Following a comprehensive information management research study on over 745 companies examining maturity, trends and direction, Ventana Research has released its results and announced an upcoming webinar to discuss findings.

“Our research found that organizations are striving towards more accurate and comprehensive information on which to base their important business decisions. The research shows businesses are ready to transform into information driven organizations in 2007 and beyond through advanced use of technology.” said Mark Smith, CEO and EVP of Research at Ventana Research.
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Leading business research firm IDC has announced worldwide system infrastructure software predictions for 2007. IDC defines system infrastructure software as software that controls the operation and management of computing infrastructure resources, and is a key element of any IT infrastructure deployment. Operating systems, enterprise virtualization software, and enterprise systems management software all are in system infrastructure software.
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Store Execution meets consumer driven retail operations optimization as RedPrairie Corporation announces its acquisition of StorePerform Technologies, Inc.. This acquistion, as part of RedPrairie’s Retail Productivity Solutions division (formerly BlueCube Software), will provide RedPrairie the unique ability to address the expanding market demand for highly integrated workforce management solutions. The combined solution based on Red Praries’ best-in-class BlueCube Workforce Management will offer integrated store execution management solutions with optimized labor scheduling, time and attendance, learning management, and employee self service solutions, enabled through StorePerform Store Execution Management solutions.
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Integrated payment solutions leader Payment Processing, Incorporated (PPI), has announced a partnership with supply chain management software developer ASC, Inc., to offer a comprehensive POS and e-commerce solution.

ASC’s partnership with PPI offers ASC Trac customers a safe, secure and reliable payment processing solution that integrates seamlessly with the ACS solution. The combined solution has demonstrated capabilities for high volume credit card transactions in mission critical environments. (more…)

Data Sharing Partnership: Unilever Partners With RedPrairie In EPCIS Data Sharing Trial
11/20/2006
RedPrairie Corporation announced a partnernership with Unilever in the company’s trial of EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Service) to collect and access information from within the company’s logistics environment and from trading partners in the supply chain. Highlighting more effective data exchange and simplified interoperability, Unilever anticipates enhanced value in the areas of promotion management, supply chain visibility and metrics and RFID readability through RFID enablement and its integration with EPCIS.
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Oracle customers worldwide can now extend the capabilities of Oracle’s existing Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) suite through the two new modules, Oracle Strategic Network Optimization and Oracle Production Scheduling. Through a long-awaited marriage of Oracle’s JD Edwards and PeopleSoft Supply Chain Planning suite with Oracle’s Supply Chain Management applications, manufacturing companies can now optimize supply and distribution networks, mitigate risk, maximize shop floor throughput and dramatically reduce supply chain costs.
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Lockheed Martin has established the Savi Group to aligns Lockheed Martin’s decision support system expertise for large government In-Transit Visibility (ITV), cargo security and asset management efforts with Savi Technology’s real-time, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based data collection and management capabilities for supply chains.
“This unique combination of capabilities under our Savi Group will accelerate the development of turn-key solutions for our government and commercial customers to make their supply chains more efficient, dynamically responsive and secure,” said Stan Sloane, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Systems & Solutions (IS&S) business area.

The new organization will provide integrated real-time information solutions and services for securing and managing global supply chains. Vic Verma, previous chief executive officer of Savi Technology, acquired by Lockheed Martin in June, will lead the new group and serve as chief executive officer of Savi Networks. Verma highlighted that the newly formed Savi Group will leverage its expertise to address the development and delivery of integrated ITV, Cargo Security and Mobile Asset Management solutions for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Defense (including the U.S. Transportation Command and the Defense Logistics Agency), as well as other government agencies, port and terminal operators, and commercial customers.

“We will offer customers complete, integrated solutions, including powerful analysis tools that will enhance their situational awareness, security, and decision making in tracking and managing shipments every step along the way as they move through global supply chains from point of origin to destination,” Verma said. “To meet these significant challenges for our customers, Savi Group is being ‘turbocharged’ with Lockheed Martin resources, technical expertise and seasoned leadership in managing large complex systems integration projects.”

An important charter of the Savi Group will be to leverage the Savi Networks joint venture between Savi Technology and Hutchison Port Holdings, the world’s largest port operator. Savi Networks provides information services based on wireless data transmissions on the location, security and condition of cargo shipments as they are transported end-to-end throughout the global supply chain.

The Group will also support corporate initiatives for Secure Freight and Logistics. “We are actively participating in Lockheed Martin-wide efforts to offer the best integrated solutions to address our customers’ significant and complex asset management and security challenges,” Verma said.

By Renee Boucher Ferguson
November 16, 2006

At the Microsoft TechEd: IT Forum in Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft and SAP announced Nov. 16 the next edition of Duet, the joint software application the two companies developed to enable users to access SAP business processes through Microsoft Office applications.
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By (Chris) Jacob Abraham, Nov 15, 2006, @ SupplyChainManagement

Logistics Management has a new article titled - How does your warehouse stack up? by Maida Napolitano. The survey was conducted jointly by Logistics Management and Gross & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in materials handling and logistics - First Annual Warehousing Trends Survey.

The survey was designed to help today’s warehouse managers get a clearer picture of the challenges they face today and give them an opportunity to see how their warehouse operations compare with the industry average.
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Takes supply chain execution solution leadership position in EMEA; announced as finalist for Best IT Supply Chain Solution in China

RedPrairie Corporation, the world’s leading consumer-driven optimization company, announced today that it has taken a leadership position in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and is a finalist for the Best IT Supply Chain Solution in China award by the China Supply Chain Council. (more…)

It wasn’t an awe-inspiring showing of strength, but the market for supply chain management (SCM) applications experienced 3-percent growth in 2005, achieving a total value of $5.6bn, according to AMR Research Inc. The sector was influenced by a variety of factors, including globalization, leaner supply networks, higher customer expectations, mass customization at the manufacturing and assembly level, and rising demand for product and service variability. “New business focuses and pressures are driving pockets of vendor information and renewed corporate spending in supply chain initiatives,” according to Mark Hillman, a senior research analyst at AMR. On the negative side, “spending is tempered by the fact that corporate supply chain organizational maturity is still relatively low, limiting adoption. In addition, consolidation will continue to play a significant role in 2006.”

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Deb Navas, Editor at Large,
Supply Chain Manufacturing & Logistics

The increasingly global nature of consumer packaged goods manufacturing has had an impact on every supply chain link, especially the one that gets goods to market.

WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE that integrates with material handling equipment speeds fulfillment in complex, high-volume, retail distribution environments.

Roles are blurring in the retail, wholesaler, and distributor supply chain arena, and the definition of what the “distributor” now does is not so easily defined. Big retail operations—Wal-Mart naturally springs to mind—primarily use their own distribution networks, though they also use wholesale distributors.
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