Stratus ftServer chosen for SAP xMII implementation by international manufacturer
by Mark Kember
Sika Sarnafil Inc., manufacturer of roofing and waterproofing systems, has selected the Stratus® ftServer® system to run the SAP xApp Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (SAP xMII) composite application in its U.S.-based plant.
Stratus Technologies, Inc. announced today that Sika Sarnafil Inc., a world-class manufacturer of roofing and waterproofing systems, has selected the Stratus® ftServer® system to run the SAP xApp Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (SAP xMII) composite application in its U.S.-based plant.
SAP xMII will provide Sika Sarnafil with a direct connection between shop-floor systems and business operations, ensuring that it has real-time visibility to all data that affects manufacturing operations. By running the application on a Stratus ftServer system, Sika Sarnafil can be assured of continuous application availability. The ftServer line is a family of continuously available, Intel Xeon processor-based servers, widely used by discrete and process manufacturing firms around the world.
"We made continuous availability a project requirement because unplanned downtime for our xMII application is not acceptable," said Greg Scheidemantel, manager of Sika Sarnafil's Canton, Massachusetts, plant. "At the recommendation of our solution integrator, Tata Consultancy Services, we evaluated Stratus and felt very comfortable selecting the ftServer platform because of its field-proven track record in manufacturing industries."
Sika Sarnafil has manufactured nearly four billion square feet of thermoplastic roofing and waterproofing membrane over the last four decades. Today the company leads its field in producing highly reflective, energy-efficient roofing systems that help reduce energy consumed by building HVAC systems. The North American plant includes a state-of-the-art manufacturing line that produces 10-foot wide membrane. Membranes are also produced at manufacturing facilities in Switzerland, Germany and China.
"SAP xMII will be running in Sika Sarnafil's production facility, not in a centralized data center where you would expect to find applications of this type. This means the plant's IT infrastructure must be, not only continuously available to support production, but also simple to manage," said Frank Hill, Stratus director of worldwide manufacturing segment. "The Stratus ftServer provides the industry's highest levels of availability with plug-and-play simplicity that is perfect for applications running in remote locations, outside the data center."
©2012