QAD Adds Modules, Services to ERP Suite for Sales, Logistics, Equipment Use, Demand Management
QAD Inc. has developed a new set of modules and services to augment the Global Enterprise Edition of QAD GXE, the vendor's enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. The additions extend the product's capabilities in the areas of sales and marketing, equipment utilization, transportation logistics and demand management. They are intended to help multinational manufacturers improve customer relationships through sales force and marketing automation, optimize production planning and inventory, and comply with regulatory and customer requirements, QAD said. Users can more quickly act on local opportunities, while maintaining global standards for demand fulfillment and operational efficiency, the company added. QAD Sales Force Automation helps to manage all opportunities, contacts and activities. Marketing Automation employs key criteria to identify high-potential prospects. Transportation Management System offers visibility into logistics, using standards-based technology from QAD's recent acquisition of Precision Software. Enterprise Asset Management addresses all aspects of plant and equipment lifecycles. And Demand Management includes new modules for inventory optimization and rough-cut capability, QAD said. Other products recently enhanced by the vendor include Advanced Inventory Management, Production Scheduler, Customer Self-Service and Business Intelligence. http://www1.qad.com
Lawson Issues Update for Forecasting; New Food & Beverage ERP
Lawson Software has made generally available Lawson Budgeting & Planning 9, the newest version of its software to aid companies in conducting financial forecasts and making accurate budgeting decisions. The tool is designed to work with core Lawson systems, such as General Ledger and Human Capital Management, and can also co-exist with non-Lawson data sources. According to the vendor, the application supplies users with better context in planning environments, leading to more accurate forecasts and better budgeting decisions. In another company development, Lawson has released QuickStep Food and Beverage, its first industry-specific, pre-configured enterprise resource planning (ERP) application package. Underlying the software is the latest version of the Lawson M3 Enterprise Management Suite, M3 5.2, released in November of 2005. QuickStep is designed to address a number of challenges facing food and beverage processors, including managing the high velocity of transactions in the industry's supply chain; planning and executing customer deliveries down to the minute; reducing waste and managing shelf-life; meeting industry standards for food safety, traceability and quality assurance, and implementing pricing and promotion programs.
Budgeting & Planning: http://phx.corporate-ir.net
QuickStep: http://phx.corporate-ir.net
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Lockheed Martin Forms Internal Savi Group for SCM Services
Lockheed Martin, which acquired Savi Technology in June of this year, has established the Savi Group, a new internal organization that will aid in the management of global supply chains. The new entity combines Lockheed Martin's expertise in the areas of in-transit visibility, cargo security and asset management for large government customers with Savi's capabilities in radio frequency identification (RFID)-based data collection and management. The venture will keep up the development of turnkey supply-chain services for Lockheed's government and commercial customers, the company said. The new Savi Group will draw on the Savi Networks joint venture between Savi Technology and Hutchison Port Holdings. Savi Networks provides information services, based on wireless data transmissions, on the location, security and condition of cargo shipments as they move through the supply chain. Heading up the Savi Group is Vic Verma, previously chief executive officer of Savi Technology. http://www.savi.com
European Intermodal Platform Forges Alliance With Inttra
Transwide, a European electronic commerce communications platform and software developer for logistics execution management, is partnering with Inttra to provide an e-commerce link for its customers seeking ocean shipments. Inttra offers a platform for electronic ocean-carrier connectivity. It is used by 22 of the world's largest ocean carriers, representing 61 percent of worldwide ocean-freight capacity. Under the new deal, Transwide customers can send electronic bookings and shipping instructions to ocean carriers, who receive a more direct pipeline to the European intermodal industry. Clients who handle all of their road, rail and combined-mode transport needs through the Transwide platform will now be able to exchange information electronically on booking requests and bill of lading instructions via Inttra's connection with shipping lines. According to Transwide, the collaboration with Inttra evolved out of customer requests to have the vendor carry data communications for the ocean leg of international shipments. http://www.inttra.com
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Hand Held Products Offers Small, Ergonomic Mobile Computer
Hand Held Products Inc. has extended its Dolphin 7000 series of mobile computers, with release of the Dolphin 7600. According to the vendor, the new device provides the functionality and versatility of an industry-grade mobile computer, packaged in a small and ergonomically designed version. Featuring Adaptus Imaging Technology 5.0, the 7600 can read any linear or 2D barcode and capture digital images. Design elements include an integrated finger saddle that mirrors the natural curves of the hand, angled barcode scanner designed to limit hand and wrist movements, and strategic weight distribution which balances the device in the user's hand while minimizing grip and stress. The Dolphin 7600 incorporates 802.11b/g and Bluetooth technology. The battery-operated device can provide barcode reading and batch applications for an entire work shift. It is especially suited for light-industrial applications in retail, parcel delivery, postal, route accounting, healthcare, field services and warehousing, the vendor said. http://www.handheld.com
