InformationWeek

Enhanced Client-Server Packages

By Tom Stein

he MK Group, a business unit of Computer Associates, last week an nounced partnerships and product enhancements designed to extend the capabilities of its client-server software package.

The MK Group will team with Thru-Put Technologies in San Jose, Calif., to offer supply-chain planning and scheduling software, and with Champs Software Inc. in Crystal River, Fla., to integrate plant-floor management and maintenance functionality.

The CA unit makes manufacturing and distribution software that, on the high end, competes with the likes of SAP, Baan, Oracle, and PeopleSoft, all of which are adding supply-chain capabilities to their enterprise software packages.

Dennis Byron, a research manager at International Data Corp., a market research firm in Framingham, Mass., says it is critical for vendors of manufacturing applications to form alliances with supply-chain vendors or develop their own functionality in this area. "The supply chain is the thing that pulls everything together," he says. "It is important for vendors to make partnerships that cover everything from CAD terminals to point-of-sale."

Thru-Put's Resonance supply-chain management software will be available as an add-on module to MK Manufacturing. MK officials say Resonance will help users eliminate bottlenecks in the manufacturing process and synchronize jobs to maximize plant efficiency.

The addition of Champs applications, MK officials say, will let users control all aspects of plant maintenance, from workforce management to capital equipment management to storeroom management. MK Group will also offer full-motion audio and video training for users of its MK Manufacturing software.

MK Manufacturing is available on both Windows NT and Unix platforms. Pricing for the application ranges from $3,900 to $6,500 per seat.

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