Solutions Spotlight

Finmatica announces FineChain 3.0, an extended suite for supply chain planning, supplier relationship management, and customer order management. The solution includes performance and functional enhancements to the core Collaborative Supply Chain Planning suite and introduces three industry-specific vertical solutions: pharmaceutical & specialty chemical, automotive service parts aftermarket, and aerospace & defense.

Enhancements include Web-based supply chain collaboration for forecasting and planning with customers and suppliers, shelf life and daily forecasting enhancements for the food & beverage and CPG markets, and improvements to vendor managed inventory functionality. The solution is said to cut more than 50 percent in processing time for many core routines, above all in very large database environments. The release also includes FineChain EAI 3.0, the graphical enterprise application integration package of the FineChain solution that has obtained SAP certified integration.

Logility's Voyager Solutions 7.0 is the latest release of an Internet-based solution that supports real-time, global visibility of forecasts, orders, inventories, deliveries, and key performance indicators (KPIs) across the supply chain. A flexible Internet portal visually incorporates KPIs and summarizes the current status of supply chain operations, allowing users to detect and respond to demand, supply, distribution, and customer service needs in real time via alert-based events notification. The system includes both single-enterprise and multiple-enterprise views of collaborative planning processes.

Users also can set up flexible "personal views" across all Logility planning engines to focus on key functions, products, markets, and comparative forecasting techniques that leverage multiple sources of demand. Support is offered for optimization of supply, production, and distribution networks to synchronize demand with supply and optimize constrained supply chain resources.

DS enterprise (DSe) from Demand Management is a demand planning and forecasting system administered from a single location to simplify work for IT departments and improve connectivity to ERP systems. As a multi-user system, it allows different locations to view and adjust forecasts on different sets of items at the same time. DSe manages supply and demand data from ERP systems and corporate databases to create forecasts as well as production, delivery, and order plans. Written entirely in Java, DSe is based on a distributed thin-client architecture, scalable to organizations of various sizes. DSe leverages the power of a relational database by making data available to other systems that access the same information. DSe's centralized administration is streamlined, and data is securely transmitted using military-grade encryption technology.

New features for the Demantra PE solution for promotion modeling, forecasting, and analytics focus on promotion optimization, deductions management, and enterprise data integration. The enhancements also will allow users to meet the demands of new regulatory and competitive pressures. For example, new rules that require promotion costs to be accounted against revenue instead of as expenses make it even more critical to craft profitable promotions. With the system, users can automate the creation of event calendars, ensure maximum lift and ROI, eliminate stock-outs with synchronized volume plans, and model optimal promotion plans by forecasting specific effects, including cannibalization and forward buying. The deductions management feature automates invoice deduction resolution, and matches deductions with trade promotions using Web-based access to a central information repository.

John Galt Solutions announces an upgraded version of ForecastX Wizard Version 6.0 for forecasting and demand planning application functionality residing in Microsoft Excel. New functionality includes a distribution resources planning module to calculate future replenishment needs, an algorithm to forecast products with minimal historical information, and improved reporting of safety stock calculations to understand how safety stock relates to fluctuations in demand. The Wizard takes historical data, identifies past trends and seasonality, and then selects the best statistical forecasting model for individual business issues. The system also features advanced reporting options for tracking adjustments and reviewing results.

Valogix's Inventory Planner software determines what items to stock, what items to order, and what items are excess or overstocked. It manages an unlimited number of items and locations and allows for different planning parameters. The software is well suited to automotive parts & supplies, food & beverage, medical devices & supplies, pharmaceuticals, and industrial goods makers. Users can manage by exception, and the system alerts users to potential problems before they become serious customer satisfaction problems. Valogix Inventory Planner works on Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP platforms. An automated installation tool simplifies installation.

Smart Software's SmartForecasts Version 6 allows users to better manage data, accurately set inventory stocking levels and safety stocks, and view an expanded range of management reports. Deployed with SmartWeb Collaborator, a Web-based collaborative forecasting package, the pairing fosters consensus forecasting. SmartForecast's features include inventory planning tools that estimate stocking levels and safety stock requirements for all forecasted items. Also, more management reports allow users to assess the success of forecasting projects, including "forecasts versus actuals" analyses. Collaborative forecasting options allow users to save, modify, and review multiple forecast scenarios for any group of items. Enhanced product group forecasting improves both top-down and bottom-up results. Enhanced data management capabilities—including redesigned, configurable data tables—allow users to display data and audit information simultaneously, while increased database functionality offers easier connection to corporate data.

CPLEX 9.0 optimization software with support for .NET now is available from ILOG. The latest version allows users to build and deploy optimization applications using any .NET-supported language, including Microsoft Visual Basic and C#. New features include performance enhancements that speed decision-making in industries with real-time response requirements, such as transportation logistics and financial asset management. In addition, constraint modeling capabilities enable linear and logical constraints to be combined in complex applications, allowing users to develop decision-support systems faster by providing a more natural way of describing their model.

Futurion, supplier of the Futurcast forecasting package, offers its Dynamic Sales & Operations Planning (DS&OP) tool to assist companies in keeping supply and demand in balance. The tool provides three core functions: sales & operations planning (S&OP), resource capacity planning, and resource loading. It is used to generate a production plan that meets inventory or backlog targets and is based on Futurcast or other sales forecasts. DS&OP features simulation as well as aggregation/disaggregation capabilities that can facilitate S&OP meetings. Level, chase or hybrid S&OP policies can be formulated with a mouse click.