Cork manufacturing software company OceanModus has been acquired by Dutch software firm ATS BV for an undisclosed sum. Some 20 new jobs are to be created over the next three years as the Cork company swoops to capitalise on opportunities in the medical devices and pharmaceuticals industry.
The co-founders of OceanModus Ltd, Desmond Savage and Thomas Wyczawski, will become directors of the new company.
The new entity, ATS Ireland, will develop and deploy manufacturing execution systems (MES) and other technologies for manufacturing.
The company plans to expand its existing presence in Ireland but also achieve export sales through close co-operation with the parent company.
ATS International B.V. has more than 25 years of experience in deploying IT solutions, with established customers such as Carlsberg, FrieslandCampina, Toyota and Centocor.
“The Irish market is important to ATS as we already have a number of international customers based there,” said Michael James, group managing director of ATS International B.V.
“We also see our new office in Ireland as an opportunity to expand our market share and we are particularly focused on the life sciences plus the food and beverage markets.”
ATS Ireland will operate from its Cork office in Webworks, Eglinton Street. The company is primarily seeking to hire manufacturing engineers with software implementation experience. In 2013, positions will be offered to graduates who will be trained on specific software solutions.
Roles will also be available for quality, automation, software development, sales and business administration. The project has been supported by Cork City Enterprise Board Ltd., an initiative funded by the Irish Government and partly financed by the European Union Structural funds Programme of 2007-2013.
With economies in recession and increasing competition among different end users, companies in the manufacturing sector are under pressure from global markets to produce high quality products at low costs and short lead times, according to analyst firm Frost & Sullivan.
Prices and margins are under unrelenting pressure, and time-to-market can be a critical factor in determining success. Meanwhile, MES is being considered a necessary tool for companies to compete as global manufacturing firms.
According to Frost & Sullivan, MES can help companies create distinctive manufacturing and supply chain capabilities that allow them to use their processes, as well as products and pricing, for differentiating and gaining a competitive edge in the market. It can also help them sustain that edge by providing a feedback loop, which, in turn, enables them to sense and respond to business changes.
“Up to now, manufacturers have invested heavily in automation and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, but have, however, neglected manufacturing needs, such as electronic batch/device records,” said Savage.
“This leaves a gap within the organisation impacting negatively on traceability and real-time information.
“IT at the manufacturing operations level has advanced over the past number of years and organisations who apply this technology are achieving a rapid return on their investments. The key to success is establishing the correct level of IT investment for the company needs and ensuring minimal disruption to the existing process during the implementation,” Savage said.