Blue Vector Adds Item-Level Conveyor Tunnel to RFID Products
Blue Vector Systems has extended its radio frequency identification (RFID) product line for the pharmaceutical industry, with the addition of a dual-frequency RFID conveyor tunnel that can read HF-tagged items with UHF-tagged totes and containers. The "Smart Conveyor Tunnel" builds on Blue Vector's introduction earlier this year of dual-frequency Safe and Secure Smart Cabinets for drug storage and order picking. The tunnel lets manufacturers, packagers, distributors and retailers verify and authenticate the contents of totes and cases carrying individually tagged items. Dual-tag standards are a requirement for the pharmaceutical supply chain, where HF tags are historically the dominant standard, Blue Vector said. Cases and totes typically carry UHF tags. Within the tunnel, an embedded Blue Vector Edge Manager oversees the multiple sensors required, and executes business rules in real time as cases and items are scanned. The rules can be used to remove cases from the line, load EPC-compliant information into back-end systems, authenticate items with the original manufacturer, and send advance shipping notices to supply-chain partners. The tunnel can be configured and monitored via a Web interface provided by the Blue Vector system. http://www.bluevector.com
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Aquasora Named Asia-Pacific Reseller for Blue Sky Logistics
Blue Sky Logistics, Inc., a vendor of supply-chain visibility software for retail, food distribution, logistics and global distribution companies, has signed up Aquasora Pte Ltd. as the sole provider of its products in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan. Aquasora will begin selling, implementing and supporting BlueSky's product line immediately, the two companies said. According to Blue Sky, the demand for visibility software has increased sharply around the world, including in Asia-Pacific. Many companies still have no way to track events across their extended networks, and are in search of technology that can manage end-to-end processes, including those related to suppliers and contractors, from an execution perspective. Blue Sky's flagship software product is Insight, which incorporates an executive dashboard and can be configured to serve the needs of multiple individuals within a company's supply chain. Aquasora is a software and services company which provides logistics, manufacturing and customer-service tools to worldwide supply chains. It is based in Singapore. http://www.blueskylogistics.com
Argo Tracker Offers GPS-Equipped Eagle for Asset Tracking
Argo Tracker Corp., a provider of tracking tools equipped with global positioning system (GPS) technology, has created the Eagle, a new asset-tracking device. The compact's GPS-Plus features utilize advanced power-consumption technologies for better efficiency in power management, the vendor said. GPS tracking accuracy is enhanced by signal triangulation from identified cellular communication sites. GPS-Plus is an outgrowth of Argo Tracker's research in inertial navigation unit technology. It allows customers to monitor assets and receive specific information from virtually anywhere, the vendor claimed. Specific positions can be reported via any Web browser. In addition, the system can be configured to provide real-time, sensor-captured data such as temperature, pressure, tilt, voltage and shock or vibration. Individual and multiple units can be monitored at one time through Argo Tracker's Web-based portals. In launching the Eagle, Argo Tracker is offering a 30-percent discount and free activation to the first 500 customers. http://www.argotracker.com
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Solace Systems Integrates Logistics Technology With Core TT
Solace Systems and Core Transportation Technologies have integrated their technology for resource management by third-party logistics providers. The deal combines Solace's VRS/32 Value-Added Services Routing System with the Core Logistics Coordinator (CLC) service. The latter tracks multiple third-party logistics firms, such as freight forwarders, packers, carriers and container providers, to coordinate the flow of information and track handover points. Drawing on Solace's product, Core can now provide dynamic information bundling, which automatically groups logistical information to help supply-chain managers view information about freight consignments from pickup to delivery. The Solace-Supported CLC creates a real-time network for information-sharing and tracking, by moving hardware-assisted content filtering and routing into the core of a logistics network. Within the CLC, all members of a supply chain are loosely coupled, meaning that they can publish updates into the logistics network and dynamically manage their own subscriptions for data, without having to know who is sending or receiving the data, or the native data format of the consuming and publishing applications. http://www.solacesystems.com
ALK Launches Updated CoPilot Live for Laptops, Mobile PCs
ALK Technologies, Inc., a vendor of global positioning system (GPS) navigation, mileage, mapping and route-guidance software, has released version 10 of its CoPilot Live product for laptops and ultra-mobile PCs. The GPS navigation system, with 3D map display, provides spoken, turn-by-turn directions to any address in the U.S. or Canada. For the new release, ALK has integrated 6m points of interest from InfoUSA with its own premium points of interest. Also new is ALK's Software Development Kit (SDK), enabling the seamless integration of CoPilot Live with other mobile applications. CoPilot SDK is available as an add-on to the base product and is used primarily for business fleet-integration needs. Features of version 10 include street-level maps with more than 750,000 miles of updated roads, 60,000 miles of new roads, more than 100m addresses and over 7m miles of roadway in total. Also included are more than 6m new points of interest, and advanced detour options for detouring around traffic congestion. http://www.alk.com
