Activplant Launches Insight for Microsoft Excel
Latest Manufacturing Intelligence Solution the first product to be launched under the ActivEssentials umbrella
LONDON, ONT - February 20, 2006 - Activplant, the standard in performance management solutions for the world’s leading manufacturers, today announced ActivEssentials, its new vision for the future of manufacturing intelligence. The ActivEssentials platform extends the capabilities of the Activplant Performance Management System (APMS), its enterprise management intelligence (EMI) software solution.
ActivEssentials consists of four main components: Insight, Gateway, Collect and Operations. These modules leverage the power and flexibility of the Patented Universal Factory Data Model (UFDM), offering manufacturers information transparency, enterprise integration, process adaptability and interoperability with their existing systems. Customers can expect to see improved product quality, enhanced performance and greater return on investment.
The first product to be launched under the ActivEssentials umbrella is Activplant’s Insight for Microsoft® Excel®, which was developed in support of Microsoft in Manufacturing’s Peak Performance Initiative. The enterprise reporting module will enable manufacturers to create specific functions and detailed reports of Activplant-collected data directly in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software, dramatically reducing the time and costs associated with creating custom reports.
"We’re pleased to be launching the ActivEssentials strategy at this very exciting time in the industry. Our newest offering in the ActivEssentials suite, Insight for Microsoft Excel, will help manufacturers more quickly identify factors affecting quality and throughput and overall performance," said Dennis Cocco, Activplant President and Chief Executive Officer. "The Insight module provides a flexible, intuitive reporting system that drives deep visibility into shop floor data and processes."
As part of the ActivEssentials suite, the Insight module provides manufacturers with the reporting capabilities to boost production efficiency, product quality and total output. The module marries the rich dataset of its Universal Factory Data Model with Microsoft Excel, a data analysis tool favoured by manufacturers. A drag and drop report builder wizard makes it easy for employees with limited knowledge of the Activplant database to quickly create custom reports in Microsoft Excel. With this solution, it is anticipated that manufacturers will be able to save up to 50 per cent on the cost of traditional custom reporting.
The Service Oriented Architecture of the ActivEssentials platform enables users to create reports and pull data from the UFDM to matrix cells in Microsoft Excel. In addition, the reporting module maintains a live Web link to the Activplant system. Users can build, store and publish reports for upcoming months and the system will automatically populate the data as the time frame becomes relative. When users extract the data, they have the added value of the filtering, sorting and graphing capabilities in Microsoft Excel. Users can also store and share reports with the other applications in the Microsoft Office suite including Microsoft SharePoint® Services.
Moreover, the Microsoft Excel client can now connect to multiple servers, enabling users to consolidate data from different plants into a single report.
"We are excited to see partner innovations based on Microsoft technologies such as Activplant’s Insight module created for Microsoft Excel. Activplant’s solution is one example of how Microsoft is working with its partners to help deliver solutions with low total cost of ownership and fast return on investment to the manufacturing community," said John McGlynn, U.S. Managing Director for Microsoft’s Manufacturing Industry Unit. "This new offering makes use of the collaborative nature of Microsoft Office and the easy and familiar interface to Microsoft Excel, which helps manufacturers reduce training times, increase visibility of plant floor operations and arm users with actionable intelligence."
About Activplant
An enterprise manufacturing intelligence market leader, Activplant’s Performance Management System has set the standard in operational excellence within the world’s largest and most admired manufacturers. Aimed at high-volume, high-automation plants, Activplant’s solution consolidates plant floor data into relevant real-time and historical information, enabling productivity gains by optimizing product, people, equipment and processes. With Activplant solutions, plant managers and manufacturing executives can focus on the key issues in their facilities that ultimately improve product quality, accelerate new product launches and drive performance gains. Activplant is a privately held company based in London, Ontario. For more information please visit www.activplant.com.
For more information, contact:
Donna Araujo
High Road Communications
T: 416.644.2283
E: daraujo@highroad.com
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