Process sector to get Protean production ERP reborn in Baan

Process industry users can look forward to revitalised Protean production ERP offerings from enterprise software owner Baan Process Solutions (BPS), following a recent refocus on what is parent Invensys’ Production Management Group’s heartland. Names notwithstanding, suites due for launching October/November are iBaan Process (Protean 4i) and iBaan Process Enterprise, both on NT. Both are based on the redeveloped Protean plant-centric ERP engine, and the goals are respectively third party corporate ERP production add-ons, and full blown process-orientated extended ERP with modules integrated from Baan V on the discrete manufacturing side. There will also be a series of iBaan Process suites tailored to specific industries, starting with pharmaceuticals. Baan IV Process, a legacy of Invensys’ acquisition of Baan with inevitable duplication of functionality, is now not to be developed; ultimately, functionality from it and from Baan Dimensions (the sheet metal-orientated system) will be subsumed into the Protean-based system. Arthur Grunn, who heads up this separate process division of Baan in the UK and Europe, says the firm is looking at prototypes of that now, and that additional modules being developed with partners include quality management and formula management. It’s been a long time coming, and a sorry story of missed opportunity. Three years ago Protean was being developed by Marcam either to replace or augment (depending on who you spoke to) the hugely successful Prism AS/400 process ERP suite. Marcam was acquired by Invensys and put under the governance of MES (manufacturing execution system) vendor Wonderware in the guise of Invensys Software Systems. With diminishing pipeline for ageing Prism, internal business culture issues and badly needed development on the Protean ‘replacement’ stalled on hiccups with IBM AS/400, the firm went into service only mode – and in October 2000 announced Protean’s retirement and proposed integration into then purchased Baan “within 12 months”. By May 2001 Invensys had reversed that decision and formed BPS to develop Protean in the face of uproar from a substantial UK and US Protean user community – but not before it had sold the rights to Protean v3.2, with a year’s support, to then Asia/Pacific partner NEC. That support has now lapsed, but in the meantime NEC, with its South African partner Solit (until six months ago also a BPS partner), has developed FlexProcess and, until a growing user base around the world (go www.mcsolutions.co.uk for earlier story). Claim and counter claim notwithstanding, Baan process had allowed itself to spawn a competitor beyond the others, in the form of NEC-backed Solit, which had absorbed many Marcam employees – although some of these have now left for Baan/Protean implementation and support work under new firm Iproc. Which brings us up to date. Grunn now believes the process sector, hitherto underestimated within Invensys, is central to the group’s future. He notes that many of its retained businesses are process-centric and says that users, particularly in its target pharmaceutical, food and beverage and chemicals markets, can expect to see the old ‘sensor to boardroom’ slogan finally coming to fruition. BPS has already developed standard interfaces to sister company Wonderware’s MES (manufacrturing execution system) suites InTrack and InBatch and has done considerable work with sister company APV. And moves like this mean that the new Protean suites are considerably different to FlexProcess. He is confident: “Baan Process Solutions actually is the biggest complement to the rest of Invensys Production Management. We’re making huge inroads… We currently have a £9 million pipeline.” Deals he says include one for $800,000 in the UK and another for £4 million in France in its target markets, as well as one for £2.2 million in the US. And the firm is already involved in a big way with names like ICI Packaging Coatings, Geest and Kappa SSK. With an organisation now firmly rooted in end-to-end sales and implementation support, with what looks like an excellent certification scheme both for system integrator and consulting partners and user teams, Protean is back on the map. And given that Invensys’ CEO Rick Haythornthwaite’s efforts to solve his company’s debt problems and divestitures is successful – and failure is unthinkable – it’s looking good.