Product category:
ERP and MRP systems and software
News Release from: Fourth Shift | Subject: DemandStream software suite
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 13 August 2002
Bridging gaps between ERP and lean
manufacturing
The DemandStream software suite is aimed at bridging the seemingly insurmountable gap between enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and lean manufacturing.
The DemandStream software suite is aimed at bridging the seemingly insurmountable gap between enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and lean manufacturing Supply chain management software supplier Fourth Shift has made its first public announcement since being taken over more than twelve months ago by SoftBrands, an ambitious US-based software group
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Sep 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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Besides announcing the launch of DemandStream, an important new product for lean manufacturing, Mike Knight, Fourth Shift's EMEA Managing Director, explained how the new parent group, SoftBrands, has spent the past months shrewdly re-aligning itself with significant changes in the IT market.
"The demands on IT suppliers to deliver better return on investment (RoI), the increasing need to overcome skill shortages and to contain the mounting costs of new product development and maintain IT systems led to the formation of SoftBrands," said Mike Knight.
The group encompasses manufacturing-oriented Fourth Shift and evolution, another complementary ERP supplier, together with market-leading products that serve the hotel and hospitality industry.
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In addition, skilled programming resources in India and China - owned by the group and complementing those already in place in the USA and Europe - have also been built up further to ensure that constituent companies will have all the necessary strengths to develop new products and enhancements at less cost in the near and long term, for markets around the world.
The first comprehensively developed product to be launched under the SoftBrands umbrella, the DemandStream software suite is aimed at bridging the seemingly insurmountable gap between enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and lean manufacturing.
"There is no other product on the market that allows manufacturers to make so much more of their investment in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and at the same time embrace lean manufacturing methods," said Knight.
"DemandStream is a valuable catalyst that will improve productivity, competitiveness and profitability for the small to medium size enterprise (SME) manufacturer." Being part of SoftBrands will ensure that Fourth Shift and other companies in the group will continue to possess or have access to the necessary strength of resources to develop and launch advanced, market-leading products at least cost, said Mike Knight.
In the manufacturing sector, Microsoft-based Fourth Shift products are complemented by evolution, a UNIX-based ERP product range.
"This means that SoftBrands can offer manufacturers large and small the best solution to fully serve all their supply chain management needs," he said.
SoftBrands is headed up by experienced IT entrepreneur George Ellis.
His strategy is to challenge established vendors and achieve for his group a prominent position in the IT industry by 2010.
This will be made possible, claims Mike Knight, through a policy of focusing on customers, astute acquisition of more companies and careful deployment of all resources around the world including research and development, marketing, sales and customer support.
"With its visionary and bold development policy, over the decade SoftBrands intends to stay ahead, survive and prosper where other less far-sighted organisations risk failure," he said.
Information about Fourth Shift - the manufacturing group of SoftBrands, has three highly complementary product sets ideal for mid-sized manufacturers: Fourth Shift, evolution and DemandStream.
Fourth Shift and evolution operate as trading entities of SoftBrands.
Fourth Shift is a Minneapolis-based global application software supplier that provides supply chain solutions, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, e-business solutions, consulting, and technology services.
Recently, Fourth Shift version 7.20 was introduced which offers a complete web browser interface to all applications as well as a comprehensive e-business suite.
The European operation of Fourth Shift operates from headquarters based in Reading, UK.
evolution is an international application software supplier that provides highly configurable ERP and B2B solutions and services.
Built on NT/Unix its deep functionality embraces applications for the internet, information publishing, connectivity and multi-site operations.
It is especially strong in dimensional and converter manufacturing environments such as textiles, apparel and metals.
The European operation of evolution operates from Blackburn, UK.
DemandStream is a powerful supply chain execution (SCE) solution designed to help manufacturers achieve lean manufacturing operations, using Kanbans and demand-driven processes.
Available off the shelf, DemandStream is able to work with most ERP systems including Fourth Shift and evolution.
Currently the manufacturing group of SoftBrands has 2,000 active customer sites in 60 countries and its software is translated into more than a dozen languages.
Licensees include some of the fastest growing manufacturers and global enterprises from the Global 2500.
The company as a whole has 700+ employees and is projecting a revenue for 2002 of $80 million.
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