“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.

Among the key research findings, Ventana Research found:
· Information management is just beginning to mature. Nearly two-thirds of organizations (66%) are still in the early stages of information management maturity, with the large majority of organizations built on entry-level technologies such as data warehousing and business intelligence (BI).
· Data governance is not widespread but is rated a high priority. More than half of respondents reported that their organizations do not publish a formal data governance policy but those that do tend to be large companies.
· Broad diversification of Information Management is underway. While our research found a heavy existing focus on BI, data warehousing, data quality and data integration, there is a significant diversification underway with new projects in progress or planned in enterprise master data management, enterprise search, information security, enterprise information integration, and data governance.
· Customer information is the most important but followed by financial then product information assets. Customer information holds the highest priority among the information assets of companies, according to survey respondents. Over 50 percent of organizations ranked
customer information first followed by financial information with 36 percent.

Ventana Research will expand on the key findings of the research study Information Management Actions, Intentions, Perceptions and Trends in Information at a live interactive webinar on Tuesday, December 5 at 9:00am Pacific.

More information on the webinar and the study can be found at www.ventanaresearch.com.

IDC’s top ten predictions for Infrastructure Software are:

1. The next wave in virtualization emerges, which IDC calls Virtualization 2.0. Users will focus on continuity, disaster recovery, and high availability.

2. Software appliances will become a household word in 2007. The convergence of virtual machine technology and a new initiative by several tool vendors is giving birth to this new form of software packaging.

3. The use of Linux paravirtualization will be mostly sizzle – not steak. Few users are going to substitute their current kernel with a paravirtualized kernel.

4. Management of virtual infrastructure takes center stage at large enterprises, extending adoption of virtualization across test, development, and production.

5. Virtualization and security will become stronger focal points for ITIL/ITSM vendors, who will do more to add support for virtualization and managing virtual environments to their service management offerings.

6. Major system management vendors will accelerate “productization” of ITIL best practices by incorporating functional software components with automated workflows that implement service delivery and service support processes.

7. Leading system management vendors will start putting a vertical focus to their ITIL marketing and product developments. These vertical segments will include Financial Services, Health Care, and Manufacturing.

8. There will be “growth separation” between software vendors that have made major acquisitions. Vendors must develop and execute sales and marketing strategies for combined entities that differentiate and clarify product offerings.

9. Microsoft’s client operating system anti-piracy efforts will backfire. Microsoft’s anti-piracy campaign will drive customers toward Linux.

10. Our expectations remain consistent that Windows Vista in 2007 will not uplift the operating system or PC market spend dramatically, but we are predicting a meaningful shift of adoption favoring premium Windows Vista SKUs.

More information about IDC’s Predictions for 2007 is available at www.idc.com.

StorePerform’s President Srikant Vasan will continue to provide strategic guidance for the StorePerform group. No headcount reductions are planned as part of this acquisition.

“States Kim Eaton, RedPrairie President, Retail Productivity Solutions, “We have led the industry by delivering optimized scheduling based on projected customer traffic and related sales. This workload typically represents two-thirds of the store’s required labor. However, Store Execution Management also plays a vital role in optimizing the workforce and, therefore, the retail environment. StorePerform allows retailers to schedule and track the remaining third – task-driven labor requirements, such as inventory resets, new displays, product recalls, etc. These task-driven requirements have dramatically increased in recent years with the advent of advanced price optimization and merchandizing solutions that create added workload for the store operation.”

Eaton adds, “True workforce optimization requires a labor schedule that considers demand from traffic and task drivers. Combined with world-class time and attendance, workforce analytics and learning management, RedPrairie’s Retail Productivity suite now provides the kind of end-to-end workforce optimization that retailers will leverage to outperform their competition. This integrated view of the retail operation pays dividends by reducing the costs of operating the business and providing the ability to maximize the performance of every store employee.”

