CHICAGO, May 17, 2002 -- ShipNow, Inc., a developer of shipping systems,
today launched DI Server Enterprise, a transportation management system
that serves the needs of parcel shippers. The announcement was made to
coincide with the Distribution / Computer Expo 2002 which will be held in
Chicago next week.
DI Server Enterprise is designed to meet the distribution demands of
companies that ship large volumes of parcels, often from multiple
distribution centers in the Americas or overseas. Most importantly, it
works closely with a company’s ERP, WMS, TMS and CRM systems.
Michael Kurgan, CEO of ShipNow, explained that the system fills a void in
the area of enterprise software for parcel shippers. “Just as with ERP
and WMS systems, there are high-quality transportation management systems
available,” he said. “ But they are not designed to meet the needs of
parcel shippers. Ours does. It was built from the ground up to handle
the demands of high volume shippers. It is rock stable and works closely
with a company’s other enterprise systems, making shipping-related
information available throughout the company.
Small Parcel Shipping Has Become a Critical Corporate Function
“Top management has come to realize that small-package shipping has
become a critical part of the corporation,” said Kurgan. “Shipping,
which has become a major cost area, holds significant potential for
savings. And shipping is a crucial component of customer satisfaction.
“Shipping, in short, has become a strategic corporate area where
productivity and quality can have a dramatic impact on profits and
brand. DI Server Enterprise was created to address these issues. And
because parcel shipping offers so many areas for potential costs savings,
rapid Return on Investment (ROI) is assured.”
DI Server Enterprise features high performance, reliability and
flexibility. It has a robust application-programming interface (API)
that makes DI Server’s capabilities accessible for custom development and
rapid integration to enterprise systems, including leading ERP, WMS, and
TMS systems such as SAP, Baan, JD Edwards, Oracle, Catalyst, EXE, Optum,
Retek, Manhattan, McHugh and Manugistics.
Adaptors Available for XML, PL/SQL, Java, and COM¹
To ease integration into other systems, a number of adapters are
available for XML, PL/SQL, Java, and COM¹ , and custom integrations may
be accomplished with the API to make all of the capabilities of ShipNow
available to other applications.
DI Server Enterprise comes with 80 per cent of functionality pre-built;
consequently, very little time is needed to "configure" to a company`s
unique enterprise systems and business processes.
DI Server’s ease of installation is possible because its architecture
allows it to execute business rules on a compiled basis. This ability to
act on high levels of information allows it to handle most shipping
related data by itself, requiring fewer changes to existing ERP or WMS
systems.
Because the total cost -- including software, implementation, and
configuration -- is lower, DI Server Enterprise provides a fast, "hard
dollar" ROI.
Sub-Second Label Printing at Multiple DCs from One Software Instance
DI Server Enterprise is most commonly used as a “black box” which
receives data from the order entry, WMS and other systems, performs
carrier rating, selection and manifesting, and returns information about
the shipment to ERP, CRM and other enterprise applications.
DI Server also executes sub-second label printing. In fact, it can print
millions of labels per hour. It also can manage multiple distribution
centers from one software instance while still accommodating local
operations. In addition to speed, DI Server is stable, which results in
fewer interruptions in the day-to-day shipping process that need IT
attention.
DI Server Enterprise is designed to work in any organizational
configuration and with any business processes. This is enabled through
its business rules engine, a flexible, scripted engine that is capable of
tailoring the operation of DI Server into any environment.
Uses Sophisticated Business Rules to Cut Costs and Create Efficiency
The business rule engine is capable of managing both human and system
tasks, such as looking up data missing from API calls. For example, it
is possible to ship a package by sending only an order number to
ShipNow’s API, and using the business rule engine to execute arbitrary
SQL commands to look up the remainder of the required data.
The business rules can be as sophisticated as necessary. For instance,
most parcel shipping applications require a business to close and
manifest all operations for a single carrier at the same time, cutting
off hours of productive work. DI Server Enterprise instead looks at
carriers and specific carrier services as individual entities so that
shipments can be prioritized by service, not just carrier. This allows
an organization to minimize its warehouse labor.
Other uses of advanced business rules include wave planning, when
integrated into WMS, and fully trackable zone skipping or break bulk
shipping, either in the U.S. or internationally.
ShipNow, Inc.’s multi-carrier shipping system is the industry’s first
enterprise-class software for parcel shippers. It helps companies
efficiently ship high volumes of parcels to and from domestic and
international locations. Clients that have adopted ShipNow’s automated
shipping system include Williams-Sonoma, Maybelline, and Autodesk.
Benefits include savings, customer satisfaction, global visibility and
speed. ShipNow has offices in Chicago and India. For more information
visit www.shipnow.com or call 312-587-2800
Contact:
Nick Farina
312 933 4055
nfarina@shipnow.com
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