Honeywell Improves MES Position With POMS Buy

Honeywell recently acquired POMS Corp., a leading manufacturing execution software (MES) firm whose shop-floor control systems are used by about 15,000 people at 75 large manufacturers. POMS will become part of Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions, a unit focused on providing an array of systems and automation for the pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods industries. "This is an important acquisition for us, since it enhances our capabilities at the MES level," says Russel McMeekin, vice president of Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions. "POMS will complement and broaden Honeywell's existing suite of Unified Manufacturing Solutions for industries subject to compliance regulation by agencies such as the FDA." He added that Honeywell predicts that the MES market in the health-care and consumer packaged goods industries will balloon to $1.3 billion by 2005. POMS' software license revenues were up 100% over the last year, according to Chris Fountain, executive vice president at POMS in Herndon, Va. MES software typically helps companies manage production and track their manufacturing activities so they can reduce waste, improve yield, and document compliance. "POMS actively manages and controls what happens in manufacturing operations so companies are able to drive costs down while increasing their manufacturing agility," Fountain says. POMS also has been moving to improve connections with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. For instance, in September, the software firm announced plans to integrate its MES package with J.D. Edwards & Co.'s ERP system.