Honeywell and Sequencia Expand Batch Manufacturing Relationship

Phoenix-based companies Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions and Sequencia Corp. have announced an expanded relationship in the area of batch manufacturing, with the following facets:

  • Extension of the existing agreement to allow Honeywell to continue to deliver its TotalPlant Batch control product using Sequencia's OpenBatch software.
  • Inclusion of Sequencia Production Manager software as part of Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions' Business.FLEX Business Hiway for integrating enterprise-level systems with TotalPlant Batch.
  • Inclusion of Sequencia Procedure Manager software as part of Honeywell's solution for automating manual or semi-automated batch and continuous processes without requiring equipment or process upgrades.
  • Licensing of Honeywell's patented Site Recipe technology to Sequencia, enabling joint collaboration to provide expanded enterprise solutions to process manufacturing industries.
  • Undisclosed financing arrangements between the two companies to further strengthen the relationship.

Russel McMeekin, VP of Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions, said, "This expanded alliance takes the Honeywell-Sequencia relationship to a new level and benefits both companies. Honeywell is able to integrate vital components from Sequencia into a comprehensive solution for unified batch manufacturing and Sequencia obtains increased financial strength, a premium distribution channel, and unique patented technology for new product developments."

Cary Vandenberg, Sequencia president and CEO, believes his firm's already strong business relationship with Honeywell is strengthened even more. "Honeywell's strong sales channels in the process industries and the integration of our domain expertise and product capabilities into their unified manufacturing portfolio for the batch industries represent a powerful combination for customers looking for solutions from plant floor to their business systems," Vandenberg said.

Specifics of the Expanded Agreement
The expanded agreement upgraded the companies' collaboration on three software modules:

TotalPlant Batch. The companies extended their original agreement for OpenBatch by five years. Honeywell has integrated the OpenBatch software as part of the comprehensive TotalPlant Batch solution, integrated across both its TPS and PlantScape systems. TotalPlant Batch is fully consistent with the international standards S88.01 and IEC 61512-1, and provides a flexible manufacturing solution for recipe management and execution.

Production Manager. As an extension of Honeywell Hi-Spec Solution's Business.FLEX Business Hiway capability, Honeywell will also offer Sequencia's Production Manager software (formerly "EnterpriseBatch") as part of their TotalPlant Batch solution. The software synchronizes the transaction environment of the ERP world with the real-time environment of the plant floor, and automates the required execution and reconciliation activities between the two environments. These transactions include the download of production orders from the ERP system to TotalPlant Batch and the reporting back of the production results.

Procedure Manager. Sequencia Procedure Manager will extend benefits of recipe and procedure automation to include manual operations. Plants with manual or semi-automated processes can now realize all the benefits of traditional batch automation including recipe management, procedure management, and reporting, without requiring equipment or process upgrades. In addition, the software will provide comprehensive electronic records including electronic signatures, delivering the capabilities required in the regulated industries. Procedure Manager follows guidelines from 21 CFR Part 11 regarding electronic signatures, which are of particular interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Procedure Manager will be available from Honeywell in the fourth quarter of 1999.

About Sequencia
Sequencia Corp. (formerly PID Inc.) is a supplier of process manufacturing software for managing formulas, automating the plant floor, and leveraging integration of ERP systems in the specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer-packaged goods, and food and beverage industries. Sequencia's products help customers decrease cycle time, reduce inventory, accelerate time to market, increase throughput, improve quality, and directly influence return on assets (ROA) and profitability.

Sequencia is a Microsoft Certified Solution Provider (MCSP) Partner and a BAPI-Certified Partner in the SAP Complementary Software Program (CSP). The company has additional offices in Cincinnati; Mount Laurel, NJ; Raleigh, NC; St. Louis; Ludwigshafen, Germany; and Cambridge, England.

About Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions
Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions is a supplier of Business Optimization applications software and services to the process industries. Business Optimization applications help companies maximize their profitability through a balanced approach to improving manufacturing performance, expanding asset capability, and enabling improved decision making. Hi-Spec Solutions is the advanced applications business unit of Honeywell Industrial Automation and Control, a supplier of industrial automation solutions.

Honeywell is a provider of control technologies for buildings, homes, industry, space, and aviation. The company employs 57,000 people in 95 countries, and had 1998 sales of $8.4 billion.

For more information: Bart Winters, Batch Product Manager, Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions, 16404 North Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85023. Tel: 602-313-5398. Fax: 602-313-3012. Email: bart.winters@iac.
honeywell.com.