Posted to News on 1st Dec 2014, 15:25
Factory shop floor software provider Forcam invests for growth
Forcam, whose UK base is in Middlewich, Cheshire, has relocated its German HQ and development centre. The 20km move from Freidrichshafen, on the shores of Lake Constance, to the historic city of Ravensbourg creates capacity for staff numbers to triple to 300 and marks a new phase of accelerated company development. This is great news for the UK subsidiary, founded in 2010 to spearhead UK growth while supporting a growing cohort of companies using Forcam's Factory Framework software. This follows on from the appointment last month of Andrew Steele as the UK MD to build business in the UK.
With approaching 60,000 machine tools and processes under their software control worldwide, the company is a leader in the application of the industrial internet to create smart factories. Forcam's software networks shop floor operations enabling production to be monitored in real time for effective close-loop management so that plant and manpower efficiency is maximised. The software extends and enhances the performance of ERP software systems such as SAP.
Release-5 has extended these networking capabilities to take account of the needs of businesses with global operations. New features enhance abilities to process big data and deliver relevant, timely information with better reporting features and a powerful traceability module.
Over 70 guests from 25 companies attended the inauguration event. Visitors were given an insight into the road map for Release-5 as the company set out its vision for manufacturing execution systems in the future. Among the guests was Berthold Wipfler, chairman of the investment company of SAP founder Dietmar Hopp - a major shareholder in Forcam and member of the supervisory board.
Forcam founder and CEO Franz Gruber notes: "We have a world class product and are setting out the foundations to develop our company to meet the needs of global manufacturing. The investment in premises, people and systems is just part of the process that will deliver the next stage in our growth."
To learn more about Forcam's Factory Framework software please visit www.forcam.co.uk.
