MarketWatch

April 25, 2007

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SAP Adds 11 New Industry Forums to Its Business Process Expert Community; Group Tops 100,000 Members
SAP AG has added 11 new industry forums to its Business Process Expert Community. The venture brings together business-process experts facing similar industry challenges. According to SAP, the additional forums extend the ability of the community to promote collaboration and education within and across key industry segments. The community has seen its membership grow to more than 100,000 experts since its launch just over six months ago. SAP had already set up an industry forum for consumer products. It has now added forums for the public sector, chemicals, higher education and research, defense, healthcare, life sciences, oil and gas, mining and metal, industrial machinery and components, utilities, and retail industries. Members share their expertise and best practices in deploying service-oriented architecture (SOA) on a company-wide scale. The community of experts exists alongside a resource and collaboration environment for software developers, the SAP Developer Network (SDN).
http://www.sap.com

Infor Releases Version 5 of Advanced Supply-Chain Planner
Infor has made commercially available version 5.0 of its Infor SCM (Supply Chain Management) Advanced Planner software. The latest edition of the vendor's supply-chain planning and optimization tool is built on 64-bit architecture and parallel processing. It aids companies in moving products through more sites, while incorporating "real-world" scenarios within a single model, the company said. Users can address such issues as Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, as well as constraints in sourcing products from approved suppliers and countries. The application models "what-if" scenarios, so that companies can devise contingency plans for risk mitigation. It also supports least-cost supply-chain optimization. Additional features include Priority Solving, a component that allows for the faster and easier development of new planning models, so that companies can adapt more rapidly to changes in their supply networks. Infor software synchronizes cycles of demand, supply and replenishment.
http://www.infor.com

Vanguard Logistics Expands With Opening of Office in Mexico
Vanguard Logistics Services has wrapped up the first phase of plans to initiate service in Mexico, with the opening of an office in that country. The new office will provide ocean import and export transportation, landside operations, freight consolidation and deconsolidation, and other handling services for customers in and around Mexico. Vanguard is part of the OTS Logistics Group, which claims to have aggressive growth plans for the next two years, both through acquisitions and internal expansion. The company also made a recent acquisition in Europe. The Mexico office is in response to customer requests, it said, adding that the move will give Vanguard "significant advantage" over service providers that rely primarily on agents. It will also aid the company in providing customers with global visibility of freight. The new venture is called Vanguard Logistics Services Mexico, S de RL de CV. Commercial manager is Rafael Iniestra.
http://www.vls-global.com

Allen Group Hosts Grand-Opening Celebration of Dallas Hub
The Allen Group, a commercial property developer, recently observed the grand opening of its Dallas Logistics Hub. The operation is located at the Lancaster Municipal Center in Lancaster, TX. The event was attended by more than 1,000 international, federal, state and local officials, in addition to community and business leaders. According to the Allen Group, the Dallas Logistics Hub is the largest new logistics park under development in North America. It features more than 6,000 acres of land set aside for the development of 60m square feet of distribution, manufacturing, office and retail use. The site was chosen in part because of intermodal rail and highway access. The hub is adjacent to Union Pacific's Southern Dallas Intermodal Terminal, as well as a potential BNSF intermodal facility. Dallas is positioned to act as primary gateway for the distribution of goods to major population centers throughout the central and eastern U.S., the Allen Group said. Kicking off development of the site will be two industrial buildings of 640,000 and 210,000 square feet, with construction to commence in June and be completed by the end of this year. The master plan includes warehouse and distribution facilities, light manufacturing, retail support services, business-class hotels, restaurants, and housing.
http://www.dallaslogisticshub.com

ALK Forges Partnership With TMW Systems for Integrated App
ALK Technologies, Inc. has entered into a partnership with TMW Systems, integrating the two vendors' technologies. Under the agreement, ALK's Multi-Version Switch (MVS) will be combined with TMWSuite software so that carriers can obtain real-time data from their operations via a single system. PC-MILER users can access multiple versions of the software on the same server. Accessing the MVS tool via TMWSuite, users can assign specific PC-MILER versions to individual shippers, according to that shipper's contract. TMWSuite will then use the correct version to calculate the shipper's billing miles. Prior to MVS, older versions of the software had to run in separate computer environments, with associated maintenance costs and setup fees, the companies said. TMW has long provided integration for PC-MILER products in its enterprise management software. The addition of MVS support to TMWSuite will aid carriers that need to maintain multiple PC-MILER versions for specific shipper and carrier contract relationships. MVS is an enhanced function of PC-MILER/Connect, software that acts as an interface between PC-MILER routing and mileage tools, and outside software systems for the management of transportation and logistics. MVS runs in a Microsoft Windows environment.
http://www.alk.com