“This is one of the more logical and beneficial retail software deals to have transpired in 2006,” observes Rob Garf, Research Director at AMR Research. “Combining workforce management and task management assets makes sense for RedPrairie, which now has an additional store operations product in its arsenal. It can use its installed base and marketing power to penetrate a relatively immature market. More importantly though, the deal makes sense for the retail community, which should find tremendous value from procuring these complementary systems from a single vendor. This acquisition proves that RedPrairie is serious about integrating data and processes between workforce and task management applications.”

This acquisition will close in the next 20-30 days.

Additional information can be found at www.RedPrairie.com.

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.
The PPI PayMover payment gateway integrates with ASC’s warehouse management suite, ASC Trac V6, a modular software solution that supports functions in warehouse distribution, manufacturing and third-party operations. The integrated solution provides both POS and e-commerce functionality -enabling full credit card support for both card present and card not-present transactions as well as off-line debit card and batch settlement payments. The solution manages ACH transactions through a single clientless solution. Enhanced security functionality has also been added to the PPI PayMover for ASC Trac V6 solution. PPI PayMover is PCI compliant and ASC customers receive free consultation and fraud monitoring from PPI’s in-house Risk Management Team

The PPI PayMover integration provides a comprehensive solution allowing ASC to easily integrate real-time payment processing into its application. By optimizing its order processing through a single resource technology, merchant account services and extensive technical support strategy, ASC expects to streamline its operations and reduce its support costs. Addition expected benefits includes relief from the challenges and cost of maintaining, upgrading and troubleshooting an in-house transaction processing application.

ABOUT PAYMENT PROCESSING, INC.
Payment Processing, Inc. (www.paypros.com) is the industry leader for integrated payment solutions. PPI provides software developers with a full range of services for integrating electronic payments including gateway services, integration support, merchant support and services, and PABP/PCI security assistance. Additionally, PPI provides software developers with the ability to generate additional revenue while substantially reducing their support costs for integrated payments.
Today, PPI is the most successful company in the world focused on integrated payment processing, supporting over 600 software developers and more than 15,000 merchants with efficient, cost-effective payment solutions. In 2006, PPI anticipates processing over $3 billion in Visa® and MasterCard® payments.
ABOUT ASC, INC.
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, ASC, Inc. (www.ascsoftware.com), develops and supports state of the art software and hardware solutions including warehouse management systems, manufacturing systems, route delivery systems and other custom wireless tracking applications for customers seeking supply chain solutions. Their customers include General Mills, Daimler-Chrysler, Ford, Dean Foods, Standard Register, Consumers Energy, and GlaxoSmithKline.
In 2005, ASC won a Microsoft Pinnacle Award for Innovation at the Microsoft Convergence show for their ASC Trac WMS software customer website.
###

Commissioning Tags – during picking, the RedPrairie warehouse management solution, DLx® Warehouse, will commission the RFID tags that are required for each item on the order. DLx Warehouse will generate the EPC numbers for each case and pallet in the correct format and will relate them to a bar-coded license plate number, if necessary. These RFID-enabled labels will be applied to the appropriate cartons on the pallet. Similarly, an RFID-enabled pallet label will be generated.

Tag Aggregation – RedPrairie solutions aggregate case-level tag information for each case on a pallet and associate it with the pallet-level tag. This helps to reduce the amount of data that needs to be read at the reader portals. By reading the pallet tag and a definable number of case tags, the user can get a positive confirmation when moving pallets in the warehouse. This aggregation of tag list data is also passed in standard EPCIS format to the database that is shared with the retailer for data analysis. This analysis capability benefits both Unilever and the retailers.

Shipping Verification – At shipping, DLx Warehouse will physically read the tags that move through the reader portal at the shipping dock. The GLN (Global Location Number) will be assigned to the pallet depicting the pallet’s site location. This is the final step in capturing the tag list data and ensuring that the order was identified correctly.

“By replacing manually intensive data exchange tasks with automated processes, more time is available for analysis and value creation,” said Simon Ellis, Supply Chain Director at Unilever. “As RFID begins to proliferate, EPCIS will serve as the foundation for manufacturers like Unilever to gain valuable insight, predict needs and problems before they occur, and improve our business operations and responsiveness to each of our partners within the supply chain.”

