Plant Services - June 2008 - (Page 11)

KEN SChNEPf THE PS FILES Investing in success Venture capitalists expect solid returns from maintenance and asset management cross-section of industry leaders represented in its customer he rocky state of our economy is forcing a change in base.” He says the firm’s goal is to work with AssetPoint’s values that many thought would never resurface in management to grow the company into the leading standour consumption-based society. After several years alone CMMS/EAM vendor. of runaway spending by consumers and companies alike, it’s David Berger, P.Eng., Plant Services’ contributing editor hard to go anywhere these days without being confronted and a CMMS consultant, says CMMS vendors that serve with the message that we must save, conserve and reel in our small and mid-size plants’ needs are on the right track bewasteful ways. From personal financial affairs to corporate cause of this sector’s growth potential. “Many companies America’s bottom line, everyone is looking for a better way invested in their CMMS to get infrastructure in place for to pare down. Y2K, but now they’re fine-tuning their systems and seeTo calm feelings of trepidation as we move from being a ing the payback,” he says. “Companies have nation of spendthrifts to plain old thrifts, smartened up to realize that there’s potentake comfort in the notion that control over tial there.” your plant’s financial domain is in your hands. Is it possible As a result of this reciprocal relationship, Clamping down on a plant’s assets and energy that the CMMS companies themselves are experiusage is entirely up to how well your maintenance department utilizes the company’s in- underappreciated encing increased interest, and Berger says vestment in CMMS/EAM software. maintenance field venture capitalists are snapping them up. “It’s area,” he adds. “Companies Given the recent turn of events, it’s not just is being valued as clearly a growthmuch more money they can are asking how maintenance professionals or CEOs who are a crucial get out of their assets by managing them taking notice of the CMMS’s ability to help better.” This trend reemphasizes, to industry ratchet down costs and squeeze the most out profit source? insiders and outsiders, how important asset of facilities. Even venture capitalists are getmanagement is. Is it possible that the underting into the game. Earlier this year, Triton appreciated maintenance field is being valued as the crucial Pacific Capital Partners, a private equity firm, acquired Asprofit source that managers have been trying to convince setPoint, a Greenville, S.C.-based CMMS/EAM provider. CEOs of for years? If these recent acquisitions are any indiIt’s the third CMMS software company that Triton has accation, the answer is affirmative. quired. Fred Thiel, managing partner at the firm, says each As for the CMMS vendors themselves, Berger says the of the company’s asset-management-related acquisitions biggest opportunities for them are in servicing small and has an established market niche and “high-value growth medium-size companies, and branching out, if they haven’t opportunities.” already, in the international arena. Houghton LeRoy, senior Thiel says Triton was looking to acquire a company in analyst of enterprise software for ARC Advisory Group, the maintenance management space and, at the same time, agrees. “I think it’s good for them [AssetPoint], and the inAssetPoint’s former owners were looking to transition ownfusion of more cash will help them to be able to do more. ership to a group that could take the company to the next One area they need to pursue is international exposure belevel. Five months later, Triton took the reins. cause of globalization and the amount of opportunities off“From Triton’s perspective, CMMS/EAM is a specialshore.” With a fresh infusion of capital, it’s likely that is the ty area where there still exists independent, best-of-breed direction AssetPoint will take. solutions and where the large ERP players still don’t have And, with every such acquisition, the spotlight on the imgood enough solutions for the demanding requirements portance of asset management grows brighter. of enterprises outside of traditional manufacturing,” Thiel says. “AssetPoint is clearly a best-of-breed provider with a strong SaaS [Software as a Service] offering and a broad E-mail Managing Editor Lisa Towers at ltowers@putman.net. June 2008 www.PLANTSERVICES.com 11 T http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

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Plant Services - June 2008 Contents From the Editor Letters The PS Files Up and Running Crisis Corner What Works Asset Manager Technology Toolbox Cover Story HVAC Coatings Motors Web Hunter In the Trenches Product Picks Classifieds Energy Expert

Plant Services - June 2008

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