Zef Scientific Selects IFS Enterprise Service Management

IFS, a global enterprise applications company, recently announced that Zef Scientific, Inc., a multi-vendor service provider for high-performance chromatography and mass spectrometry systems used in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical and environmental industries, has chosen IFS Enterprise Service Management software to manage productivity for its growing business. Zef Scientific is headquarters in San Diego, California, with offices in Medford, Massachusetts, Quebec, Canada and Morocco.

Zef Scientific offers various service plans to its customer base, including preventive maintenance, onetime repairs, and equipment qualification services. Due to the company's rapid growth, implementing IFS Enterprise Service Management and IFS Mobile Workforce Management were seen as ways to improve efficiencies in its scheduling and dispatching process for both prearranged and emergency calls to its technicians without increasing administrative staff. Incorporating IFS Field Service Management with an interactive customer web portal component now allows customers to manage labor, customer information, parts usage, returns disposition, product installed base information, service delivery, and contract entitlements.

To read more about the IFS implementation with Zef Scientific, visit the IFS News blog.


The 2013 Brown Smith Wallace Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guides are currently available for download. The 2014 edition will be available in February, 2014. Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information.

2013 Distribution Software

2013 Manufacturing Software

You can also request these guides, as well as all other materials, via our website: http://www.software4distributors.com/vendor/resources_index.aspx

 

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Manufacturers Must Brace for Global Supply Chain Uncertainty and Risk

Smart companies build risk management into their day-to-day supply-chain management processes and prepare contingency plans.

By Mark Humphlett, director, Enterprise Resource Planning Product Marketing, Infor

Triggered by Japan's natural disaster, skyrocketing oil prices, tornadoes, floods and other global upheavals, companies are gauging the resilience of their supply chains. They're determining what processes and technologies to employ to mitigate disruptions in the flow of essential supplies when an unplanned event erupts.

This type of risk-management assessment is essential today. Much is at stake, simply in terms of the millions of dollars -- and often much more -- that flows through the supply chain. You then have the impact on long-term competitiveness through a failure to deliver, or the potential damage to brand reputation from if you fail to launch a product on time or if you end up with a product recall from a material defect.

A natural disaster or major geopolitical event can stir up major headaches for supply-chain directors. But, companies should consider other, much more mundane factors and re-examine their game plan for dealing with such disruptions rather than adopting a "We'll deal with it when it happens," mentality.

Looking Beyond a Natural Disaster
Here's a case in point. In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the southeast coast, it proved a disaster for Lagasse Inc., a wholesale distributor, and, specifically, its call center, distribution facilities and employees and their families. In supply-chain terms, however, the hurricane had minimal impact. Lagasse didn't record any system downtime, lost less than three percent of network capacity for a few weeks and, reflecting the cleaning products it distributes, actually recorded some of its highest sales in the weeks that followed.

Lagasse had carefully prepared for a possible hurricane and was ready to take actions that included the rapid rerouting of supply from other U.S. distribution centers, switching to common carriage from owned transport and anticipating spikes in demand for certain product lines with the ability to switch supply sources quickly.

Many companies like Lagasse accept that risks -- both predictable and unpredictable -- are a natural part of operating a business. They build risk management into their day-to-day supply-chain management processes and prepare contingency plans they can employ immediately when necessary.

And what events had a much greater long-term impact on Lagasse's supply chain than the hurricane? They were all entirely predictable and largely within its control, including:

• Rapid growth, year over year for more than eight years
• Expanding and opening new facilities
• Massive increase and churn in product range
• Adding new, large customers
• Substantial changes in the supplier base
• Changing or implementing IT systems

So how do you build a chaos-tolerant supply chain?

Savvy supply-chain chiefs who strengthen the agility and resilience of their supply channels first answer several key questions, which include:

• Have the key sources of risk been identified and their impact assessed?
• Have we built a supply chain that can absorb the disruptions?
• Is risk management viewed as a one-off exercise, initiated after an unexpected event occurs, or are employees actively building risk mitigation into their everyday activities?

They also develop a plan that can be turned into a competitive weapon allowing them to take an unplanned event and turn it into an opportunity. Here are some strategies for doing just that:

• Develop networks that endure potential upheavals.
• Software tools and other technologies are available to analyze the sources of risk for your company. In the process, they can help determine where and when to make, buy, store, and move products through your networks. These tools help to evaluate different sourcing, production, transportation and inventory strategies to match changes in the business environment, such as the impact of supply disruption, single sourcing versus dual sourcing and alternate parts, for example. Companies can then make use of their assets most effectively, trim costs, reduce inventory levels, and improve customer service.
• Employ advanced supply-chain tools to assess all risks.

Companies should construct various what-if situations and test them extensively.
For instance, determine how the company would cope with, say, a three-month disruption in supply of a critical part or product. You can assess where you can obtain supplies from different vendors, and at what cost. You can figure out how much the changes could affect costs and profits and customer deliveries. These and other real-life scenarios can be tested in advance allowing you to make contingency plans.

Establish a companywide business process that takes risk into account.
Ensure the process assesses the risks and the impact to your supply chain. Involving your sales, operations and financial units in this strategic planning process will help identify and flesh out the issues. Using a comprehensive sales and operations planning process involves more than simply demand-supply balancing because it takes into consideration alternative demand-supply situations as well as their effect on profit margins and sales.

Include risk identification into your operations.
Managers should recognize what potential sources of risk could impact their part of the business and identify new ones that emerge. Risk management should be as pervasive as your quality management or your sustainability strategy. Otherwise, the assessment of risk will fail to deal with those sources of risk where the impact may prove the highest.

