What is eMESA™?

eMESA™ is An easy-to-use, friendly web based application that an end user can use to perform very common, routine tasks. eMESA™ integrates seamlessly with the following systems:

• SAP R/3 (4.5B and Later)
• SAP ECC (5.0 and Later)
• Mincom MIMS (3.0.13 and Later)
• Mincom Ellipse® (5.x and Later)
• MAXIMO® (4.x and Later)
• E-Business Suite
• Oracle J.D.Edwards EnterpriseOne® (8.10 and Later)
• Microsoft Dynamics AX (3.0 and Later)
• Many other legacy and 3rd party systems

How would I use eMESA™?

eMESA™ can be used in a variety of ways by many different types of individuals within an organization:

For the Maintenance / Operations Worker:

• Create / Modify / Complete work orders
• Create / Modify / Cancel / Track part requisitions
• Check Inventory and Parts Availability
• Plan, Schedule and Assign Work Orders
• Track Resource Availability, Qualifications and Schedules
• Line-Out Daily / Shift Schedule and Assign Work to Groups / Individuals
• Execute Work Orders and log hours to Work Orders
• Set / View Equipment Status and Availability
• Minimize extensive ERP/EAM training

For the Warehouse Worker

• Check / Receive / Issue Inventory
• View projected parts demand driven from Operations and Maintenance
• Provide real-time feedback to Operations and Maintenance on parts orders
• Minimize extensive ERP/EAM training

For Everyone

• Order parts from the catalog with a Shopping-Cart style interface
• Approve All Transactions with a simple web based interface
• Approve All Transactions from a BlackBerry® or other mobile device
• Minimize extensive ERP/EAM training

What does eMESA™ stand for?

eMESA™ stands for electronic Maintenance Execution Scheduling Accelerator. However, due to tremendous demand and incredible growth of the product, eMESA has moved beyond the realm of maintenance into production, finance, materials, warehousing and other crucial business areas. eMESA is now considered more of a brand name than an acronym.

What underlying platform does eMESA™ run on?

eMESA™ currently runs primarly on a Microsoft® platform. We prefer to use a system that provides a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). We currently recommend running eMESA on Windows Server 2003 with IIS 6.0 and SQL Server 2005.

What are the hardware requirements for running eMESA™?

eMESA™ hardware requirements vary by how many concurrent users you will be expecting. WE have done installations of 5 concurrent users all the way to 5000 concurrent users. In some cases, only one server is required, in others, multiple servers for production, test and development instances are required. Please consult an eMESA™ System Engineer to determine your specific hardware requirements.

How will eMESA™ help my organization or operation?

eMESA helps an organization in many ways, including, but not limited to:

• Decreased training time for end users
• Improved and increased ERP system usage
• Improved information quality and reliability
• Increased ownership and acceptance of ERP data by end users
• Less time spent on the computer and more time working in the field
• Reduction in redundant activities (i.e. Keeping separate spreadsheets for turnover logs)
• Enforcing your business process and creating one way of performing ERP activities

How long does it take to install and implement eMESA™?

Typically, most installations and subsequent implementation take between 6-12 weeks. Of course, this duration varies dependent on several factors, including hardware availability, how much effort is required in working with an organization's IT staff, amount of customization required to fit your business process, and how many sites are being implemented concurrently. Usually installing the software can be done in as little as 1 day. The more time consuming part is actually customizing the software to meet your needs.

What type of support will I receive when I purchase eMESA™?

We offer many levels of support, depending on what type of support you need. Anything from 24x7x365 to 5x9. You can contact our support via e-mail, phone call, or web-based trouble ticketing. In addition, the eMESA software automatically notifies our help desk of any application errors that are occurring, meaning our technicians probably know there is a problem before you do.

What is the process for customizing eMESA to fit my needs?

Typically, we implement eMESA using the following methodology:

1. Contract / Agreement is signed
2. Standard version of eMESA is installed against customer development instance of ERP
3. Joint Application Design (JAD) session is conducted using installed version with eMESA Consultants and customer representatives
4. Design document is produced by eMESA consultants, and scope agreed upon with customer
5. eMESA consultants implement the design, with constant review and input by customer
6. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is performed with customer and eMESA consultants
7. Users are trained on the eMESA system
8. Go-Live!

How much training is required to use eMESA™?

eMESA is designed to be user friendly. Training is minimal. To give an example, at a recent customer, training classes for the ERP were 80 hours; eMESA training classes were 4 hours; but most students were done with the class in 2 hours!

How does eMESA™ work with other products, like Mincom Work Planner?

eMESA is the perfect complimentary tool to Mincom Work Planner. In fact, it is jointly marketed together with Mincom as a solution that completes the entire maintenance lifecycle.

How much functionality is currently covered in eMESA™?

Functionality is being added every day. Currently, eMESA covers Maintenance, Warehousing, Production, Accounts Payable, Finance, and some Purchasing functionality. Stay tuned. A complete matrix of functionality will be available in a few weeks. Check back soon!

What companies and organizations are currently using eMESA™?

eMESA is currently use by many major companies and organizations, including, but not limited to:

• United States Coast Guard
• Lockheed Martin
• Vale Inco
• Peabody Energy
• Rio Tinto Energy America
• Foundation Coal
• Arch Coal
• US Borax
• Goldcorp
• ASARCO
• Newmont Mining

What changes do I have to make to my ERP to allow eMESA™ to run?

eMESA is designed as a bolt-on application. It utilizes the ERP system's Middleware API to process information. As a result, Zero or Minimal changes need to be made to the ERP to allow eMESA to operate. eMESA is simply an alternative user-interface to the information and data that currently exists in the ERP. However, what many of our customers find is that eMESA does expose inaccurate and incorrect information in the ERP very rapidly and quickly. As a result, data-clean up efforts to remove legacy or unwanted information are not uncommon after eMESA is live.

Can I visit a site that is using eMESA™ to see how it is used?

Yes. Contact your account representative and we can arrange a trip to an eMESA site. Many of our customers enjoy hosting potential eMESA customers, as the more eMESA implementations exist, the better the product becomes!

How are we ensured that eMESA™ is compatible with all future upgrades and releases of my ERP system?

We work extensively with ERP vendors to ensure that our product is compatible with future releases. Many ERP vendors offer certification programs, and we actively engage ERP vendors to obtain certification when feasible. In addition, by utilizing the ERP Vendor endorsed API instead of any proprietary integration techniques, we can ensure that eMESA will be compatible with future ERP releases. By strategically partnering with the ERP vendors, we gain early releases of software to test compatibility before released to the general public.

What security changes do I have to make to the ERP to allow eMESA™ to operate?

None! eMESA uses the credentials of each user to perform a transaction in the back-end ERP. As a result, whatever privileges a user has in the ERP will be reflected in eMESA. Bottom Line: eMESA does not circumvent ERP security

What certifications or partnership relationships does eMESA™ currently have in place with ERP vendors?

We currently have the following certifications and partnerships in place:

• SAP Certified Integration
• Mincom Certified Partner
• Oracle Partner
• Microsoft Certified Partner
• SAS 70 Type II Development Certification
• ...and more in the works!

How is eMESA™ priced?

eMESA is priced in a variety of fashions, including the traditional software license / annual maintenance model, or monthly subscription model. Typically it is priced per ERP instance, but enterprise licenses are available. Contact your eMESA account representative for more details.