In a bid to bolster its manufacturing applications, PeopleSoft is offering certified interfaces for warehouse management systems from Optum Inc. and McHugh Software International.

The company said yesterday that certified interfaces will allow users to deploy expanded supply-chain management features and will ease integration of PeopleSoft's enterprise software package with third-party applications.

To date, PeopleSoft has been slow to make an impact in the market for manufacturing applications, which has been a traditional stronghold for competitors SAP and Baan. "PeopleSoft has become a provider of 'EWP'--enterprise white-collar planning," says Barry Wilderman, a Meta Group analyst, making a play on the acronym ERP. "Their manufacturing applications never took off, but they continue to do well in government, financial services, and retail sectors."