Conference ulysse::rdb_vms_competition

786.0. "Consilium's new Flowstream runs on Rdb" by CIMNET::BOURDEAU (Rich Bourdeau CIM Product Marketing) Wed Nov 07 1990 17:20

                                   CONSILIUM
    
    Contact:     Sue Sweeney
                 Consilium, Inc.
                 415-691-6100
    
                 Joanne Marlin
                 Thomas Associates, Inc.
                 415-325-6236
    
                 Lois Marie
                 Digital Equipment Inc.
                 508-490-7580
    
                           CONSILIUM ANNOUNCES
             NEW FACTORY FLOOR AND PLANT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE 
                               PRODUCT LINE
    
    Products designed to meet growing need to control and monitor 
    operations in process and discrete namufacturing
    
    
    MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., November 5, 1990 -- Consilium, Inc., the
    
    leading supplier of integrated factory floor and plant management
    
    software, announced today a new software product line designed to 
    
    monitor and control manufacturing operations.  Developed in
    
    cooperation with Digital Equipment Corporation, the new Flowstream
    
    product line offers the most comprehensive, integrated on-line 
    
    view of factory floor and plant-wide operations in work order-
    
    based and process manufacturing environments.  The product line
    
    runs exclusively on Digital's VAX computers.
    
        The introduction of Flowstream marks the culmination of efforts
    
    between Consilium and Digital which began more than two years ago.
    
         "Our relationship with Consilium is indicative of our
    
    commitment to work collaboratively with leaders in manufac-
    
    turing marketplace," said Digital's Dave Copeland, Vice President,
    
    CIM Marketing.  "The Flowstream product line incorporates many of 
    
    Digital's NAS(Network Application Support) tools for multivendor
    
    manufacturing integration."
    
         Flowstream extends Consilium's family of factory floor 
    
    management software and complements the company's WorkStream
    
    product line.  WorkStream, used in lot-based manufacturing(for 
    
    example, semiconductor and aerospace and defense industries),
    
    is the most widely installed integrated factory floor management
    
    software, with more than 1,000 modules in more than 180 sites in 
    
    15 countries.
    
         The Flowstream product line is designed to enhance users'
    
    access to data and is geared to the needs of specific users, such
    
    as supervisors and operators.  Running on VAXstation workstations,
    
    Flowstream offers the first user interface tailored by profession
    
    for use in manufacturing environments.
    
         Acording to Dr. Martin Piszczalski of the Yankee Group, a
    
    Boston-based market research and consulting firm, "No other 
    
    workstation-based manufacturing software product today provides
    
    users with a profession-specific(supervisor or operator) view of
    
    the data they need to do their jobs.  Today this is a unique 
    
    capability.  In 10 or 15 years this will be a standard feature of
    
    user applications in large organizations."
    
         Both the Flostream and WorkStream product lines monitor, 
    
    track, control and coordinate the five essential elements of 
    
    manufacturing:  materials, equipment, personnel, work
    
    instructions and facilities.  They provide tools to enhance
    
    productivity in indirect labor functions such as quality control,
    
    production planning, proess control and equipment maintenance.
    
    Through these capabilities, Consilium's factory floor and plant
    
    management product family helps improve quality, time to market
    
    and delivery/customer service, reduce indirect labor costs,
    
    increase utilization of capital equipment and shorten response
    
    times.
    
         "Through extensive research with our customers, we under-
    
    stand that manufacturers want integrated, ease-to-use and techno-
    
    logically-advanced factory systems that can support multiple types
    
    of manufacturing," said Jonathan Golovin, Consilium's chairman.
    
    "The addition of Flowstream to our product offerings allows us to
    
    deliver these benefits to a diverse group of manufacturers seeking
    
    a competitive advantage through maximum factory and plant utiliza-
    
    tion."
    
    
    
    Products offer Advanced Technology
    
         Flowstream takes advantage of advanced technology such as
    
    Digital's NAS environment for manufacturing to implement an
    
    integrated manufacturing planning and execution system.  NAS tools
    
    go beyond simple network connections to enable easy access to
    
    vital data.
    
         For example, the DECwindows graphical user interface,
    
    utilizing a mouse, icons and multiple windows, simplifies the 
    
    Emphasis training process and implementation.  Digital's DECnet/
    
    OSI network, combined with object-oriented programming, VAX Rdb/
    
    VMS relational database and CDD Repository, makes it easy to 
    
    transfer data between Flowstream and business planning, MRPII, 
    
    computer aided process planning(CAPP), control systems and other
    
    programs.
    
    
    New Market Opportunity
    
         The U.S. market for manufacturing systems, including
    
    business systems(MRP), engineering systems(CAD/CAM) and control
    
    systems will exceed $25 billion this year.  The Gartner Group, a 
    
    provider of technology-related information services, estimates
    
    that the market for factory floor management solutions in discrete
    
    environmnets is approximately $1.2 billion and in process environ-
    
    ments is about $570 million.  Gartner Group also reports that
    
    Digital, a premier supplier of manufacturing hardware and software
    
    solutions, continues to grow its $4.5 billion CIM revenue base at
    
    a 14% annual rate.
    
         "Consilium has achieved leadership by recognizing the
    
    changing of manufacturers in an increasingly competitive world
    
    economy," said Thomas Tomasetti, Consiliumm's president and chief
    
    executive officer.  "Flowstream offers a significant opportunity for 
    
    Consilium as we expand into new market segments."
    
         Flowstream is available today on the VMS operating system.
    
    Prices start at $30,000, determined by the number of users, and
    
    shipping will begin in early 1991.  The product will be demon-
    
    strated at AUTOFACT in the Consilium and Digital booths.
    
         Digital Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Maynard, MA.,
    
    is the leading worldwide supplier of networked computer systems
    
    and services.  Digital offers a full range of computing solutions
    
    and systems integration for the entire enterprise -- from the 
    
    desktop to the data center.
    
         Consilium, Inc. is the leading supplier of integrated factory
    
    floor and plant management software and services.  With its
    
    Flowstream and WorkStream product lines, Consilium offers a suite of
    
    comprehensive factory floor and plant management solutions that 
    
    fulfill multiple operations requirements and allow manufacturers 
    
    to achieve World Class Manufacturing status.  The company is 
    
    headquartered in Mountain View, Ca.
    
                                   ####
    
    
    Note to editors: WorkStream is a registered trademark of 
    Consilium, Inc. CDD Repository, DECnet, DECwindows, Rdb/VMS, VAX,
    VAXstation and VMS are registered trademarks of Digital Equipment
    Corporation.               
    
    
    
                                 

    see Digital Review november 5, 1990  Page 3 for additional details