Enhancements Across Global Supply Chain Platform Provide Unified, Synchronized Solution for Today`s More Global and Regulated Logistics Challenges
WAUKESHA, Wis.--July 26, 2004-- RedPrairie Corporation, a global leader in supply chain technology solutions that drive business process transformation, today announced a sweeping set of enhancements to its integrated supply chain execution and optimization suite that will help customers optimize their global supply networks and comply with increasing trade, security and retail regulations. The 2004.2 release includes enhancements for all major applications through RedPrairie`s single, synchronized release program that keeps all integration points in sync, making upgrades simpler and more cost effective. RedPrairie began its semi-annual synchronized release program with its Fall 2003 release.
Comments John Jazwiec, RedPrairie Company Leader, "The reality is that almost all of our customers are faced with increased post 9/11 regulatory and security requirements, as well as new retail compliance mandates, that affect many aspects of their logistics operations. Our new release takes a coordinated, multifaceted approach to address these many challenges to help customers drive greater cost savings and competitive advantage from their global supply networks. This is the next step in fulfilling our customer results guarantee."
Globalization and Compliance
Globalization must start from the ground up with any supply chain platform. This requires technology that operates across all the major technology platforms used globally. Release 2004.2 therefore supports multiple technology platforms, including .NET and LINUX, and web servers Apache, IIS and Websphere.
Globalization and compliance are closely linked, since complying with import/export regulations from multiple countries is a major challenge in global supply networks. RedPrairie is attacking this problem from multiple directions in release 2004.2. The company has added compliance checking and optimization for the shipping of dangerous goods via multiple modes including truck, rail, air cargo, air passenger and ocean freight for domestic and international shipments including labeling and documentation requirements. The release also provides denied party screening and a duty management module for import/export documentation.
Another globalization challenge is tracking mobile assets, including equipment, containers, trailers and reusable pallets, as they traverse supply networks. Release 2004.2 provides general release of RedPrairie`s recently announced mobile resource management system that enables companies to more effectively track and monitor assets, increasing asset utilization, reducing loss and improving overall supply chain efficiency.
More importantly, this leading edge technology allows companies to monitor shipments for tampering and to comply with country of origin and homeland security regulations. This is provided through RFID-based sensory devices, and cell and satellite communications networks.
Adrian Gonzalez, Service Director, Logistics Executive Council for ARC Advisory Group, states, "Global trade is defined by complexity. A typical cross-border shipment involves accurately completing and filing about 35 documents, interfacing with about 25 parties, and complying with over 600 regulations and 500 trade agreements that are constantly changing. Therefore, companies cannot afford to manage this process manually; they must have the appropriate IT infrastructure to automate and streamline global trade transactions. Therefore, companies engaged in global trade will certainly welcome the enhancements in RedPrairie`s 2004.2 Release."
Release 2004.2 also addresses retail compliance, both through Auto-ID/EPC based processing to comply with mandates from Wal*Mart, Tesco, Target, DoD and other major retailers, and retail labeling compliance. The release provides compliance with the RFID /EPC mandates as well as with the label and price ticket printing requirements of the top 100 U.S. retailers. Multi-lingual label and price ticket printing is also available for international customers.
Optimization
Supply chain execution systems have for years been successfully addressing basic logistics requirements such as reducing cycle times, improving inventory turns and reaching 99.9 percent inventory accuracy. Therefore it is difficult to gain additional efficiencies and competitive advantage with existing systems. What is needed is added functionality to optimize these operations. Release 2004.2 has a number of optimization enhancements that drive new value from execution operations.
For example, the release includes a new heuristic slotting capability that dynamically adjusts slotting based on work performance. This "learn as you go" approach discerns usage patterns from work as it is executed and readjusts replenishment and picking instructions in real-time to continuously optimize the efficiency of logistics operations.
Another example is a new family of algorithms within the transportation system that enable personalization of costing down to the order item level. This permits companies to analyze cost to serve by product line and customer in order to make more informed decisions on product and services pricing and profitability. This is critically important for third party logistics providers and other industries where margins are slim.
"This new release is a direct result of input from our Customer Advisory Board on where they wanted to drive greater value from our existing product suite," says Erv Bluemner, RedPrairie Product Management Leader. "The need to better support the globalization, compliance and optimization challenges they face is what drove our development teams to create the leading edge technology advances in this release."
The 2004.2 release is scheduled for general availability in October.
About RedPrairie Corporation
RedPrairie is a leader in supply chain technology solutions that help customers transform their businesses. These global, end-to-end solutions optimize operations across customers` extended supply networks, driving out costs, improving customer service and creating competitive advantage. RedPrairie`s RFID-enabled suite of supply chain technology solutions provide the industry`s leading transportation, productivity, and distribution management capabilities, enhanced with process management and optimization components for real-time visibility, event management, sourcing, quality control, supplier collaboration and performance management. RedPrairie provides industry-tailored solutions for many markets, including consumer goods, direct to consumer and traditional retail, food and beverage, high tech / electronics, third party logistics, industrial / wholesale, automotive and service parts, and pharmaceuticals. Customers include Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Thames Water, Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Panasonic, Georgia-Pacific, Eveready, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Unilever, Exel, GE, TNT Logistics, and many others.
RedPrairie, DigitaLogistix and DLx are registered trademarks of RedPrairie Corporation.
Contact:
J.J. Berrall
RedPrairie Corp.
262-317-2410
jj.berrall@redprairie.com
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