Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Company has begun exploring licensing opportunities for its "Reliability Engineering" technology -- a system it says has saved the company considerable sums in manufacturing costs during the past decade.

The technology -- named Vulcan for the Roman god of craftsmanship -- consists of a "toolbox" of some 23 ways to "overhaul" virtually any production line, P&G says. The decision to license the technology is part of the company's ongoing program to fully leverage its intellectual property.

"By making our technologies available to others, we can greatly extend their benefits well beyond our brands and maximize the investment we've made, " said Jeffrey D. Weedman, vice president of external business development and corporate licensing for P&G.