| MarketWatch |
— July 5, 2006 |
IBM Supports Sales, Marketing for Travel and Transportation
IBM has initiated a comprehensive package of sales, service and marketing support for its business partners serving the travel and transportation industries. The company is providing new resources to hospitality, airline, freight and logistics vendors. The goal, IBM said, is to increase understanding of target customers, address customer “pain points,” and allow partners to sell more effectively in their industries. The new services will be provided through IBM's PartnerWorld Industry Networks, an effort that has involved a $1bn investment in joint sales and marketing activities, according to IBM. Business partners can utilize IBM's direct mail, telemarketing and advertising resources, boosting their lead-generation rates. Since formation of the PartnerWorld Industry Networks two years ago, more than 10,000 partners have joined the program and marketed their products in tandem with IBM, the vendor said. The roster includes more than 4,200 partners in the banking and financial services industry, 3,500 in healthcare and government, and 1,000 in the automotive industry.
http://www-03.ibm.com/
RedPrairie Offers “Next Generation” of TMS Software App
RedPrairie Corp. has issued a new version of its transportation management system (TMS) software, known as DLx Transportation. It features Global Trade Management and Fleet Management options. Shippers can model and control their management of contracted carrier and fleet resources. In the process, they can structure carrier rates, manage carrier contract commitments, plan to available capacity, and electronically tender and monitor carrier performance and shipment delivery through scorecards based on performance metrics. The application features an internet-deployable client which simplifies I.T. management, according to RedPrairie. An intuitive “drag-and-drop” interface for shipment management is intended to boost user productivity. The software can be provided through a traditional licensing model, or in an on-demand ASP-hosted mode. DLx Transportation provides multiple international trade logistics capabilities, including denied-party screening, customs and duty management, shipping export paperwork creation, trade-preferential agreements and international small-package shipment management. The system also includes capabilities for managing fleet-based, same-day delivery. The Fleet Management option relies on algorithms for determining the best local street routing, by dynamically re-planning driver zones for optimal cost of delivery, or optimizing within established driver zones for the best possible service.
http://www.redprairie.com/
Arrow Electronics Expands Supply Chain Operations in China
The North American Components unit of Arrow Electronics, Inc. has entered into a new manufacturing, logistics and supply-chain partnership with China Great Wall Computer Group, a manufacturing company owned by China Electronics Corp. in Shenzhen, China. The partnership allows Arrow's original equipment manufacturing (OEM) customers to have their products assembled at a China Great Wall facility, placing finished goods closer to customers in the Asia market. OEMs no longer have to ship components from Asian suppliers to the U.S. for assembly, then ship finished goods back to Asia for distribution to local markets. Arrow said it selected China Great Wall because of the partner's reputation for quality, and its ability to replicate the services offered at Arrow's Logistics and Value Added Center in Phoenix, Ariz., where OEM customers' products are manufactured today. Both the Shenzhen and Phoenix facilities are ISO-certified, with power-manufacturing capabilities, cleanroom operations and a Lean manufacturing culture.
http://www.arrow.com
Oracle Readies Release 9 of PeopleSoft Enterprise Software
Oracle Corp. has created Release 9 of its PeopleSoft Enterprise suite of business-software applications. The new version integrates with Oracle Fusion Middleware, so that users can capitalize on the vendor's other relevant applications, such as Oracle XML Publisher, Business Activity Monitoring and Customer Data Hub. The update allows for expanded use of Web services and Oracle BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) Process Manager. It is intended to further Applications Unlimited, an Oracle program designed to maximize customers' use of current applications through ongoing product-development capabilities. The new PeopleSoft Enterprise addresses multiple business areas, including corporate governance, customer relationship management, enterprise performance management, talent management, supplier relationship management and asset lifecycle management. Oracle said it plans to expand capabilities within Release 9 for key industries such as public sector, healthcare staffing, financial services, communications and higher education. At the same, the vendor has released PeopleSoft Enterprise Learning Management 9.0, the first set of applications within the Enterprise 9.0 suite. The software helps companies better to comply with increasingly complex multinational regulatory requirements. It includes preemptive notification functionality, so that managers can keep their employee certifications and training current.
