Oracle Unveils Integrated MRO Application

April 1, 2003
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Apr. 15, 2003 - (http://www.oracle.com/tellmemore/?1688935) Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL), the world's largest enterprise software

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Apr. 15, 2003 - (http://www.oracle.com/tellmemore/?1688935) Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL), the world's largest enterprise software company, today announced the availability of Oracle Complex Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), a new application module with full supply chain integration capabilities that helps companies optimize maintenance operations.

Developed specifically for the Aviation and Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industries, Oracle Complex MRO enables airlines, third-party maintenance firms, armed forces, government contractors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to improve operating efficiencies and reduce overall costs by streamlining business processes, maintaining complex configurations, and effectively planning enterprise-wide operations. The announcement was made at the MRO 2003 conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

"With the completeness of its vertical functionality, Oracle's Complex MRO application should be considered by users regardless of their back-end suite. Users' return on investment (ROI) comes from MRO applications that combine strategic long-term planning and tactical execution, which lets users slash labor and material cost through stronger forecasting and higher utilization of existing resources," said Marc McCluskey in the AMR Research Alert, April 4, 2003. "Oracle is now a contender for suite or best-of-breed decisions due to the vertical functionality, standalone capabilities and suite support or backbone."

Oracle Complex MRO, a component of Oracle Supply Chain Management, is a web-based solution that integrates with all areas of a company's supply chain to automate and enhance processes critical to the MRO cycle. Built on top of a single, global database, users for the first time can plan, execute and analyze maintenance processes based on real-time information that span all organizational operations, including manufacturing, inventory, logistics, human resources, and financials. Oracle Complex MRO enables companies to accomplish the following critical functions:

• Maintain Complex Configurations: Oracle Complex MRO helps companies efficiently manage component lifecycle tracking and overcome the manual, redundant and time-intensive challenges traditionally associated with configuration history. With Oracle Complex MRO, master configurations are established and requirements automatically flow to all units based on the master template, allowing configuration history to be maintained automatically as changes are made. In addition, users have the ability to classify fleets into smaller groups and automatically flow requirements to all units in that group.

• Effectively Plan Enterprise-Wide Operations: Oracle Complex MRO enables comprehensive fleet and unit-based maintenance planning and scheduling - from long-term planning performed years in advance to daily adjustments based on recent activities. Because Oracle Complex MRO is fully integrated with the supply chain, inventory and resource planning are performed simultaneously to ensure part, resource and facility availability. With centralized spare parts management, users can avoid costly shortages by ensuring the right parts are available at the right time in the right place.

• Optimize Maintenance Execution: Oracle Complex MRO streamlines and simplifies maintenance execution processes by providing a complete business flow - including creating work orders, deploying resources and completing repairs, updating maintenance history and configurations, and returning aircraft to service. Users can execute against all maintenance needs that are planned (overhauls, letter checks, deferrals) and unplanned (log book items, non-routine tasks, condition monitoring).

• Centralize Critical Data: Oracle Complex MRO gives users the ability to create, store and manage all data in a single, global repository. By having one version of truth, companies ensure information is accurate, reliable and meets regulatory compliance. Quality information from all sources (suppliers, OEMs, TPMs, government contractors, etc.) is captured and shared in real-time to enhance supply chain visibility and collaboration. Users can automatically create work cards and routes by leveraging reusable templates for individual operation instructions or a series of operations - helping eliminate costly and time-intensive manual processes.

"As MRO processes become increasingly critical to corporate profitability, companies are looking for comprehensive solutions that can support their complex business operations," said Rick Jewell, Oracle vice president, manufacturing and supply chain execution applications. "By leveraging the unique integration capabilities and deep functionality of Oracle Complex MRO, companies can dramatically reduce inventory levels and cycle times while improving part availability and scheduling capabilities for improved cost efficiencies."

As part of the Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle Complex MRO is built from the ground up to integrate with other business areas - financials, work management, procurement, quality, contracts, projects, and human resources - and strategically manage and streamline maintenance operations. While other MRO systems force companies to operate in disparate silos using fragmented data, Oracle Complex MRO provides a comprehensive view of maintenance assets, information and processes both in the enterprise and across the entire supply chain.

For additional information about Oracle Complex MRO at the MRO 2003 conference, please visit Oracle on the exhibit floor in the Broward Convention Center.