Astea International and Kobelco Systems Corporation Partner to Deliver Comprehensive, IoT- and AI-enabled Field Service Management Solution

HORSHAM, Pa., Oct. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Astea International, through its Japanese subsidiary, has partnered with Kobelco Systems Corporation to enable comprehensive Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities on its field service management platform, Astea Alliance™.  Kobelco Systems' IoT infrastructure platform and AI analytical service are now fully integrated into the Astea Alliance platform to optimize the maintenance activities of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), improving overall productivity for assembly lines, plants and supply chains.

This next generation service platform now seamlessly merges the early warning capabilities of IoT and the diagnostic capabilities of AI with the broad capabilities of Astea Alliance to optimize the combination of remote, predictive and preventative maintenance activities, and the instant break/fix response required by today's highly integrated manufacturing environments.

Bridging the traditional gap between manufacturers and the service lifecycle is possible because it utilizes the broad capabilities of Astea Alliance, the award-winning field service management platform capable of supporting the entire service lifecycle, from customer service, asset lifecycle management, reverse logistics, automated dispatch and mobile workforce management.  Astea Alliance provides comprehensive functionality necessary for after-sales service in multi-lingual and multi-currency global environments. This merges well with Kobelco Systems' solutions that enhance the after-sales service experience through the use of emerging technologies, such as IoT and AI, to diagnose and report on equipment status, perform data-driven new product and service development, and perform predictive maintenance before potential issues manifest into larger issues.

This IoT- and AI-enabled platform also allows OEMs to enhance their revenue.  As earnings from product sales decline, forward-thinking manufacturers are engaging in after-sales service activities throughout the entire product lifecycle. The Astea, Kobelco Systems partnership supports this new business model, and allows these companies to embrace the change it represents by using these new emerging technologies to predict and perform service activities in ways that traditional OEMs cannot.  

Astea and Kobelco Systems are now working to further develop the IoT- and AI-enabled platform to include augmented reality, remote maintenance and artificial intelligence voice and character recognition.

About Kobelco Systems Corporation

Kobelco Systems' mission is to respond to our customers' diverse needs, through the synergy between Kobe Steel and IBM. We have inherited our "dedication to 'monozukuri' (a Japanese approach to manufacturing) and good quality" from Kobe Steel, a manufacturing company with a 100-year history. We have inherited the "first-class IT know-how and processes" from IBM, a world-class leader in the information service industry. Our corporate vision is "to share with customers' vision," and to contribute always from IT infrastructure planning, design and development of business applications including ERP to operation and maintenance.

To learn more, visit: http://www.kobelcosys.co.jp/

About Astea International

Astea International is a global leader in field service and mobile workforce management, including all the cornerstones of full service lifecycle management: customer management, service management, asset management, forward and reverse logistics management, and mobile workforce management and optimization. Astea technology helps the world's best service-driven companies generate higher profit while properly balancing customer satisfaction and service levels through proactive communication that creates a seamless, consistent and highly personalized experience at every customer relationship touch point. Astea's solutions unify processes, people, parts, and information to focus the entire organization on the creation of sustainable value in highly competitive, global markets.

www.astea.com.   Service Smart.  Enterprise Proven.

© 2017 Astea International Inc. Astea and Astea Alliance are trademarks of Astea International Inc. All other company and product names contained herein are trademarks of the respective holders.

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SOURCE Astea International Inc.