Enterprise 9.0: http://www.oracle.com/
Learning Management 9.0: http://www.oracle.com/
iTAC Devises New Version of Manufacturing Execution Tool
iTAC Software AG, a vendor of manufacturing execution system (MES) software with an emphasis on traceability, has released version 5.00 of the iTAC.MES.Suite. The new version features Java-based, platform-independent middleware; standards-based Part Average Analysis, and an integrated alert-management system with optional early-warning system. Users can individually define functional specifications; the early-warning system immediately reports machine or system failures, or deviations from production requirements. The new technology boosts the standardization level and performance capabilities of the interface between ERP systems and the production process, the vendor said. The suite is designed for use in multiple industries, especially automotive, electronics and medical devices. In the event of recall campaigns, it serves as a means of monitoring and control, providing real-time traceability at the item level.
http://www.itac.de/
IWS Offers “Mobile Warehouse” App for Emergency Response
Integrated Warehousing Solutions (IWS) has made available a new software package for emergency response by government agencies. The IRMS Mobile Emergency Response System, also known as the Go-Kit, is a warehouse and inventory-control system for use by federal, state and local agencies in the event of an emergency. It was initially designed to support the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where up to 50 tons of pre-prepped pharmaceuticals and medical supplies would be distributed to affected areas to ensure that assistance reaches those in need as quickly as possible. According to IWS, the Go-Kit allows for distribution and treatment centers to be operational in as little as 12 minutes. It can serve as the backbone of a statewide or local distribution strategy, helping to maintain a coordinated response to large-scale bioterrorism or pandemic events.
http://www.irmswms.com/
Selectica's Performance Applications Can Now Run on Azul
Software applications of Selectica, Inc., a vendor of sales execution and contract-management products, can now run on the Compute Appliance platform of Azul Systems Inc. Azul helped to pioneer the concept of network-attached processing. The new partnership allows Selectica's product-configuration and contract-management tools, both in on-premise and on-demand versions, to be “Azul Verified” and deployable on the Compute Appliance platform. Azul Compute Appliances provide Java-based applications with large-scale computing and memory resources residing on the network, and which can be tapped dynamically by multiple applications in an on-demand mode. The agreement calls for the companies to deploy one another's products. Selectica will brand its on-demand systems with the “Powered by Azul” logo, while Azul will use Selectica's Fastraq on-demand applications for sales execution and contract performance management internally. In the process, Azul will gain real-time insight into its customer relationship management activities, the companies said.
http://www.azulsystems.com/
JDA, GXS Forge Global Alliance for Retailer Collaboration
JDA Software Group Inc. has entered into a global strategic alliance with GXS, to create new systems for optimizing trading-partner collaboration and boosting efficiencies in supply-chain management. The companies will integrate several JDA Portfolio software applications with GXS's Product Information Manager (PIM) and global data-synchronization tools. In addition, JDA will actively promote GXS's PIM Retailer Edition to its global customer base. Initially, the companies plan to link the internal and external synchronization from GXS's PIM software with JDA's Portfolio Merchandise Management System-i (MMS). The product supports the management of items, purchasing, vendors, pricing and promotions, inventory and valuation. It also includes capabilities for warehouse, customer order and financial management. According to the partners, the joint system will provide enhanced functionality to JDA's retail customers by integrating the management of product information with the core systems and processes by which they run their businesses. The two companies are also collaborating on the integration of GXS's PIM and JDA's Trade Event Management application.
http://www.jda.com/
Arena, Avnet Team Up in New Marketing Agreement for PLM
Arena Solutions and Avnet Electronic Marketing Americas have agreed to market and sell one another's tools and services related to product lifecycle management (PLM). Arena is a vendor of on-demand PLM software for manufacturers of all sizes. Avnet is a global distributor of electronic components and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. The combined systems will provide manufacturers with a new service that draws on content from Avnet's Promiere group, with critical product data in Arena PLM. Promiere offers a database of electronic component content, through a content reseller relationship with IHS Parts Management, Inc. Content from Promiere includes both purchasability data from Avnet Electronic Marketing and parametric and analytical data, as well as documentation from IHS. The combined content database consists of data for more than 19 million unique electronic components. Manufacturers and their global suppliers will be able to integrate dynamic content from Avnet Promiere directly into their Arena PLM software with a single click, the companies said.
http://www.arenasolutions.com/
MSC.Software Unveils New Version of Simulation Platform
MSC.Software Corp., a provider of corporate simulation software and services, has introduced SimEnterprise, a simulation-development platform. The new tool allows computer-aided engineering (CAE) designers, analysts and managers to interact throughout the design process, via an open-systems approach, allowing for the use of their preferred development software. Based on a services-oriented architecture (SOA), SimEnterprise enables open connectivity between designers, analysts and others performing simulations. Individuals involved in product development, regardless of application preference or global location, can collaborate and manage simulation and simulation-based design information. In the process, MSC.Software claimed, they can speed up product development in a cost-efficient manner. SimEnterprise provides built-in connectivity to MSC.Software's solver technology, including MD Nastran. Companies can deploy role-based simulation applications and tools, including existing MSC.Software applications such as MSC SimDesigner and MSC SimManager.
http://www.mscsoftware.com/
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