Comments Tom Kozenski, RedPrairie Vice President, “Manufacturers and Retailers can share vast amounts of item data by accurately tracking RIFD tagged products. RedPrairie’s RFID capabilities help Unilever sift through the raw data and analyze store level promotional success within their EPCIS business analytics.”

Source: Red Prarie

Oracle Production Scheduling helps manufacturers to optimize process, semiconductor and discrete manufacturing shop floor operations through out-of-the-box integration with Oracle Discrete Manufacturing, Oracle Process Manufacturing, and Oracle Shop Floor Management. Customers can create highly detailed shop floor schedules that automatically detect floating bottlenecks, simulate corrective actions and measure shop floor performance improvements. This gives companies the ability to pre-empt supply chain disruptions and maximize shop-floor efficiency and throughput while minimizing cost.

Oracle Production Scheduling and Oracle Strategic Network Optimization can be leveraged as part of the Oracle E-Business Suite or as a stand-alone product.

Source: Oracle 27-NOV-2006

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.

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.

Version 1.5 of Duet, targeted for a summer 2007 release, will include tools for configuring and customizing Duet scenarios to more closely match the user’s work situation.

Version 1.0 of Duet comes with five prepackaged scenarios: Leave Management, Time Management, Organization Management, Reports & Analytics, and Budget Monitoring. The new scenarios expected in 1.5 include processes for purchasing management and recruiting.

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.

The composition of the survey involved:

The results of the Warehouse & DC Trends Study are based on the responses of 485 participants involved in making warehouse-operations decisions at North American companies.

The key findings of the survey are broken down along the following lines:

Typical Characteristics
-Goals
-Need for speed
-Operations
-Finding a solution
-Technology

Typical Characteristics of an American Warehouse

A typical North American warehouse
-is privately owned (77 percent) with either an end consumer (32 percent) or a manufacturer (26 percent) as its primary customer.
-is less than 250,000 square feet
-receives and ships a wide variety of products, such as electronics, computers and software (25 percent); paper, packaging, and office supplies (24 percent); and chemicals and raw materials (21 percent).
-the most common units handled are pallets (87 percent) and cartons (79 percent), with rack storage (86 percent) as the primary storage module, followed by floor storage (62 percent).
-Over 90 percent of warehouses still pick orders manually using carts and pallet jacks, while 20 percent have evolved to some form of mechanized picking to a conveyor.
-3 percent of warehouses have fully automated picking requiring no human intervention. The typical warehouse uses some form of warehouse management system (WMS).
-Thirty six percent of respondents developed their WMS in-house, 22 percent purchased a stand-alone package, and another 22 percent purchased their WMS as part of an ERP module.
-Surprisingly, 23 percent of all warehouses still have no WMS, relying mostly on spreadsheets and order-pick sheets.
-35 percent of respondents have annual budgets of less than $25,000 for continuous improvement programs and 8 percent don’t even have such a budget.
-Of the warehouse managers who have a budget of less than $100,000 (59 percent of all respondents), 37 percent said they would spend some of it on materials handling equipment, while 23 percent planned to invest in information management systems.
-Warehouse managers with budgets of $1 million or more (7 percent of total respondents) focused more of their spending on IT. Of the respondents in this category, 41 percent reported that they would spend on information management systems, while only 21 percent planned to buy materials handling equipment.

Goals
So what are American warehouse managers’ goals?
-The top objective pursued by warehouse decision-makers this year was increasing customer satisfaction (40 percent).
-Reducing costs came in second at 32 percent, validating the continuing cost-control burden on today’s warehouse manager.
-Only 7 percent of respondents reported that they were expanding their operations,
-1 percent said they primarily focused on maximizing efficiency by buying new equipment and systems.

And what are customer’s expectation of warehouse providers?
-97 percent of respondents said order accuracy was most important.
-On-time delivery came in second at 94 percent,
damage-free shipment was in third place with 91 percent.
-Need for speed

As seen from the above customer expectation where on-time delivery was a key customer demand (94% of the time)
-82 percent can ship orders in one day or less
-an impressive 23 percent said they can ship in less than four hours
4- percent of warehouse managers reported that they are still taking more than one week to ship merchandise
The key differentiator between players who are able to respond fast to orders seems to be technology – WMS, bar coding and RF technology (RFID?)

