Software drives manufacturing improvements

According to Invensys, customer adoption of ArchestrA technology is continuing at an accelerated pace throughout the manufacturing marketplace.

According to Invensys, customer adoption of ArchestrA technology is continuing at an accelerated pace throughout the manufacturing marketplace as customers use Wonderware software to help drive manufacturing business performance improvements.

Wonderware products are sold and supported in the UK and Ireland by Stockport based Pantek.

Wonderware and its expansive network of systems integrators, have delivered software solutions inside of more than 425 automation and information projects for over 200 companies that are now using Wonderware software that is built on the ArchestrA architecture.

This represents an accelerated increase of more than 125 new projects and 20 new customer companies in the last five months.

These progressive customer projects cover a broad range of industries, including food and beverage, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, paper, automotive, steel, electronics, oil and gas, and utilities, and are operating across every continent around the globe.

ArchestrA technology has been repeatedly shown to be the only truly integrated single-architecture industrial software that can be used across the entire range of manufacturing applications from plant-wide supervisory control, to remote Scada operations, to plant performance management, to production management and enterprise collaboration, all using a common, highly productive toolset.

The ArchestrA architecture industrialises Microsoft Windows Server System and NET technologies to more easily integrate existing plant and business systems in support of customers' drive for improved manufacturing agility and business performance.

One recent business improvement example is Nutramax Manufacturing which is using an ArchestrA-based Wonderware enterprise integration application in combination with Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision, a business management solution, to achieve faster manufacturing agility and to expand manufacturing capacity to meet growing customer orders.

"Our goal at Nutramax Manufacturing in implementing an enterprise integration application was to create a fully paperless environment and to automate our business and manufacturing processes, while continuing to adhere to FDA regulations for manufacturing operations", said Pete Patras, Vice President of Nutramax Manufacturing "In a matter of a few months, the company has successfully achieved several goals outlined at the outset of this project".

"We've been able to quantify and reduce raw material waste, garner greater control of inventory of production materials and have improved efficiencies in the manufacturing and packaging stages of our product production lines".

The manufacturing execution software solution for the project was provided by the local certified Wonderware distributor, InSource Solutions, along with Wonderware application consulting services.

In addition to successes in customer installations in the last quarter, more than 325 third-party systems and plant networks are now classified as "ArchestrA ready".

This broad connectivity allows customers to readily extend the value of their installed plant and business systems investments using ArchestrA-based Wonderware software.

"Wonderware is meeting the next wave of challenges from manufacturing customers with new production and performance management capabilities built on the open ArchestrA plant automation and information software architecture and Microsoft's BizTalk Server, along with certified systems integrators that address issues such as enterprise application integration using the ISA S95 XML standard", said Mark Davidson, Vice President of Global Marketing for Wonderware and ArchestrA.

"Wonderware application consultants are assisting and certifying an ever expanding, global network of systems integrators in order to lower the risk and cost of these high-value business solutions".

One recent addition to the network of leading systems integration companies committed to building up manufacturing solutions capabilities on Wonderware software and ArchestrA technology is the Automation Alliance Group.

The Automation Alliance Group of systems integrators was formed out of 10 independent companies that can serve the entire USA, as well as portions of Europe and Asia with more than 1300 resources.

"Automation Alliance Group's relationship with Wonderware will comprise a virtual global network of FactorySuite A2 Certified systems integration business units and personnel, experienced in virtually every industry and prepared to implement Wonderware manufacturing solutions using only personnel that are ArchestrA certified by Wonderware", said Dan Amsden, President of the Automation Alliance Group.

The Microsoft and Invensys alliance was established in 2003 to combine Invensys' strengths in process and manufacturing applications and expertise in key industry segments with Microsoft's platform, technology and enterprise products.

The alliance is driving new generations of Invensys solutions that provide manufacturers with real-time visibility within their plant environments and across their supply chains.

Invensys continues to work closely with Microsoft to ensure that customer applications built on the ArchestrA software architecture meet the mission-critical needs of the industrial marketplace as the Microsoft Windows Server System and Microsoft.NET technologies evolve.

"In just a short time, the accelerated, industry-wide adoption of ArchestrA technology has demonstrated Invensys' long-running track record of successfully developing go-to-market solutions based on the Microsoft platform", said Charles Johnson, Worldwide Managing Director of Manufacturing at Microsoft.

"As ArchestrA technology continues to spread throughout the marketplace and enhance manufacturing performance, Microsoft and Invensys will work diligently to make certain each new generation of solutions focus on meeting manufacturing industry challenges - from providing real-time visibility into plant floors to improving enterprise collaboration - and result in new advancements and successes for our customers".

Back to top