InformationWeek

September 15, 1997

Oracle To Strengthen ERP Suite

Sales-force automation module gets a makeover; new app for after-sales service

racle will bolster its enterprise resource planning software suite this week with a revamped sales-force automation module as well as a new application for after-sales service and support called Service Resource Planning. The announcements are expected to come at the Oracle Applications Users Group Conference in Orlando, Fla.

The Service Resource Planning (SRP) system, which is aimed at manufacturers of complex products such as airplane engines, computer systems, and medical equipment, will address three key after-sales areas: project manag ement, including the installation of equipment at customer sites; maintenance and repair of equipment; and parts management, including the tracking of spare parts.

Oracle customers see value in the integrated approach. "We offer a full service contract with each system we sell," says Cynthia Sutherland, IS project manager at Sequent Computer Systems Inc. in Beaverton, Ore. "It makes sense for us to look at Oracle for a service module because we would have the integration and wouldn't have to worry about a third-party bolt-on."

Integration On The Way
The SRP software will be offered as a standalone product but will also be integrated with the Oracle suite of manufacturing, financial, distribution, and human resources software. Oracle says it may also provide integration with competing ERP packages. The SRP system is expected to be available in the first quarter of next year; pricing has not been set.

Oracle also plans to compete head-on with sales-force automation vendors such as Vanti ve, Scopus Technology, Clarify, and Aurum Software when it releases its retooled sales-force module next month. Oracle launched the application several years ago, but the product has failed to gain much market share. The software will include core functionality such as lead management, as well as new capabilities such as a sales encyclopedia and a sales analyzer module. It will be priced at $12,500, plus $2,500 per user.

Also at the conference, Oracle plans to introduce vertical applications for the highly strategic automotive and aerospace and defense markets.

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