Infor has integrated its Infor10 PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) Process software with the Lawson M3 ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) application.

Intelleflex Inc. has entered into a partnership with DeltaTRAK Inc. to enhance cold-chain technology for the food, pharmaceutical and processing industries.

Swissport International Ltd., a provider of air-cargo handling services, is now offering its track-and-trace capability for cargo customers and their partners via mobile phones.

Oracle Corp. has joined with Infosys, a Diamond-level member of the Oracle Partner network, to create Oracle Project Driven Supply Chain for High Technology Companies.

Vocollect, a provider of voice technology for mobile workers, has introduced Vocollect VoiceExpress for distribution center and warehouse operators.

JDA Software Group Inc. has released JDA 3D, an application that provides integrated category optimization with three-dimensional virtualization, to enhance collaboration among retailers, distributors and manufacturers.

Discrete manufacturing companies operating with highly complex supply chains in today's volatile business world need collaborative planning and the ability to quickly respond to variances in those plans. They often want to model 'what-if' scenarios to better prepare them for those inevitable hiccups - or new business. Kinaxis designed its RapidResponse solution to help companies with demand and supply balancing, optimized forecasting, and improved supply chain performance. Recently it debuted an enhanced version called RapidResponse Control Tower.

"Sales Carbon Operations Planning" (SCOP) offers a new take on supply-chain management, bringing together traditional sales and operations planning (S&OP) techniques and the need for companies to track and reduce their carbon emissions. "It's my way of making it easy to transfer into sustainability with your existing processes," says Silvia Leahu-Aluas, owner of Sustainable Manufacturing Consulting. The new term covers everything from basic carbon dioxide management to a full understanding of the economic and environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

Challenge: Previously our client, one of the world's largest engines and machinery manufacturers, spent years trying to build systems and get more information from its service providers, before moving to the cloud with a pay as you go service - lower risk approach with better results.