It’s a busy conference season and quarterly results reporting period. TEC is chugging down the coffee, keeping up with happenings in the supply chain space. Descartes has announced another acquisition this past week, and we share a few insights from our conversation with them. We also found ourselves on the phone recently with DCRA’s Jon Kirkegaard. TEC’s new Supply Chain Management (SCM) Market Survey Report is out, just before we head to AspenTech’s OPTIMIZE2013 this week. Lastly, the tragedy in Bangledesh should probably be a wake-up call to the importance of supply chain risk management. Where are you headed this week? What’s capturing your supply chain attention? Drop us a line.

Descartes

Descartes has announced the acquisition of KSD Software Norway AS, a vendor of electronic customs filing solutions for countries in the EU, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Israel, the United States, and Canada. Descartes’ Chris Jones indicates that this is one of the larger of the half-dozen or so acquisitions that it has made in the past 3 years. Descartes obviously covets the additional users to the Descartes Global Logistics Network (adding 1,300 onto the currently cited >8,000 figure), as well as the $10 million in additional recurring revenue. Descartes also believes that, with this acquisition, it become the largest supply chain vendor in Scandinavia, and one of the largest in Europe. (Descartes’ presence in Europe has grown from perhaps a couple of dozen people in 2009 to more than 300 people today.) Descartes will have more to say about this acquisition in its next quarterly call scheduled for May 30. Read the rest of this entry »

E2open’s recent win at Yanfeng Visteon introduced the E2open Collaboration Center as part of E2Open Business Network (EBN). This command center-like module consists of E2open products and services that provide real-time dashboard visibility for various partners on the network into demand and supply changes. It also provides access to analytics to assess the operational and financial impact of changes, and it offers decision support to preempt issues or resolve problems (see TEC article for more details).

According to Descartes Systems Group CEO Art Mesher in his recent thought leadership blog post, E2open is one of a new breed of companies that have risen to tame the fleeting nature of business relationships and their supporting IT systems in various communities:

These companies are characterized by continuous investment in systems that foster network communities and authenticated community participation with credentials, leading to creation of “trust federations” or what is dubbed “Entrusts.”  Read the rest of this entry »

This week TEC brings you news from Manhattan Associates, Descartes, TXT e-solutions, United Technologies, Agilent, and a company called Oz Development.

Registration has opened for Manhattan Associates’ Momentum 2013, happening May 19–22 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV. Industry events (see RedPrairie and JDA) have made the future even more interesting for Manhattan Associates; TEC continues to watch Manhattan’s strategy with considerable interest. TEC has written before about growth opportunities for Manhattan in manufacturing and in the retail space. We expect to hear more about Manhattan’s cloud strategy. What do you think will be the focus at Momentum 2013? Read the rest of this entry »

Descartes Systems Group is the first logistics service provider to sign an agreement with Nippon Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System, Inc. (NACCS Center) to electronically file customs documents to Japan Customs in compliance with the country’s newly enacted Advanced Filing Rules.

On March 30th, 2012, a bill to amend part of the Customs Tariff Law was passed through the Diet legislature in Japan. This amendment enacts the Advance Filing Rules, which require a vessel operator or non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) to electronically submit to Japan Customs the information on maritime container cargo intended for a port in Japan.

Read the rest of this entry »

Since righting its ship in 2004 or so, Descartes Systems Group (DSG) has made nearly 20 tuck-in acquisitions to address the needs of multi-modal logistics, global trade, and routing and mobile tracking in the cloud. Painstaking as it is, this is really the only way to master global logistics expertise and deliver solutions that help its customers make and receive shipments.

Logistics is the backbone of commerce. Read the rest of this entry »

SOFTWARE SELECTIONS

British cosmetics company Badgequo selects Epicor ERP
Industry tags: Manufacturing, distribution
“Aggressively growing cosmetics manufacturer/distributor Badgequo is in need of corporate software to offer single-truth data, eliminate manual data re-entry, and provide full visibility into its extended supply chain. This organization is a real-life example of a small company with less than 30 employees but complex and extended business processes that require reliable and modern ERP software. Among specific functions that Badgequo required was remote access to ERP from any type of mobile device. The company was also very excited about the system’s available-to-deliver and real-time inventory functionality. It’s worth noting that Badgequo will receive a complete set of functional modules that it has never used before but is planning to leverage too, such as HR management, product development workflow, and others.”—Aleksey Osintsev, TEC Research Analyst

• Epicor profile
• Online comparison: Epicor ERP vs. other leading ERP software

Read the rest of this entry »

SOFTWARE SELECTIONS

Jeanswest selects Manhattan Associates
Industry tags: Fashion/retail
“Manhattan Associates once again shows the strength of its SCALE platform; Jeanswest was in much need of a supply chain solution that could help them streamline logistics across and between three continents. Jeanswest will now be able to better manage its operations across its branded stores and distribution center, while establishing a more efficient framework to support its extended supply chain.”—Philippe Reney, TEC Research Analyst

• Manhattan Associates: TEC profile

Another instance of UNIT4-based ERP shared service goes live for several UK local authorities
Industry tags: Public administration and defense
“Since I am already a bit familiar with UNIT4’s shared-services projects and have spoken to few key people from client’s side, I realize how challenging they can be. The issues have less to do with the technology (which is impressive), or the hardware, than with challenges that are internal to the clients themselves, whether it be political/economic hurdles, or even end users’ and top management’s psychological readiness to use shared back-office software. In view of all this, my congratulations to UNIT4’s team and, certainly, to the local authorities in the UK that made this project a reality.”—Aleksey Osintsev, TEC Research Analyst

• UNIT4: TEC profile

Standby Screw Machine Products Co. replaces five old systems with IQMS ERP
Industry tags: Manufacturing
This contract parts company, which owns two manufacturing facilities in the US and China, will replace its five disparate and aged applications with a single modern system that should help it consolidate all company data and eliminate difficulties caused by multiple systems. Another consideration was that the company wanted to acquire industry-specific ERP software that included industry best practices. Among eight vendors, IQMS was judged by Standby Screw Machine as offering the best fit for its needs.”—Aleksey Osintsev, TEC Research Analyst

• IQMS: TEC profile
• Compare IQMS to leading competitors

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SOFTWARE SELECTIONS

Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services selects WebFOCUS
Industry tags: cross-industry
“To solve its reporting requirements, Oklahoma DHS has selected Information Builders’ WebFOCUS business intelligence platform. With massive reporting requirements, the state government institution will rely on (among other things) a reporting application for child support services and a compliance reporting system for its child welfare department. The reporting solution will be used by an estimated 6,000 users or more, and it’s a clear case of BI being put to good use.”—Jorge García, TEC BI Analyst

Peugeot Netherlands selects QlikView’s Business Discovery Platform
Industry tags: cross-industry
“By using QlikView’s proof-of-concept method (i.e., “seeing is believing,”), QlikView partner OnLine Zuid was able to enable Peugeot Netherlands to view, experiment with, and ultimately select QlikView Business Discovery Platform for data analysis related to Peugeot’s vehicles and parts. QlikView continues to increase its global presence within large corporations.”—Jorge García, TEC BI Analyst

Read the rest of this entry »