Managing Automation - August 2008 - (Page 10)

FREE Online Membership managingautomation.com news managingautomation.com maonline Go online for daily news updates in perspective And, while revenue growth is always top of mind, IPS doesn’t focus on the size of an InFusion sale, but, rather, the quality of the product and services. “We don’t have to be the biggest, but we have to be the best,” Eberhart said. So what will the next 100 years look like at IPS? “We have to have a relentless focus on customer satisfaction,” Eberhart said. — Stephanie Neil Alliances, Executive Appointments, Mergers & Acquisitions, Products Transform your business through technology FREE Membership includes: • Award Winning Editorial • Web Exclusive Articles • Whitepapers & Webcasts • Improved Online Tools and Expert Forums • Product Comparison Engine • Targeted Newsletters • Special discounts for Executive Conferences • My “MA” which allows you to save products, comparisons and more Sign Up Today at: MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM She spent most of last year traveling the world, meeting customers, and figuring out how to readjust the front end of the IPS go-to-market strategy. Now, IPS has implemented its new “client executive” concept, providing customers with a single point of contact for the entire IPS organization. As part of that strategy, IPS has formed an Industry Solutions group that analyzes all of the technology across every IPS company — Foxboro, Triconex, SimSci-Esscor, and Avantis — to figure out how components of each company can be delivered as an end-to-end solution. In addition, the company is making technology investments in the form of an enterprisewide knowledge management system and a new CRM tool that will provide a seamless organizational structure around information. “We have to have better information and knowledge management as an organization,” Eberhart told Managing Automation in an interview. “That is the impetus for us this year.” Even with this emphasis on services, solutions, and information management, Eberhart said, products are still important, particularly InFusion, the enterprise control system Invensys introduced in April 2006. While it is difficult to track an InFusion sale because it’s not necessarily a single product, but a platform that can integrate a variety of business and plant floor systems and technologies, she referred to InFusion as “the fiber of what we do.” It is a way for clients to minimize risk, she said. NEW PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM EYES SOFTWARE I n a rapidly consolidating enterprise software market, a new player has emerged. Private equity firm M2 Technologies Partners stepped onto the scene in June, focusing on “domestic and international acquisitions of software and services businesses” and touting the well-heeled leadership and backing of veteran Silicon Valley investment firm Accel-KKR. Based in Menlo Park, CA, M2 is led by two mid-market software industry veterans — Mark Duffell, the former chief operating officer of Epicor Software, and Michael Piraino, one-time CFO at the mid-market ERP provider. In looking for investment opportunities, M2 will target “mid-market enterprise soft- UPCOMING 2008 Material Handling and Logistics Conference Sept. 14-17, 2008 Grand Summit Resort Hotel & Conference Center, Park City, UT www.mhc2008.com Oracle OpenWorld 2008 Sept. 21-25, 2008 Moscone Center, San Francisco www.oracle.com/openworld PLM Road Map 2008 Sept. 23-24, 2008 The Inn at St. John’s, Plymouth, MI www.cpd-associates.com BigMachines Big Ideas 2008 Oct. 5-7, 2008 Sofitel Chicago Water Tower Chicago www.bigmachines.com/bigideas EVENTS WonderWorld 2008 North America Oct. 7-9, 2008 The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino Las Vegas, NV Open.wonderware.com/sites/wworld08NA Inforum 2008 Oct. 14-16, 2008 The Venetian Hotel & Sands Expo and Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV Inforum.inforum2008.com (registration required) KronosWorks 2008 Oct. 19-22, 2008 Walt Disney World Swan and Dophin Lake Buena Vista, FL www.kronos.com/KronosWorks AMR Research Executive Leadership Conference Nov. 10-12, 2008 Westin Boston Waterfront, Boston www.amrresearch.com Free Demo Request a Demo directly from vendors you choose http://www.managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com http://Open.wonderware.com/sites/wworld08NA http://www.mhc2008.com http://www.oracle.com/openworld http://Inforum.inforum2008.com http://www.managingautomation.com http://www.cpd-associates.com http://www.kronos.com/KronosWorks http://www.bigmachines.com/bigideas http://www.amrresearch.com

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

Managing Automation - August 2008 Contents Take 1 After 18 Months, the Oracle/SAP Suit Has Little Effect on Maintenance Sales At 100, Foxboro Reinvents Around Its Customers New Private Equity Firm Eyes Software A Software Suite Just for Manufacturers i2 Chief Focuses on Services Plan Notes It's Time for Action Examining U.S. Competitveness Leveling the Field An Unhealthy Situation Exploring Alternatives Math and Science: Key to the Future Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - August 2008

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