Denver August 12, 2002 Auto industry supplier Metaldyne is adopting an enterprise asset management (EAM) solution from e-business software provider J.D. Edwards & Co. in an effort to gain and leverage better visibility into its plant operations.
Metaldyne is a global designer and supplier of metal-based components, assemblies and modules for transportation-related power train and chassis applications. Headquartered in Plymouth, Mich., and with annual revenues in excess of $1.4 billion, the company employs more than 8,500 employees at more than 50 facilities in 11 countries.
With J.D. Edwards EAM in place, Metaldyne expects to gain visibility into plant operations, improve availability of equipment, optimize spare parts inventories, reduce maintenance costs and improve delivery performance for their customers.
Metaldyne first installed J.D. Edwards' financial management applications in November 1997, and by July 1999 10 facilities were operating on the solution provider's enterprise software. By the end of 2003 Metaldyne will have J.D. Edwards' software installed at 12 plants.
"We have been very pleased with our move to J.D. Edwards' newer applications," said Steve Zimmerman, director of supply chain systems of Metaldyne. "From very early on in our relationship with J.D. Edwards, our plant managers asked for plant equipment and maintenance tools, and our corporate executives needed visibility into the operational performance of the plants and equipment. This is a natural progression to utilize J.D. Edwards' new and enhanced maintenance tools available in the EAM suite, which allows us to manage our assets collaboratively throughout the enterprise."
Today, Metaldyne is implementing J.D. Edwards EAM at three facilities Litchfield, Mich, Thamesville, Ont., and Middleville, Mich. and will roll out implementation to an additional nine plants on a monthly basis with a scheduled completion in 2003.
J.D. Edwards said its EAM extends computer maintenance management system (CMMS) technology by integrating asset utilization technology with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. The provider said Metaldyne's widespread implementation will allow the company to manage assets and relate them throughout the enterprise. Through this EAM implementation, Metaldyne is looking to gain real-time asset visibility among its operations, linking utilization and operational information about these assets with their book value, depreciation, and revenue and cost streams.
"In today's economy, an enterprise must manage its systems efficiently and effectively to avoid deadly financial loss," said Jim Upton, J.D. Edwards' product marketing manager for EAM. "J.D. Edwards EAM allows enterprises to drive incremental revenue by maximizing asset utilization and minimizing unplanned interruptions due to equipment breakdowns. Our goal with EAM is to make customers stronger by pulling more value out of their existing plant and equipment investments, which is crucial in today's market."
The Penn State Applied Research Laboratory has reported that EAM can reduce production losses by 30 percent, maintenance costs by 50 percent and equipment costs by 35 percent.
