Baan announces the creation of the world's largest software group for the process industry
Baan, the global provider of enterprise business solutions, has announced the creation of Baan Process Solutions, a new business unit focused specifically on addressing the enterprise software requirements of the continuous and hybrid process industries. The new unit combines the resources of three process industry focused application groups - Baan Dimensions, Baan IV Process and Wonderware Corporation' Protean/PRISM business unit. Baan Process Solutions will leverage Baan's powerful iBaan suite of Internet-enabled collaboration solutions to provide process industry customers with tighter enterprise integration and full sensor-to-boardroom visibility across their entire supply chain.
With the integration of these operations, the new business unit now has the largest number of process ERP customers, with over 1,000 companies using Baan Process Solutions products and solutions across over 1,800 sites worldwide. Using iBaan, Baan Process Solutions will help to develop offerings that will allow current users of Baan Dimensions, Baan IV Process, Protean and PRISM to extend their existing enterprise systems with additional capabilities including Internet-enabled collaboration, business intelligence, customer relationship management and supply chain solutions.
Baan Process Solutions will become a business unit within Baan and will be headed by Robert Thomas - who will be Vice President of Baan Process Solutions - reporting to Laurens van der Tang, Baan's President. It will have offices in Newton, Massachusetts and Eindhoven and Veenendaal in the Netherlands.
"Invensys Software Systems businesses have a track record of success in the process industry, with over 60 per cent of its revenue coming from this important sector," commented Laurens van der Tang, President of Baan. "The creation of Baan Process Solutions shows us as responding to our customers' demands for process-focused enterprise solutions and support, whilst highlighting the long term potential of this market sector. With Baan Process Solutions we now have a foundation from which we can build a market leading position in the industry.
"The combination of Baan Process Solutions' unique process functionality, Baan's powerful new iBaan approach, and the process and consulting expertise of Invensys Software Systems companies, IPA and APV provides a unique offering to the process industry. With the creation of this unit, Invensys is now the only company able to offer unified, customer-to-supplier, sensor-to-boardroom e-enterprise solutions for the process industry," he continued.
Chris Humphries, Chairman of the UK and Ireland Protean User Group said: "This is great news for the process user community. The proven capabilities of the ERP backbones combined with the e-enterprise and supply chain product portfolio of Baan will provide many opportunities for the customer bases moving forward. Users will be pleased about the prospects of leveraging the software now available to help them gain a competitive advantage."
The new iBaan suite of Internet-enabled collaboration solutions addresses manufacturers' growing demands for tighter integration and full visibility across their entire supply chains. The suite combines proven Baan technology with significant new developments that enable customers to take significant steps towards the seamless integration of systems and processes, provide end-users with personalised and easy-to-use information, and empower businesses to collaborate with their customers and suppliers over the Internet.
About Wonderware
Wonderware Corporation is an independent operating unit of the Invensys Software Systems Division of Invensys plc. The company is the world's leading supplier of industrial automation software. Founded in 1987, Wonderware pioneered the use of Microsoft Windows-based, Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) automation software for manufacturing operation systems. Today, Wonderware's mission is to provide integrated software suites that drive the customer's strategic, planning and operational decision-making based on real-time plant floor information.
Wonderware is based in Irvine, CA, and has regional sales and development offices throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia to provide support to its network of more than 160 independent distributor offices. Wonderware has more than 180,000 successful software installations in more than 25,000 plants worldwide. For more information, visit the Wonderware home page at: http://www.wonderware.com.
About Baan
Baan helps companies to compete in the 'networked economy' with its ever-increasing demands for more information, integration and collaboration. Through its powerful new iBaan suite of Internet-enabled solutions, Baan is ideally placed to support organisations in the manufacturing, logistics, service and engineering industries as they move towards tighter integration of their complex processes, collaborate more closely with customers and partners, and provide employees with essential build-to-order shop floor data and supply information. Baan has more than 15,000 customer sites worldwide, and is part of the Invensys Software and Systems Division - a global leader in the provision of e-business/automation solutions.
For more information, please visit http://www.baan.com.
About Invensys plc
Invensys is a global leader in the Automation and Controls industry. With its head office in London, England it operates in all regions of the world through four focused divisions - Software Systems, Automation Systems, Power Systems and Control Systems. With over 80,000 employees, the company's products and services range from advanced control systems and networks for automating industrial plants and controlling the environments of buildings, to electronic devices and controls found in residential buildings and light commercial applications, plus complete power systems for the telecommunications and information technology industries.