Carrier Partners Upgrade Service Between Asia and S. Africa
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. ("K" Line), MISC and PIL are upgrading their service between Asia and South Africa. Effective in late April, the change involves the deployment of larger vessels with extended port coverage to include China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. The new service will have seven containerships, with capacity ranging between 3,300 and 3,800 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). "K" Line and MISC will each contribute three vessels, with the seventh coming from PIL. The new port rotation will be Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Shekou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Kelang, Colombo, Durban, Cape Town, Colombo, Port Kelang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The service will make a round-trip voyage in 49 days. Full deployment of the larger vessels will be completed around June, the partners said. The bigger ships will feature a greater number of spaces for refrigerated containers. The Colombo call on both legs allows the carriers better to link markets in the Indian subcontinent with those in the Middle East.
http://www.kline.com

Cetova Readies Launch of Tool for Planning and Budgeting
Cetova Corp. has developed a new tool for corporate planning and budgeting. C-PLAN is the latest component of the vendor's business performance solutions suite. It will allow companies to automate their existing budgeting processes, and replace spreadsheets with improved data-management and collaboration capabilities, the company said. Featuring an Excel-based interface, C-PLAN enables non-technical users to view and compare past data trends. Users can enter budgets manually, or select from a variety of forecasting methods. They have the ability to include comments and file attachments documenting their budgeting assumptions. C-PLAN organizes users within an approval hierarchy to direct workflow for the submission of budget worksheets. The workflow provides notifications for budget submissions, approvals and rejections, allowing users to track the progress of their budget cycles. Cetova software integrates with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, as well as business data from payroll, customer relationship management (CRM) and sales. Such data can be integrated for planning and budgeting purposes, then combined into financial accounts.
http://www.cetova.com

Davaco Expands Logistics Operations With Nashville Warehouse
Davaco Inc., a provider of support services for the retail industry, has opened a new warehouse and division office in Nashville, Tenn. The company's relocation and expansion program has created a warehouse of more than 150,000 square feet, and a central location with easy access to major domestic and international markets, Davaco said. The new facility is minutes away from the Nashville airport and major highways. Davaco's services include warehousing, consolidation and the coordination of store initiatives such as opening kits, promotional and seasonal graphics, fixture packages and other elements required at the individual store level. The company also provides management and execution of high-volume rollouts, retrofits, resets and new stores, according to chief executive officer Rick Davis.
http://www.davacoinc.com

IRM Updates Portable Business Intelligence for Food, Beverage
IRM Corp. has released version 6.0 of Discovery System, the vendor's portable business-intelligence tool for food and beverage companies. IRM is a seller of business intelligence, analytics, forecasting and promotion-management software for that industry. Discovery System 6.0 provides users with easy access to analytical data about sales, margins and customer profitability. Companies can analyze a variety of complex business data at the office or in the field, without a network connection. Users simply point and click to view and organize key data from a variety of data points, including customer, product, time and date categories. Previously, companies had to print and mail paper sales reports to managers across the country, IRM said. Information could be delayed for weeks. The new system allows for business decisions to be made using accurate, up-to-date sales figures. A visualization feature lets users transform data into customizable visual charts, with drill-down capabilities for insight into customer data. New filter flexibility provided by version 6.0 lets companies organize and access custom analytics and send pre-set visual reports to meet the needs of various users. They can create column filters on multiple columns, a feature that allows them to drill into multiple parameters simultaneously.
http://www.irmcorporation.com

FKI Logistex Expands in Canada With Consolidated Operation
FKI Logistex has expanded and consolidated its operations in Canada, with the formation of FKI Logistex Canada Ltd. FKI is a provider of integrated material-handling systems. The new unit brings together several existing Canadian divisions--Airport, Post & Parcel, Warehouse & Distribution, and Manufacturing Systems, into a single entity offering service to the company's entire Canadian customer base. FKI's accounts in Canada include Canadian Tire Corp., third-party logistics provider ATS, and several major Canadian airports. In line with the changes, FKI has named Steve McElweenie as vice president and general manager of FKI Logistex Canada Ltd. He was previously vice president of sortation and general manager of the company's operation in Frederick, Md. He will report directly to Steve Ackerman, president of FKI Logistex North America. In Canada, Geoff Bainton assumes the role of director of operations, with Glen Chambers becoming director of business development.
http://www.fkilogistex.com

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