The founders' design goals were to create object-oriented, graphical tools that adhered strictly to the Microsoft® Windows (tm) standard and provided the ease of use, sophisticated graphics and animation, and product performance, quality and reliability previously unavailable in MMI products. As the pioneer in the use of Windows in factory automation, Wonderware fundamentally changed application development for manufacturing users and transcended the competition to become the leading independent supplier of software for industrial automation. The company's product line has subsequently been expanded into an integrated family of products that provides a suite of automation solutions for both manufacturing and process industries.
Wonderware reported revenues of $55 million for 1995. The company has shipped more than 45,000 copies of its flagship Wonderware InTouch (tm) products.
The Wonderware MMI product family includes: Wonderware InTouch Standard, which operates in the Windows for Workgroups and Windows 95 environments; Wonderware InTouch Professional Developers Kit, a CD-ROM version that bundles the Standard and Lite products with the full 32-bit Wonderware InTouch for Windows NT product, Statistical Process Control (SPC), Recipe Manager, Structured Query Language (SQL) Access, all WonderWare DDE (I/O) servers, NetDDE, and all documentation; and the Extensibility Toolkit that allows users to easily customize their application development.
Wonderware InTrack (tm) manufacturing execution system (MES) application software, which allows companies to plan and track every step of a factory's production operations -- from raw materials to finished goods -- with Windows-based, point-and-click ease. InTrack is an object-oriented, client/server software solution that supports Windows clients and Windows NT and UNIX servers.
Wonderware InSupport (tm) 3.0, which provides computer-based expert assistance for the troubleshooting and repair of complex processes and equipment used in manufacturing. InSupport aids in the diagnosis of equipment and process failures and then presents technical support information to factory technicians on-line, on standard personal computers instead of manuals, books and notebooks. The same multimedia information can be used for interactive training and documentation.
Direktor (tm), which is a flexible batch management software system designed to meet the integrated control and information requirements of batch-oriented production. It provides the utmost in flexibility to allow users to respond to changing customer demands, comply with government regulations, maintain or expand market share and achieve more efficient and profitable production.
DDE Servers, which are input/output drivers that use Microsoft's Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) and Wonderware's fastDDE protocol to provide seamless data sharing between InTouch and virtually any control devices used to run production or with any DDE-aware Windows programs. Wonderware offers hundreds of servers off the shelf and provides a DDE Server Toolkit for custom interface development by users and third party companies.
Wonderware NetDDE (tm), which is a family of enterprise-wide connectivity products that extends the data sharing capability of DDE over networks of computers and workstations. It provides connectivity over almost any network protocol and works in multiple operating environments, including Windows, UNIX and VAX. Microsoft has licensed NetDDE for bundling with its Windows, Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems.
Wonderware accounted for 100 per cent of Windows-based MMI sales until early 1993. While other suppliers have now introduced Windows-based products, Wonderware's strength in Windows development and market penetration, in addition to its close developer relationship with Microsoft, should allow the company to continue its MMI leadership position.
The market for integrated MES software solutions is estimated to be about $200 million in size by the end of 1995 (Source: AMR) and approaching $500 million annually by 1999 (Source: ARC). This represents software costs only and does not include hardware or consulting services to implement mainframe or minicomputer-based applications. The availability of Windows-based MES solutions that run on networks of PCs and workstations is a new segment of this market. Wonderware presently is the only supplier that offers a Windows-based, client/server solution. The total market for all MES solutions is projected to be about $3.5 billion by the year 2000.
The automation market is truly global in nature and by the year 2000 an estimated 34 per cent of revenues will be spent in Europe, 32 per cent in the United States, 18 per cent in Pacific Rim countries and the remaining 16 per cent elsewhere in the world. Wonderware's own revenues presently reflect this international trend, with approximately 55 per cent being generated in North America, 35 per cent in Europe and 10% in the rest of the world.
North American sales support for these channels is provided via seven regional offices located in Norcross, GA; Plano, TX; Irvine, CA; Schaumburg, IL; Troy, MI; Wakefield, MA; and Redmond, WA. Sales, technical and application support is provided internationally through regional offices in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in Singapore and in Korea. ICT-Wonderware GmbH is a joint venture with Wonderware's German distributor, ICT, based in Munich, Germany.
International sales are handled through 46 industrial equipment and control distributor offices in Western Europe, Eastern Europe (the former Soviet Block), Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Pacific Rim countries. Other international resellers operate as distributor agents in smaller international markets.
The company also has a satellite R&D center in Johnson City, TN, and business unit offices in Cupertino, CA, and York, PA.