Advanced planning and scheduling systems (APS) are seeing increasing uptake, with developer Preactor reporting record sales in 2007, way exceeding figures for 2006, which had already seen double-digit growth over the previous year.
Chairman Mike Novels says that sales were so strong that last year saw Preactor achieve one new customer every day – including at major manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson, Bombardier, Metalplast, Sistem pneumatica, IAI (Israel Aircraft Industry), Meadwestvaco, Alstom, and Goodyear, as well as a wide range of manufacturing SMEs.
“This demonstrates a continuing recognition by manufacturers and service companies of Preactor as the industry leader in the UK, European, American, African and Asian markets,” he says. “Several high profile media awards for Preactor customers in Europe and the US, based on the success of their Preactor implementations, also show ongoing recognition of Preactor’s proven benefits.”
Looking at continental Europe, in France, Preactor has expanded its customer base to 170 companies, making that country Preactor’s third largest installed base after the UK and the US. It’s a similar story in Italy, which has witnessed a 40% increase in installations, as a result of Preactor’s partnership with ERP and MES (manufacturing execution system) providers and consulting companies.
Valérie Goulevitch, EMEA marketing manager for Preactor, says: “Preactor’s strength and flexibility lie in it being a truly international company with a global approach that is able to deliver a range of 15 pragmatic solutions at a truly local level, taking into consideration the characteristics of each country.”
Growth has also occurred in Preactor’s global network, with 2007 seeing the number of Preactor partners exceed 400 companies. There is now a global team of over 1,000 accredited local APS and supply chain specialists that can deliver individual country- and region-specific solutions, as well as multi-site, multi-country solutions for global brands.
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