AL-KO, a German producer of industrial air conditioners for airport hangars and other spaces, is employing a radio frequency identification solution to plan its production more precisely, by tracking the movements of parts between two production sites located 550 kilometers (342 miles) apart.

Enterprise software is big business. This becomes evident when you add up the costs of purchasing software licenses, implementing the system, migrating data, training employees, and maintaining the system. If your enterprise system doesn't meet your expectations, you risk running some of your investment down the drain. Unfortunately, it is quite common for companies to take shortcuts when determining their software needs, which often leads them to acquire a system that doesn't exactly match their business requirements.

IHS Inc., a provider of business information and analytics systems, has launched version 5.0 of IHS Standards Expert. The tool simplifies and expedites the process of finding and managing standards.

Because the DC is an expensive - but indispensable item - the CEO needs to be on top of operations that fulfill directly to customers' homes, says Matt Kulp, director, distribution and fulfillment, St. Onge Company, an engineering services company.

The evolution of voice technology now includes an integration of graphical data visually displayed, says John Reichert, TECSYS marketing director. The combination is quicker and more beneficial than one might think.

Security has always been one of the forefront considerations within the mobile device industry. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, for example, gained the attention of Wall Street bankers because of the financial industry's need for high levels of data protection and security, along with the convenience of mobile use. A lot of talk in the mobile industry focuses around software security through detection and preventative applications; however, very little seems to be said on embedded mobile device hardware security.

Epicor Software Corp. has developed a new version of Epicor HCM, its application for human capital management. Version 5.7, due to be released this summer, is built on a global framework and Web services, the company said.

Today's manufacturers make increasing use of enterprise manufacturing intelligence (EMI) solutions, which offer the potential to improve processes and reduce costs, to help address their key challenges. The term enterprise manufacturing intelligence, also sometime referred to as "operational intelligence" or "manufacturing intelligence," applies to the technology and practices available to tap into the vast amount of plant data; contextualizing and exposing it as intelligent information with analytics, dashboards, and other visualization tools.

As the world of matching supply with demand has become a global challenge there is a need to approach the use of transportation mode, route and pricing in a much more dynamic and controlled way.

Honeywell has been involved in supply chain activities for some time, but with its acquisition of LXE, it's become quite active in the AIDC market as well, says Bill Roeder, director of product management at Honeywell Scanning & Mobility.