PeopleSoft Inc. is giving a boost to its asset management applications aimed at helping manufacturers make the most of their operations.
The Pleasanton, Calif.-based software vendor Wednesday announced EnterpriseOne Asset Lifecycle Management 8.10, a module that comes with several enhancements to help companies maintain factory machinery and do cost analysis for better returns on investment.
The announcement signals yet another effort by PeopleSoft to edge into the manufacturing market following its acquisition last year of rival J.D. Edwards & Co.
Between global competition and the commoditization of many manufactured products, cutting costs while improving service levels is crucial, said Joel Reed, vice-president of product marketing for PeopleSoft’s midrange EnterpriseOne suite.
To assist companies facing those goals, PeopleSoft will offer an equipment cost analysis tool as part of 8.10, said Tuula Hoiska, the company’s senior product marketing manager for asset life-cycle management. The application will give customers a 360-degree view of their equipment, including maintenance and operating costs, how productive a given asset is and what ROI it provides, she said.
Users can compare, for example, the operating costs of a paper mill in New York with one in Indiana and drill down into the data to determine why one operation might cost more than another. The tool will even do productivity and operational cost comparisons of individual pieces of equipment.
PeopleSoft is also offering an enhancement that supports condition-based maintenance operations, she said. The application can, for example, monitor equipment or instruments such as a drill bit at an oil company, analyze relevant data and send up alerts when repairs or maintenance are needed.
PeopleSoft will also deliver support for the creation of customized interfaces for asset management, such as a special portal for a maintenance planner, with relevant key performance indicators on asset use. That would allow users to execute and track specific maintenance tasks.
The applications are shipping now.