Media Contacts
Emily Greene
OutCast Communications for NONSTOP
415-392-8282
emily@outcastpr.com
Diana Henneuse
NONSTOP Solutions, Inc.
415-659-2803
diana.henneuse@nonstop.com
Highly Scalable, Collaborative, Platform-Agnostic Solution Meets Retailers, Wholesale Distributors and Manufacturers’ Supply Chain Optimization Needs
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., November 11, 2002 – NONSTOP Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of supply chain optimization software, today announced the unveiling and availability of its new open platforms solution for retailers, wholesale distributors and manufacturers. Open Systems Version for the Demand Network Suite is a highly scalable, collaborative solution aimed at mid-to-large size enterprises with large SKU volumes and delivers a host of new capabilities, including multi-echelon inventory management, improved safety stock strategies, robust data filtering, role-based security, and an adaptable browser-based user interface. The Java-based Open Systems architecture easily adapts with existing platforms, leveraging companies’ existing IT investments.
Party America (www.partyamerica.com), one of the largest retail chains of consumer party supplies in the United States and an early adopter of NONSTOP’s Open Systems solution, needed an inventory management and replenishment system that could scale with its existing architecture and handle tremendous seasonality in its product offerings. "We implemented Open Systems with the goal of better managing our inventory and replenishment in order to drive revenue, grow the business, and provide our customers with outstanding customer service," said Marty Allen, president and CEO of Party America. "This move is a significant step forward for the company as we are one of the first retailers in this market space to manage our inventory and replenishment with technology. We went live with the solution last week, and we expect to see tangible results."
Open Systems Version for the Demand Network Suite allows retailers, wholesale distributors and manufacturers to maximize visibility into their demand networks through a highly scalable, robust open platform. NONSTOP’s Open System’s collaborative solution enables companies to manage internal and external trading relationships and offers an adaptable user interface that allows users at all levels of the organization to access information that is most relevant to their position. In addition, NONSTOP has added network inventory management capabilities by applying advanced science to eliminate the "bullwhip effect."
"We developed our Open Systems solution as a direct result of listening to our customers’ requests for an open systems architecture, making it easier for customers to integrate the solution into their existing architectures, and leverage existing investments," said Katrina Roche, president and COO of NONSTOP Solutions. "With Open Systems, we are offering a next-generation supply chain solution that continues to assist our customers in the buying and selling of finished goods, while achieving measurable benefits."
"We have built a strong partnership with NONSTOP Solutions. The implementation and service teams have been outstanding in helping us to get up-and-running on NONSTOP’s Open Systems solution quickly," said Nancy Williams, replenishment manager for Party America. "NONSTOP has been instrumental in helping other companies to achieve optimal inventory levels, reduce inventory turns and improve their customer service levels, and we look forward to benefiting from Open Systems’ advanced technology."
NONSTOP’s Open Systems Version for the Demand Network Suite offers a comprehensive component set, including:
-- Lead-Time Forecasting – ability to forecast SKU-level lead times based on actual purchase order receipts, allowing customers to optimize inventory levels based on true lead-times from suppliers.
-- Lost Demand Estimation – ability to estimate lost opportunities to sell product when the on-hand inventory reaches the out-of-stock point; takes into account both what was sold in the store and what could have been sold had the product been in stock.
-- Multi-Echelon Inventory Management – addresses the needs of complex distribution networks to properly forecast demand and replenish stock based on specific inventory requirements of each level of the demand network.
-- Browser-based User Interface – zero client administration leads to lower cost of ownership for customers. The browser-based UI is designed for both "casual" and "power" users, thus is optimized to meet the needs of executives as well as professional buyers.
-- Adaptable User Interface/Executive Dashboard – data filtering allows executives, field agents and power users (e.g. professional buyers) to focus on information that is most relevant to their job duties. Data filtering can be utilized by both the end user and the security administrator, ensuring that users can only access information pertinent to their job functions. The executive dashboard displays selectable key performance indicators in an easy-to-read visual format, highlighting information of interest.
-- Order Frequency Simulations – ability to simulate the financial impact of targeting various order cycles at the store/vendor level. Users will be able to view results of simulations and select the most cost effective order cycle for the product mix being managed.
-- Promotion Tracking and Promotional Forecasting – ability to track the SKU-specific impact of promotional activities, tracking incremental lift caused by the promotions. Using the promotional lift calculated, the system can be used to predict the potential impact of similar future promotions.
-- Safety Stock Strategies and Simulations – allows users to simulate the financial impact as they attempt to increase service levels while reducing overall inventory levels.
-- Seasonal Profiling – easy integration to NONSTOP’s Advanced Demand Cleansing and Clustering Tool, so customers do not have to manually manage seasonal profiles.
Product Availability
NONSTOP’s Open Systems Version for the Demand Network Suite is available immediately. For more information, contact NONSTOP Solutions at 888-651-9101 or visit NONSTOP’s web site: www.nonstop.com.
About NONSTOP Solutions, Inc.
NONSTOP Solutions is a premier provider of supply chain software applications that optimize the flow of finished goods for manufacturers, wholesale distributors and retailers, allowing them to maximize profitability and improve service levels while freeing up tens of millions in working capital. The company`s Demand Network Suite has delivered measurable business value and rapid ROI to more than 50 customers across a broad range of industries. NONSTOP Solutions is headquartered in San Francisco and is backed by venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Integral Capital, Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse First Boston, JP Morgan H&Q, Needham & Company, Banc of America Securities, Crosslink Capital, Altos Ventures, Partech International and REI. For more information, please visit http://www.nonstop.com.
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