Sprint talks manufacturing, building networks, partnering with application vendors

Manufacturers wishing to hear exactly what their customers want—loudly and clearly—may soon turn to Sprint for more than telephone service. Sprint, known primarily as a telecommunications provider, is partnering with both hardware and software suppliers to create a broad range of services specifically for manufacturers.

Offerings under development include a CRM solution that would allow car dealers to use kiosks on their showroom floors to check an automaker's inventory of vehicles and parts. "We see this as part of the dealer network of the future," says Lee Priest, Sprint's director of segment marketing. "The same network could be used to feed customer information back to the manufacturer."

Current plans call for building these type networks for manufacturers of luxury brands such as Lexus and Infiniti. Sprint will build the technology infrastructure for the networks and work with the manufacturer's CRM software vendor of choice to install applications on the network.

Initially, Sprint considered hosting applications for manufacturers, but has since abandoned that idea. But Priest says Sprint still is looking to build networks that support myriad manufacturing functions—including supply chain management, product life-cycle (PLM) management, warehouse management, and transportation planning.

He says Sprint's experience at building networks to support audio and video conferencing gives it a natural foray into the PLM space, where manufacturers are seeking such technology to shorten their product-development cycles. Sprint also has been studying other areas of manufacturing to see where its expertise can be leveraged.

ArvinMeritor, a Tier One automotive parts manufacturer, is using a Sprint IP VPN to pass its inventory data and order requirements to suppliers.

Says Frank Lefavi, ArvinMeritor's telecommunications manager, "The IP VPN allows us to give our suppliers access only to the areas of our network they need to see."