Manufacturing Business Technology - July 1, 2007

Product life-cycle management (PLM) software vendors took some major steps this year in fulfilling a long-stated promise: enabling manufacturers to freely share product data throughout the extended supply chain. This heightened level of data sharing is being made possible—in large part—by mergers, acquisitions, and alliances between traditional PLM vendors and suppliers of enterpris...

• Business Performance
• Intelligence and performance management accept a merger
• Adobe Systems
• Turning everyday applications into collaborative business solutions
• Business Objects
• Moving reporting ahead of the curve in SaaS fashion
• Google
• Impact on the enterprise does not require an extensive search
• OSIsoft
• Suite facilitates information collection and analysis in the real-time factory era
• SAS
• BI platform provider turns out continuous-improvement solutions
• Salesforce.com
• Front-runner in on-demand software model accelerates apps test-drives
• Sterling Commerce
• Multisite fulfillment processes move to forefront of the demand-driven model

• Columnists
• Back Talk
• Sidney Hill, Jr.: Time to do some strategic thinking
• Up Front
• Kevin Parker: Siemens/UGS PLM combination shows why the Global 100 is important

• Computing Infrastructure
• What it means to be a computing platform today
• BEA
• Next transformation deconstructs conventional products into mix-and-match service components
• Cisco Systems
• Alliances keeps network management specialist moving up the application stack
• IBM
• Software strategy blurs the line between SOA and applications
• Microsoft
• Office productivity, Web 2.0, SOA seen as “new vistas” in apps vendor partnerships
• Progress Software
• Mid-tier offerings prove it's not just the database anymore

• Enterprise/Supply Chain
• ERP enters age of infrastructure
• Epicor
• Centralized Microsoft .NET investment, strong service component satisfy 20,000 global ERP users
• ILOG
• Engines for advancing the state of supply chain optimization
• Infor
• Number of new customer wins a measure of confidence in rationalizing software acquisitions
• Oracle Corp.
• Acquisition streak breeds rationalization for successful apps augmentation
• SAP
• First enterprise business applications vendor to surpass $12B in revenues

• Plant-floor Operations
• Automation vendors solve integration with capable systems
• Emerson
• Articulating a coherent message for wireless instrumentation
• Honeywell Process Solutions
• New options for managing processes solve business problems at the plant level
• Invensys
• ERP-driven business processes linked to plant operations enable real-time control, information management
• Rockwell Automation
• SOA architecture lends itself to profitable partnerships for plant-level information
• Siemens
• Systems link product design, purchasing, sales, and service inside the intelligent factory

• Product Innovation
• In brief
• Building products and processes at the same time
• PLM platform merge makes digital manufacturing an operational reality
• Digital prototyping next in line as 3D design sees baseline adoption
• Merger with Oracle puts Enterprise PLM on the table
• A hefty dose of supply chain apps extend PLM from concept creation to service and maintenance

• Special Report
• Global 100 Ranking
• The Global 100

• Views From the Front
• Recent software moves by Hewlett-Packard point to business optimization future
• Hewlett-Packard tops MBT 2007 ranking of IT vendors
• Software Development
• User groups keep Global 100 vendors moving in the right direction