planning and an integrated version of Report Writer. General ledger, accounts payable and accounts receivable are still included in the range as well. All of these products are available now, but no prices were given for them except in the case of Prism/CP, which costs between UKP3,000 and UKP20,000 depending on application.
