THE new release of IBS supply chain management-focused ERP software, IBS Enterprise 6.0, is a total solution for large and midsized companies.
The software suite contains a number of new modules and enhancements as well as functionality for easy integration between customers, suppliers and partners throughout the supply chain.
With customer profitability as a central theme, IBS delivers new and enhanced functionality to help its customers improve supply chain communication, customer service, future planning and business process automation.
The enhanced product suite uses a services oriented architecture and has a new dynamic web-based user interface as well as several entirely new modules.
“With this new release, we secure continued business improvements and competitive edge for our customers,” IBS CEO Magnus Wastenson said.
“The benefits of IBS Enterprise 6.0 will also be available to new customer segments as we introduce multiplatform versions of the software during next year.”
Highlights of the system include the enhancement of automated workflow routines that increase the efficiency of customer relationship management, while providing decision support and driving reduced transaction processing costs.
New modules are included for planning and forecasting, which allow forecasts on multiple business levels to provide greater accuracy and visibility.
A powerful integration tool is offered that further improves communication between IBS Enterprise and external systems, offering advanced integration and automation of system-to-system business processes.
Extended data warehouse and business performance measurement modules (IBS Business Intelligence) have been added with extended SCOR (Supply-Chain Operations Reference) functionality.
A new dynamic Web-based User Interface, covering the entire product suite, can easily be customised to fit individual needs and preferences, thereby facilitating improved customer service and quality.
IBS Enterprise’s new flexible pricing routines, as well as built-in automated business processes, will enable customers to run operations more efficiently. One example is improved automated returns handling, which provides potentially huge cost savings for companies.
It is not unusual for distributors to deal with thousands of returns per day. With the new integrated return automation process, customers can be served promptly. IBS Enterprise 6.0 is also enabled for RFID handling.
A key element of IBS Enterprise 6.0 is the extended IBS Business Intelligence module with its ability to collect data from a number of different sources, not just from within the ERP-system. In that way, the entire supply chain can be monitored, including internal and external parts that use different systems.
An important component of the module is the SCOR-application (Supply-Chain Operations Reference-model), which is a powerful tool for streamlining the supply chain from the suppliers´ supplier to the customers´ customer.
The application covers level 1, 2 and 3 metrics for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as delivery performance, fill rates, order fulfilment lead times, cost of goods sold, value-added employee productivity, inventory days of supply and asset turns.
“There is an increasing demand for improved management information that enables managers to secure process efficiency,” IBS Global Software vice president Mark Cockings said.
“Our mission is to provide business value to our customers and the IBS Business Intelligence solution makes it possible to manage and evaluate the ongoing improvements.”
IBS Enterprise 6.0 includes a fast and effective integration tool for program to program integration. The integration tooling reduces costs of individual business relationships and increases revenue potential by enabling new trading arrangements that would not be possible by traditional means.
The solution is packed with more than 550 useful features and functions for data integration, application integration, process integration and B2B integration.
IBS Enterprise 6.0 is developed specifically for large and mid-sized companies or subsidiaries of large international groups in selected industries. A common denominator for these industries are, among others, the need to handle high transaction volumes in mission-critical systems, together with high demands for customer service and quality.
In Q4 2005, IBS will initiate the rollout of IBS Enterprise 6.0 and the new release will be available in all IBS countries by mid-2006.
The product suite will initially be offered for iSeries/i5OS and will be followed by Java deployment versions later in 2006 for customers who wish to run the solution in other environments such as Windows, Linux and Unix.