Managing Automation - April 2008 - (Page 11)

Quote of the Stuek, who had spent much of his career with IBM, joined SSA in 1998 and eventually moved on to a private equity firm, from which he retired a year ago. TAGSYS, however, quickly caught his eye and he joined the board of directors, which recently asked him to lead the company following the departure of Elie Simon to pursue other interests. Stuek admits he is no RFID expert, and he arrived in this role “quite by accident.” Nevertheless, it is a company that faces many of the same problems associated with any emerging technology — things that Stuek has seen before. “What I saw in this company was a nascent Bill Stuek technology, a nascent set of market opportunities, and lots and lots of competitors,” Stuek said in an interview. “I also saw the importance of this technology going forward, and I had a feel for where it could be extended. This is a small, multinational company with all of the communications problems of a virtual company, and that is exciting to me.” Stuek’s top priority for TAGSYS is to refine its business distribution and growth strategies. “I also believe I have a key job in continuing to position this company so it can take maximum advantage of this evolving technology. Positioning the company to take maximum advantage means making it as complete a solution as we can,” he said. That means moving beyond tags and hardware, and adding application software, services, and support. “To my observation, there is no one out there yet with a complete solution offering for any market segment,” he said. Indeed, according to Gartner Group, much of the RFID market is not yet at the tipping point, and while many manufacturers know that the technology will need to be explored, it may not be practical for them to adopt it at present. “While the interest for RFID technologies is high, today’s buyer is more discriminating than in the past and cautious of over-hyped technologies,” said Chad Eschinger, research director at Gartner, in a press release that forecasts worldwide RFID revenue at $1.2 billion in 2008, a 30.9% increase from 2007. Gartner predicts that by 2012, worldwide revenue will reach $3.5 billion. But customers will be looking for a return on investment, Eschinger noted, and RFID adoption will be impacted by the fact that users cannot buy an end-to-end RFID solution from one provider. If TAGSYS, which caters to textiles, OEM, and pharmaceutical markets, can come to market with an end-to-end RFID solution, it will have a huge advantage, Stuek acknowledged. Corollary to that is being able to support any RFID frequency — low, high, and ultra-high. “We are trying to position ourselves to be agnostic on that debate,” Stuek said. “So another part of my job is to put some wood behind that arrow, and make sure our solutions are as complete and composite as our customers and clients want.” — S.N. MONTH “The marketplace said they’ve had enough with siloed solutions, already.” — Camstar’s Karim Lokas For the Continued from page 8 Record RFM Inc. chose Plexus Systems, Inc.’s Plexus Online on-demand software to facilitate management of its business and manufacturing processes. normative mechanics GmbH & Co. KG standardized on PTC’s 3D CAD CoCreate Modeling software for its design work. Siemens PLM Software’s NX and Solid Edge software will serve as the core product development platform for Serbian GOSA FOM Equipment & Machinery Co. Cummins Inc. selected Transplace as its lead logistics provider for its Power Generation and Emission Solutions units. SIEMENS TURNS TO SECURITY WEAVER FOR COMPLIANCE T he much-maligned Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 almost single-handedly created the software category known today as governance, risk, and compliance, and a recent high-profile implementation has turned a spotlight on one tool in that product toolkit: segregation of duties software. Global engineering and automation conglomerate Siemens recently announced its selection of a company called Security Weaver for its global Segregation of Duties (SoD) software platform. Siemens’ decision follows a year in which the company had to deal with a bribery scandal that involved kickback payments for contracts and cost numerous Siemens executives their jobs. The need for SoD software is greatest in large, complex companies that are exposed to high degrees of regulatory and investor scrutiny. Security Weaver’s eponymous SoD application and others like it John Hagerty act as automated cops, policing established business rules that govern which employee has permission to perform which task in an enterprise system. An employee, for example, should not be able to create a new vendor in an ERP system M&As AMETEK, Inc. acquired Motion Control Group, a maker of customized motors and motion control products. Applied Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. acquired K-R Automation, an automation controls design, engineering, and panel manufacturing company. Rockwell Automation bought CEDES AG’s Safety and Automation business. Tyco Electronics plans to exit the RFID business, putting its Radio Frequency Components and Subsystems business on the block. No word yet on potential buyers. FINANCIALS Autodesk, Inc. reported record fourthquarter revenue of $599 million and GAAP net income of $96 million. PA R T N E R S H I P S Axeda Corp. teamed up with Digi International to enable manufacturers to reduce service costs by managing their mobile and isolated assets. BigMachines and Bluewolf will provide software-as-a-service configuration and quoting software and services to automate the quote-to-cash process. Transpara Corp. and OSIsoft entered an OEM relationship to provide historical analysis and trending capabilities for key performance indicator (KPI) data. 11 April 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - April 2008

Managing Automation - April 2008 Contents Take 1 Camstar to Introduce Software that Combines Quality, MES, and Intelligence SAP Revamps Maintenance, Raises Fees 29% New TAGSYS Chief Sees Opportunity in Broader Approach Siemens Turns to Security Weaver for Compliance Supply Chain Company Takes Next Step in U.S. Notes Cover Story: The Long Climb Special Report - Undertanding Enterprise Performance Management Caught Between Supply and Demand Taking Off the Blindfold No Room for Error Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - April 2008

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