John Galt Solutions expands on forecast roots

The near future for demand management software vendor John Galt Solutions calls for an ambitious new product suite, but the direction is fairly simple, says the CEO of the Chicago-based company: get better at marketing, and at packaging up long-standing capabilities. Anne Omrod, president and CEO, met with MSI at the company's user conference in Chicago in August, and says John Galt Solutions' new suite handles multiple demand management functions.

The suite—named Atlas—covers functions that might be expected in an enterprise forecasting product, such as a demand management engine and promotions management, but also will include modules for Sarbanes-Oxley reporting, rough-cut capacity planning, a planning portal, sales & operations planning, and an inventory management module that handles replenishment and distribution requirements planning.

Much of the core logic for the extended functions already existed in the company's enterprise demand planning package, says Omrod. "It was scattered through our application," she says. "Most analysts we've met with, when we show them the extent of what the software can do, respond that they didn't know the application could do that. Frankly, we haven't been very good at marketing and at packaging our capabilities."

Most of Atlas already is in Alpha development stage, and Omrod says the suite will be available in the first quarter of 2004. Although the functions of the suite are diverse, users will still rely on a "consensus forecast" as a foundation for most added functions.

Joe Collado, domestic purchasing manager for Murray Feiss, says the company has benefited from using John Galt's core demand planning functionality. The New York-based manufacturer of lamps uses the software to achieve a consensus forecast that drives manufacturing, including a plant in China.

Murray Feiss managers hold regular meetings in which they gather data from salespeople, as well as from retailers. The implementation has nearly doubled inventory turns for the company, says Collado, improving cash flow and customer-service levels along the way. "To achieve the success we've had, you need to have an effective forecasting engine, as well as a process and good communication," says Collado. "For us, John Galt is that engine."