Servigistics, an Atlanta-based provider of what it calls service lifecycle management (SLM) software, has completed a merger with MCA Solutions, a Philadelphia-based supplier of service parts optimization solutions. Service lifecycle management encompasses post-sale service areas, including service parts planning and pricing, field service management, service logistics, and warranty management.

Servigistics says it is the world's largest SLM software company and one of the 15 largest enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) vendors.

The company said it would integrate MCA's offerings in performance management, business design, demand forecasting, inventory optimization, supply planning, contract management, network design, lifecycle management, budget management, and supplier management into its existing SLM portfolio. The combined company will focus on aerospace and defense, high-tech, industrial equipment, motor vehicles, oil and gas, medical equipment, and consumer electronics and appliances.

Automating service lifecycle management helps durable goods manufacturers and their service network partners better understand service demand and determine appropriate stocking levels, said Mark Vigoroso, senior vice president for global marketing and alliances for Servigistics, in an e-mail. Automation allows parts planners to improve forecasting and achieve multi-echelon optimization, which can lead to double-digit improvements in such areas as parts availability; reduction of inventory; repair, ordering, and expediting costs; visibility and productivity; and compliance with customer commitments, he said.

This is the second such merger for Servigistics, which integrated with Xelus, a provider of similar software, following its merger with Click Commerce in 2009. "Both Servigistics and MCA had similar capabilities in service parts management, and we will be assessing the strengths of both offerings and planning the roadmap for the combined solution," Vigoroso said. The company is not done yet; Servigistics "will be making build/buy/partner decisions for the foreseeable future" to both deepen and broaden its service lifecycle management portfolio, he added.