Adding to its supply chain management (SCM) and CRM software suites, Baan, part of Invensys plc, yesterday announced at the MESA International 2002 Conference and Exhibition in Boston, its commitment to product lifecycle management solutions (PLM) with the formation of the PLM business unit and a PLM software suite for industrial enterprises, called iBaan for PLM.

According to a report from AMR Research Inc., while the enterprise application market grew only 7 percent in 2001 and its forecast is 6 percent in 2002, the PLM market is forecasted to grow 31 percent for 2002.

"The growth of this market is unbelievable. We see recession everywhere but this market is growing," says Ilana Jucha, newly appointed president of the Baan PLM business unit

Starting with the sale, iBaan for PLM tracks the product lifecycle from the sale to the engineer and back to the customer for final delivery.

The iBaan for PLM is designed to help organizations improve product lifecycle management strategies to determine product information and maintain enhanced communication both internally and externally across multi-dimensional, global collaborative supply chains. Baan already has more than 100 successful iBaan for PLM implementations.

"We are really following the one-to-one service and support mentality," Jucha says. "iBaan for PLM allows our customers to follow an engineer-to-order business process. This covers the whole complete lifecycle of the product. It starts with sales and marketing. Someone places a product request through the Web. Then, according to the configuration, it is delivered to the engineering department, which has to engineer what's missing. Then, needs to be assembled."

Installing the iBaan for PLM is not open-heart surgery, Baan executives say. "It does not only work with the complete Baan suite of software, but with legacy software as well, and can replace solutions in departments coming from different systems, not necessarily from Baan," Jucha says.

The company has extended its iBaan for PLM suite with the launch of its iBaan Product Data Management, iBaan Lifecycle Analyzer, iBaan Product Packager and iBaan PartnerNet solutions. The solutions enhance the iBaan for PLM suite to enable tracking, management and monitoring of products from design, to manufacturing, to service.

While Baan has customer worldwide, it has a special interest in Japan and China. Japan and China are very good for us for several reasons. "There are a lot of home made systems there and we can offer real solutions. This market is mature as many companies are moving their manufacturing facilities to China. So with our solutions, they can achieve their goals," Jucha says.