Blue Agave Rolls out Updated Performance Management Suite

Version 2.0 of solution intended to provide consumer goods suppliers with real-time insights into operations

Version 2.0 of solution intended to provide consumer goods suppliers with real-time insights into operations

Cambridge, MA — June 8, 2004 — Business performance management specialist Blue Agave Software this week rolled out the latest version of its flagship Active Performance Management (APM) solution, intended to help consumer goods suppliers achieve operational excellence with real-time insight into how their business is running from the factory floor to the store shelves.

APM 2.0, which ships today, includes upgraded platform capabilities and two new components, ActiveInsight and ActiveDataStore, designed to allow companies to measure performance against key metrics and then drill down to obtain relevant operational data.

The goal is to assist executives in understanding exactly when, where and why they may be in jeopardy of missing targets, or what they must do to capitalize on new revenue opportunities, with enough time to modify their plan and positively impact the bottom line, Blue Agave said.

"For the first time, consumer goods suppliers have immediate access to both high-level and in-depth analysis of every aspect of their production, distribution and sell-through," said Patrick Tyne, vice president of product management at Blue Agave. "This up-to-the-minute visibility and response capability is exactly what organizations need to optimize their business performance in the short-cycle, and keep up with retailers' growing demands for 100 percent fill rates, near-perfect on-time delivery and ever-lower prices."

The provider said that ActiveInsight will allow consumer goods suppliers to compare business performance against their key metrics and take action when required. For example, managers can learn if inventory at a particular location is falling short and then obtain the data necessary to understand why, whether demand spiked or product shipments were short, and adjust operations accordingly.

APM 2.0 uses Blue Agave's data integration platform to consolidate data from multiple, disparate sources across the extended network. ActiveDataStore provides a unified system of record for collecting, organizing and managing real-time information from external partners like retailers, suppliers or logistics providers to provide a data foundation for analytics.

Blue Agave said that APM 2.0 extends the real-time visibility and response capabilities of ActiveResponse (launched in October 2003) to multiple levels of the business, from the hands-on operations team to the managers responsible for the overall performance of the business.

The updated solution is designed to proactively identify such breakdowns as revenue at risk, orders at risk, stock-outs, excess inventory and material shortages, and then direct actionable recommendations to shift production, inventory, logistics or delivery rapidly and cost-effectively, according to the solution provider.

APM 2.0 is intended to allow companies to leverage point-of-sale (POS) data and information from internal transaction and planning systems to improve retail performance in real-time to capitalize on new opportunities and avoid revenue-threatening problems, including stock-outs and short orders, Blue Agave said. In addition, the software can provide real-time insight into how operational performance stacks up against promised performance, aiding suppliers in meeting retailer requirements.

Active Performance Management 2.0, which consists of ActiveResponse, ActiveInsight, and ActiveDataStore, can be deployed and delivering benefits in as little as 10 to 14 weeks, with pricing starting at $250,000, according to Blue Agave.

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