Managing Automation - October 2008 - (Page 20)

[ COMPANIES TO WATCH] myDials Hosted service provides near real-time access to critical operational information collected from various host systems. m yDials, founded in 2006 to help manufacturers make better operational decisions, develops on-demand tools that present timely key performance indicator information to decision makers in easy-to-consume dashboard form. Unlike traditional vendors of business intelligence tools, myDials did not build its product around online analytical processing (OLAP) cube database technology, which is typically used to enable ad hoc reporting against multidimensional data. Instead, myDials uses what it calls an Intelligent Metrics Processor to pull pre-defined key performance information from a variety of source systems and quickly present it to decision makers. The result, says myDials CEO and founder Wayne Morris, is real-time operational information accessible in near real time. “Manufacturers need to see information from operational systems, i like MES, data historians, quality, logistics, and shipping systems,” Morris says. “They also need to access information from ERP, CRM, and financial systems. We marry those and bring them together in real time.” myDials relies on a data collector behind the customer’s firewall to pull together and aggregate relevant information from operational systems. The data is then securely sent to myDials’ hosted site, where it is fed into the Intelligent Metrics Processor for analysis. It takes 12 to 50 days to configure the system for a customer, Morris says. myDials can present real-time KPIs tailored to individual users’ needs. The company also partners with service providers to integrate the KPIs into lean and other continuous-improvement programs. Wayne Morris Customers say they value myDials’ service CEO FOUNDED: 2006 because it’s quick to deploy and easy to use. Snap-on Inc., a maker of hand tools and diagnostic equipment, for PRODUCT/CATEGORY: myDials, corporate performance management example, started using myDials last year to keep on top of safety inforINDUSTRY SEGMENTS SERVED: Manufacturing, mining, utilities mation collected from 80 facilities. The company has since expanded KEY PROBLEM SOLVED: Eliminated data silos by aggregating data from its use of myDials to track the sales, product mix, and other metrics a variety of operational systems and presenting it in near real time. related to the performance of its franchisees. DIFFERENTIATION: KPIs presented in easy-to-use dashboard form; “The ability to correlate multiple metrics and determine cause and hosted and quick to implement effect that, in turn, helps us focus on the critical areas needing attenCUSTOMERS: Snap-on Inc., Ausreo tion is important,” says Snap-on CIO Jeanne Moreno. “We believe focus in areas such as safety, workman’s comp claims, and franchisee FUNDING: Privately funded health is critical to our business success.”— Jeff Moad Optessa O Software addresses the complexities of manufacturing planning, scheduling, and sequencing, mostly for automotive customers. ptessa, a provider of planning, sequencing, and scheduling solutions for manufacturing companies, is the developer of the Optessa MLS and MLP systems. Generating assembly line schedules, Optessa MLS, in batch and realtime versions, aims to reduce costs and delivery lead times. Optessa MLP is a planning system that looks at forecasted demand and produces schedules for multiplant and multi-line planning. In auto manufacturing, Optessa’s applications receive orders from ERP systems and sequence them using virtual assembly lines. The company’s goal since its founding in 2001 has been to simplify scheduling challenges for its clients, says CEO and cofounder Srinivas Netrakanti. Constraints and rules for scheduling in the auto industry, for example, typically number in the Srinivas Netrakanti CEO hundreds. Optessa, Netrakanti says, “gives a stable, long-term schedule” and tries to “satisfy every rule and constraint.” Optessa has managed to land customers from among the Big Three i FOUNDED: 2001 PRODUCT/CATEGORY: Optessa MLS plant scheduling and MLP plant planning INDUSTRY SEGMENTS SERVED: Automotive, automotive suppliers, small vehicles, power/farm/industrial equipment, semiconductor, appliances/electronics/CPG KEY PROBLEM SOLVED: Complex scheduling problems for manufacturing companies DIFFERENTIATION: Best of breed, specializes in the automotive industry CUSTOMERS: Two of the “Big Three” U.S. automakers FUNDING: Venture-funded automotive OEMs in Detroit and an auto manufacturer in Japan, which is impressive for a fairly new company, says Ralph Rio, an analyst at ARC Advisory Group. “Now that they have references, I see good growth and a lot of opportunity ahead of them,” Rio says. Manufacturers with short product cycle times “should consider [Optessa] for sequencing.” As for Optessa’s plans, the company is trying to extend its reach to other industries. “We keep enhancing our systems. We are now in version 4. We have added features and optimized schedules. We are going after global OEMs and the tier 1 and 2 levels,” Netrakanti says. — Lauren Brousell ma 20 2008 October

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

Managing Automation - October 2008 Contents Take 1 Systems Integration Market Braces for a Wave of Consolidation Kinaxis Launches Program to Lure i2 Customers Patent May Give Mobility a Needed Shot in the Arm New Group Aims at More Efficient Smart Devices Solar, Life Sciences Will Be the Next Frontier For Robots Notes Cover Story:�2009 Companies to Watch Special Report:�Siemens plus UGS: Is the Merger Working? Transformation:�Driving Energy Efficiency Integration: How Clean is Your Data Industries:�Fed Raises Red Flag on Chemicals Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - October 2008

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