Siemens Announces Distribution Agreement With Ivara to Pursue EAM Market
30 June 2000
Provides Vital Link Between Plant Floor and Business Systems
ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc., today announced that its parent, Siemens AG, has reached a worldwide distribution agreement with Ivara Corporation to license, implement and support the company's leading-edge Enterprise Asset Management systems and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems, software and services.As part of the agreement, Siemens will also integrate the Ivara products as a Plant Maintenance Management System into the Siemens Industrial Framework, a vendor-independent strategy for flexible and configurable integration of manufacturing and business data.
Ivara's products reduce maintenance costs and increase equipment uptime by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization's maintenance processes. These processes include work order planning and scheduling, MRO inventory and purchasing. Some of the advanced functionality that the Ivara products offer includes the ability to collect equipment condition indicators, diagnose the overall condition of the equipment and proactively identify the maintenance required to prevent an equipment failure. This identification of the right maintenance work to do at the right time improves the effectiveness of maintenance, which reduces costs and improves equipment reliability.
The integration of Ivara products with Siemens' Industrial Framework allows for a vital link between the factory floor and business systems, such as SAP. Siemens will integrate the Ivara products to its Industrial Framework to provide customers with Totally Integrated Industrial IT from the plant floor to business systems. The concept of Totally Integrated Industrial IT means consistent integration from automations to Manufacturing Execution Systems, up to the business management level.
By linking the plant floor data to the business systems, Siemens offers a solution to optimize processes and deliver increased business performance. This partnership with Ivara completes the Siemens product offering with a PMMS that is supported and implemented worldwide.
"We evaluated the leading maintenance software products and selected Ivara because of its advanced technical architecture and the powerful functionality of its Expert Maintenance product," said Reinhold Achatz, vice president of the Industrial Solutions & Software Division of Siemens Energy & Automation in Norcross, Ga. "Ivara's object-oriented, component technology fits well with our strategy to integrate the best of breed software applications with our Industrial Framework." Achatz added, "The EAM system, together with our Premium Process Device Manager, will provide unique value to customers by diagnosing the overall condition of equipment and recommending the most appropriate maintenance activities. This will generate significant value to our customers by improving equipment reliability, extending the life of equipment and increasing plant uptime. "
Industry analysts see the partnership producing significant benefits for Siemens, customers and Ivara.
"This partnership is extremely important and advantageous for Siemens' customers and prospects because it completes the company's product offerings with a world-class, best-of-breed EAM solution and, most importantly, an Expert Maintenance Program from Ivara Corporation," said Steve Clouther, vice president, ARC Advisory Group. "This partnership is a win-win situation in the truest sense of the words, because it brings a complementary position to the table that can only leverage the best of both parties around the world. Ivara's products help Siemens round out its concept of Totally Integrated Industrial IT and Siemens provides a comprehensive global distribution and support organization that is absolutely first-class. At the end of the day, the real winners are the users, who now have access to an integrated solution that goes from the plant floor to the executive business systems."
"Ivara is delighted Siemens selected Ivara's products for its PMMS. This is a strong endorsement of our strategy to provide technically innovative solutions that provide value to customers," said Bill Shaw, president of Ivara. "Siemens' strategy to integrate Ivara's products to the factory floor and business systems provides a significant value proposition for companies to reduce costs, increase equipment uptime and increase production capacity."
Siemens' PMMS is applicable for all equipment intensive industries, for example automotive, chemicals/pharmaceutical, semi-conductor, and food & beverage.
About Siemens Energy & Automation
Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Siemens Energy & Automation (SE&A) manufactures and markets the world's broadest range of electrical and electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation solutions. The company also has expertise in electronic placement equipment, systems integration, technical services and turnkey industrial systems.
About Ivara Corporation
Ivara is in the business of providing Enterprise Asset Management systems, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems, Expert Maintenance Program and maintenance consulting and training services specifically designed to speed up customers' time to benefit.
About ARC Advisory Group
ARC Advisory Group is a leading international management consulting firm. ARC provides strategic planning and technology assessment services to major manufacturing and logistics companies, and associated suppliers of technology and services.