Already gearing up for its switch to Unix-based hardware, scheduled for the end of 1988, the Mannesmann Kienzle arm of the West German steel giant is currently rationalising its software policy Europe-wide by setting up centres of excellence from which to focus individual market sectors for the whole company. For its manufacturing business, this has taken the form of the acquisition of long-term business partner Hallmark Associates Ltd of Woking, Surrey. Hallmark has jointly marketed its Manumark production management system with Mannesmann Kienzle since 1982; now the package has become the central element in the West German company’s KIMAN CIM product range throughout Europe. The main reason for the acquisition, in which Mannesmann Kienzle has bought all Hallmark’s shares, appears to be the added demands that this will place on Hallmark, which is to take responsibility for Kienzle’s own KIFIS shop floor data collection and CAD/CAM software in addition to Manumark. It will also be responsible for the translation of the software, written in Micro Focus Level II Cobol, to run on the new Unix machines currently being designed at PCS Cadmus in Munich. Despite making a lot of noise about its new policy, Mannesmann Kienzle still appears worried by the performance penalties of Unix when compared with its Texas Instruments-based Series 9000 machines running MTOS: however UK managing director Phil Claydon pointed to Computer Consoles hardware as an example of recent performance improvements (Kienzle has recently set up a deal to supply third party maintenance for Computer Consoles Europe). Hallmark software is currently used in around 250 of the 600 Mannesmann Kienzle installations in manufacturing plants around the UK. Other centres of excellence are likely to be set up for other vertical markets such as banking, printing and the professions.
