Tempe, AZ - February 14, 2002 - While the economy lurches indecisively back
toward growth, solution providers are forging ahead, announcing new
solutions to entice their enterprise customers back into the e-business
game.
Following is a roundup of the latest announcements from providers Baan, Blue
Martini, IMI, J.D. Edwards and Logistics.com.
Customer relationship management (CRM) solution provider Baan announced this
week a program intended to reduce implementation costs by rapidly
implementing its iBaan SalesPlus sales management software application. The
QuickStart consulting program bundles iBaan SalesPlus 4.2 software with an
installation and training package, enabling companies to implement a sales
force automation program within 30 calendar days, according to Baan. The
provider says the bundle caters to the market demand of small- and mid-sized
companies that don¹t have the large information technology budgets to fund a
lengthy CRM implementation. The program should reduce the implementation
costs by at least 50 percent, the provider asserts, in part by reducing the
amount of customization for the software.
Blue Martini Software rolled out a new solution its says will enable
manufacturers to deploy customer and partner self-service portals for better
marketing, sales and service through their direct and indirect sales
channels. The provider says that Blue Martini Manufacturing should help
manufacturers to lower service costs, enhance loyalty and reduce defection
to competitors. The new solution combines Blue Martini's marketing, sales
and service applications with automated business processes specific to
manufacturing. In addition, the solution includes industry-specific
templates for rapid implementation, enabling customer- and partner-facing
applications to be delivered in as little as 30 days, Blue Martini says. The
solution provides packaged integration with various enterprise resource
planning (ERP) systems and supply chain management applications, such as SAP and Oracle, as well as marketplaces that include Ariba and CommerceOne.
Available today, pricing for Blue Martini Manufacturing starts at $70,000 per CPU.
IMI Americas unveiled a retail value chain initiative it says will enable
distribution-intensive companies to optimize their order and replenishment
business processes. Through the initiative, IMI Americas will provide supply
chain solutions tailored to the needs of the retail value chain, which
extends from the distribution arms of consumer goods manufacturers to
logistics and business service providers to wholesalers and retailers. IMI
Americas' solutions address distribution-intensive processes that include
complex order and replenishment requirements, high-order volumes,
multi-divisional and often multi-national operations. Additionally, the
software helps companies manage their supply chains across computing
environments that incorporate business systems from multiple suppliers, IMI
says. The supply chain software allows companies to present a single face to
the customer by separating the customer experience from the complexity of
multiple internal business systems, according to the solution provider. IMI
Americas is the North American business unit of Industri-Matematik
International Corp.
J.D. Edwards & Co. announced the general availability of OneWorld Customer
Self-Service and Supplier Self-Service. The provider says the two Web-based
applications will allow a business to give customers and suppliers access to
the business' information. The expected result: lower service costs, since
technology consulting firm Gartner Group has asserted that a customer
inquiry handled by a sales representative over the phone costs nine times
more than one handled automatically ($4.50 as compared to $0.50). Partners
along the supply chain can use Supplier Self-Service to help themselves to
account information, purchase orders, release schedules, quotes, responses
and supplier-performance analyses stored within a business's OneWorld
system. With Customer Self-Service, customers can enter and modify
forecasts, review sales orders and invoices, track shipments, manage user
profiles, review account balances and payment history, and obtain
personalized customer alerts. Customers and suppliers can access the
self-service application as if they were pulling information from the
Internet.
Logistics.com launched OptiManage 7, a Web-native, real-time transportation
management system that integrates logistics planning, execution, visibility
and reconciliation. The provider can deliver the solution through an
application service provider (ASP) arrangement, via remote host or as
traditional licensed software. The software addresses the problem shippers
face when they are not able to execute upon the strategic routing guide
developed during the transportation procurement process. Logistics.com says
OptiManage 7 goes beyond simply following a fixed routing guide, dynamically
monitoring critical metrics and events, making real-time adjustments to the
routing guide that protect service and savings. OptiManage 7 also offers
such supply chain visibility features as intelligent freight monitoring,
stock keeping unit-level electronic data interchange (EDI) and Web-based
track and trace. OptiManage 7's reconciliation features offer reporting
capabilities and advanced freight audit and payment methods like automated
payment. Current users of OptiManage 7 include Airborne Express, Carrier
Corp. and PPG Industries.
Next up: New solutions from Moai, Oracle, Pindar, Profit Tools and
webMethods.