Operations
When surveyed about operational challenges and issues, the survey was further divided into:

-Receiving and shipping
ability to depend on truckers being at the appropriate dock door when needed-was deemed most critical by 43 percent of respondents
40 percent reported that shipping productivity was another critical issue
-Picking accuracy
the majority of respondents (64 percent) rated order accuracy as a highly critical issue for picking
-Metrics
42 percent of respondents said that they track the percentage of orders with errors
40 percent track the percentage of orders shipped complete
value-added services, such as ticketing and customization, were rated as very critical by only 19 percent of respondents
-Overall issues
warehouse safety was considered most critical by 44 percent of survey respondents,
warehouse security (32 percent)
-Finding a solution

How do warehouse managers plan to solve their problems?
-46 percent of respondents said they had purchased materials handling equipment.
-40 percent purged obsolete/overstock inventory

Technology
So what are the technology issues and solutions high up on a warehouse manager’s list of things?

-Bar coding led the way with 52 percent
-WMS followed closely with 48 percent of respondents

Continuous improvement is also making an appearance in the warehousing space if it hasn’t been there for a while already.
-56 percent of respondents reporting that they have implemented this strategy
-24 percent saying that they are making implementation plans.

Strong interest in relatively new strategies such as “lean” warehousing (34 percent), RFID (33 percent), and Six Sigma certification (30 percent) is apparent, yet few reported implementing these strategies or technologies. Many warehouse managers are adopting a “wait and see” attitude regarding new concepts, and are waiting for further proof of their value for their own warehouses.

I found this survey of warehousing to be quite illuminative in that it highlights what is going well in the warehouse space, the goals that are being formulated and the different programs and technologies employed to meet and/or surpass customer expectations.

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.

According to Greg Aimi of AMR Research, “After returning from RedPrairie’s first international user conference in Brussels where more than 200 companies from across the globe convened to discuss topical supply chain issues and present technology-enabled improvements, it was apparent that, with the acquisitions of Alta A/S, LIS, MARC Global, and RangeGate, RedPrairie has taken a leadership position in EMEA, given the number of existing installs and local presence there.”

RedPrairie was selected as a finalist for the second annual CHaINA Awards by the China Supply Chain Council. Finalists were selected based on outstanding performance for supply chain practitioners operating in China. The awards will be presented on November 9, 2006, during China’s largest supply chain event, the CHaINA Summit, taking place in Shanghai.

Comments John Jazwiec, RedPrairie Company Leader, “RedPrairie has a long legacy of international success, which has been enhanced by the acquisition of LIS in 2004 and the more recent acquisitions of Alta A/S, MARC Global and RangeGate. We offer a true end-to-end solution that can carry companies from the initial order all the way to end consumer delivery. The fact that we’ve grown to be the premier SCE solution provider in EMEA and China is a testament to our E2e supply chain capabilities and proven technologies.”

Martin Hiscox, President and Managing Director International, adds “Our local EMEA and Asia Pac presence provides service and support in over 26 different languages and in 35 countries which allows our customers to execute flawlessly in an ever expanding global trade economy.”

About the China Supply Chain Council
The Council promotes the growth and success of supply chain management by connecting ideas, knowledge, technology and people in China. With a community of over10,000 supply chain, manufacturing and logistics professionals, the CSCC aims to become the point of reference and the center for supply chain knowledge, resources and contacts in China. Visit www.supplychain.cn.

About RedPrairie Corporation
RedPrairie is the world’s leading consumer driven optimization company. Built on an advanced Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) developed over the past 10 years, the RedPrairie integrated suite of end-to-end (E2eTM) solutions offers on-demand capabilities to over 25,000 sites worldwide for many of the world’s largest companies. With 21 global service sites and standard service methods that have been validated over the last 30 years, RedPrairie provides unparalleled service and support.