Brooks Automation Launches Real-Time Enterprise Software Initiative

08/24/2004

Brooks Software, a division of Brooks Automation, Inc. (Nasdaq: BRKS), and a provider of real-time applications for enterprises with collaborative, complex manufacturing operations, unveiled ts real-time enterprise software initiative. Brooks says it has “worked closely with its customers in the aerospace and defense, automotive, high tech, medical devices and semiconductor markets to enhance and extend the functionality of its suite of real-time manufacturing applications, enabling enterprises to create an end-to-end real-time environment that reaches from the factory floor to enterprise-level business systems.”

Brooks gave these details:

Brooks has also reorganized its software group to better address real-time growth opportunities in its key markets.

Brooks SenseDecideRespond real-time enterprise software solutions give discrete manufacturers the ability to "sense" critical activity at the equipment, factory, and enterprise levels as well as changing market conditions; "decide" how to optimize production resources throughout the plant or multiple plants; and "respond" by implementing informed, revised directives based on changing business conditions -- all in real-time. With improved real- time visibility to critical manufacturing process and product information, manufacturers can now connect their manufacturing operations into their broader enterprise strategies, such as ERP, supply chain management, lean manufacturing, and business process management, to make more informed business decisions.

Brooks' real-time strategy closely aligns with the direction that leading industry analysts see manufacturers taking with regard to their enterprise infrastructure.

"Over the past several years, many companies have amassed a collection of powerful but disparate Manufacturing Execution Systems (MESs)," stated Colin Masson, research director, in the AMR Research Alert, July 29, 2004. "During that same period, these companies focused their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) strategies on global visibility and process standardization. That completed, manufacturers are now turning their attention to the MES layer underneath. The pursuit is to establish architectures to incorporate this heterogeneous manufacturing application landscape into their Demand-Driven Supply Networks (DDSNs)."

Discrete manufacturers face growing business pressures from shrinking product lifecycles, collaborative business models, increasing regulatory requirements, and growing warranty/recall claims, driving them to find new ways of connecting their manufacturing operations to enterprise initiatives to become more responsive to changes in the market. Additionally, RFID technology has exacerbated the need for, and is driving manufacturers to implement, a real-time IT infrastructure throughout their enterprise so they can benefit from real-time data enabling smarter business decisions.

“To successfully compete in today's dynamic market, manufacturers must create a real-time enterprise that connects their manufacturing operations with other strategic planning, execution and supply chain initiatives," said Joe Bellini, senior vice-president of the Software Systems Group at Brooks Automation. "By integrating our SenseDecideRespond real-time manufacturing applications with other business-level initiatives, manufacturers are able to create a more flexible and responsive enterprise capable of quickly adapting to changes in market conditions and ultimately achieving a better utilization of assets, greater competitive advantage and increased profitability."

For years, Brooks has provided real-time execution applications for complex manufacturing environments. According to recent reports and rankings from industry analyst firms AMR Research, ARC and Dataquest/Gartner, Brooks is the largest supplier of execution applications to the discrete manufacturing industries. Now, to help discrete manufacturers address new market challenges, Brooks Software offers solutions that employ critical shop floor and supply chain data within broader strategic enterprise initiatives. Brooks Software is offering SenseDecideRespond real-time software solutions allowing manufacturers to tie critical operations data in real-time to enterprise strategies such as supply chain execution, closed-loop automation, lean manufacturing, and enterprise performance management strategies.

"Brooks Software is uniquely positioned to serve the specific real-time enterprise needs of complex discrete manufacturers in multiple industries," continued Bellini. "Our growing list of blue-chip customers in discrete manufacturing industries, combined with the emergence of new business and technology trends that are driving these industries, provided an opportunity for Brooks to adapt our company and product line to more effectively serve these target markets."

Over the past two years, Brooks has focused on optimizing the performance of its suite of real-time manufacturing applications while collaborating with its customers to incorporate industry-specific, best practice business rules.

Additionally, the Brooks suite now complies with emerging industry architecture standards and provides standard integration to leading ERP applications, extending the suite's functionality while lowering customers' total cost of ownership.

Recently introduced SenseDecideRespond products address the equipment level (Brooks APC Platform), the factory level (FACTORYworks3), and the enterprise level (Brooks Activity Manager). Brooks now offers a complete application software suite extending real-time functionality within a single manufacturing site to support real-time, closed loop requirements across the enterprise and extended supply chain.

Organizationally aligned to capture new opportunities Brooks has reorganized its software assets into a single division led by Joe Bellini. The company has established new industry vertical practices to effectively leverage its established practices and domain experience in providing real-time execution applications to aerospace and defense, automotive, high tech, medical device and semiconductor industries. Each industry practice is managed and staffed by teams with extensive manufacturing experience specific to each vertical sector.

To further meet the specific needs of discrete manufacturing, Brooks has established solution teams for critical enterprise strategies including: supply chain execution, closed loop automation, lean execution and enterprise performance management.

“Brooks Automation is a market leader in delivering advanced real-time manufacturing execution software for complex manufacturing environments," said Ed Grady, president and chief operating officer of Brooks Automation. "Our software technology and products have a proven track record of success in some of the most complex manufacturing environments in the world, where systems based on our real-time applications and architecture are already solving numerous difficult problems for large enterprises. This new real-time enterprise initiative builds on that strength and provides further growth opportunities for the company by extending our product innovation and worldwide service and support to a wider range of discrete manufacturing customers."

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