Developing sound risk-mitigation strategies will help you build an agile supply chain.
These strategies can deliver a huge competitive benefit and greatly diminish your supply chain risk. You should consider all the potential sources of risk to a supply chain and what to do should an unplanned event occur is no easy task. But, it's the only way to mitigate risk proactively rather than after the fact. And today's software tools and other technology make the evaluation and execution process much easier.

Everest Software Announces Acquisition by Versata

Everest® Software, the award-winning provider of a fully integrated business operating system for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), today announces their acquisition by Versata Enterprises, a leading provider of enterprise software solutions.

Founded in 1994, Everest Software developed the first all-in-one small business management solution for small and mid-sized businesses. Designed specifically for retail, wholesale and distribution companies, Everest automates all operations of a growing business including Accounting, Inventory Management, eCommerce, Services, Sales Force Automation, CRM and Point of Sale. Everest Software is the winner of numerous awards, including the SIIA Codie Award for “Best Business Software Product.”

At the direction of Edwin Miller, President & CEO of Everest Software, Everest placed a high emphasis on a customer centric focus and customer outreach, resulting in an expense reduction of fifteen percent and a top line revenue growth of twenty percent to profitability.

“In the past two and half years Everest has achieved remarkable results in both growth and profit, even in a recessionary market. This was accomplished by differentiating models, through sales and marketing and by adoption of agile development methodologies and a keen focus on the customers. Customers enjoyed the release of a market leading eCommerce platform and the first ever Everest World user conferences with hundreds of customers participating. Everest World will continue as planned this fall,” said Edwin Miller, President & CEO of Everest Software.

Under the acquisition, Everest will operate as a stand-alone entity with a dedicated customer service and product team. With a strong focus on customer success, the integration will begin with the implementation of Versata’s Customer Success program, focused on creating and maintaining successful customer relationships by aligning product development with customer priorities.

“Versata’s Customer Success program demonstrates a relentless focus on the customer. It will provide dramatic expansion to the Customer Outreach programs that Everest began in 2007. This is an exciting opportunity for our customers and employees,” said Paul Gallagher Vice President of Marketing.

Everest investors have been instrumental in the success of Everest Software. John Burton, Managing General Partner, Updata Venture Partners; Tim Guleri, General Partner, Sierra Ventures; Andy Jones, General Partner, Boulder Ventures and Donald Peck, Managing Director, South Asia, Actis Capital LLP are all respectfully recognized for their firm commitment to Everest Software and for their astounding vision for the SMB Market. Burton’s unwavering commitment and thoughtfulness coupled with his keen business insight has allowed the company to grow and prosper, even in the current economic climate. Guleri’s focus on the technology behind Everest led to the next generation platform behind a market leading eCommerce platform. Jones’ financial model drove Everest to become a profitable business. Peck’s early support for the company vision was key to enabling Everest’s start.

Bijal Mehta and Sanjay Shah are respectfully recognized for their contribution as founders of Everest Software (formerly known as iCode), and for their vision, passion, and hard work in building the company and its products, as well as their assistance facilitating this monumental merger.

Ali Jani is respectfully recognized for his contribution as the founder of Everest Software (formerly known as iCode), and for his vision, passion, and hard work in building the company and its products, as well as his assistance facilitating this monumental merger. Jani’s dedication to the customer and to the product has been unwavering in his thirteen year tenure with Everest. Without Ali’s vision for the product and insight into the SMB market, Everest Software would not be the market leader that it is today.

Everest Software would like to formally recognize several employees that have been key to the growth and success of the company. Mike Berry, Shubhradip (Sean) Chatterjee, Anita Vettickal, Dhiren Chhapgar, Diana Hess, Steven (Phillip) Kennedy, Nayan Mansinha, Rashmo Mehra, Anand Panchamia, Murali Rajendran, Kim Seiger, Jay Vanikar and Ryan Brown are all to be commended on their commitment to the company and product.

About Everest Software
Everest® Software enables companies to manage every function of their business more effectively. This single solution, fully-integrated business management software application addresses the challenges of growing small to medium businesses (SMBs), primarily in retail and wholesale. Customers can dramatically increase their efficiency and profitability with a solution that provides a remarkably rapid return on investment. Everest Software was a finalist for a 2006 American Business Award in the category “Best New Computer Software Product” and is the proud winner of numerous awards including the SIIA Codie Award for ”Best Business Software Product.” For more information, please visit http://www.everestsoftwareinc.com/, e-mail us at info@everestsoftwareinc.com or call us at 1.800.382.0725.

For More Information Contact:
Lindsay Barrett
(703) 234-6697
LBarrett@everestsoftwareinc.com

ISSA's Guide

We encourage you to take a look at the link below, to view our Endorsing Association's annual distribution software guide.

This guide helps to paint a better picture of the computer systems used in the industry. One of the surprising things found, is that there are still a lot of distributors running their businesses with off-the-shelf programs like QuickBooks and Peachtree. There are a variety of reasons for this.

Most sophisticated enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) systems are still too expensive for many distributors. Profit margins are tight (as always), and new computer systems just keep costing more. In some ways, that seems counterintuitive: You would think that software companies could lower their prices once they’ve recouped the cost of their initial investment. But in reality, software companies need to continually invest in research and development to stay competitive and expand their customer base.

Another important reason a goodly number of distributors still run their businesses with off-the-shelf programs is that these products are becoming quite sophisticated. What started out as a simple accounting program on personal computers has grown into a robust business solution with a full suite of products. These systems now handle functions like payroll, point of sale, EDI, and warehouse management, just to name a few. About the only thing that hasn’t changed is that they still run on personal computers (although QuickBooks recently introduced a version called QuickBooks On-Line that you can use with nothing more than a Web browser).

And, of course, the users are becoming more sophisticated, also. Ten years ago, people were looking for turnkey solutions. They wanted the software company to install the system, do the training, and provide comprehensive ongoing support. Today’s user is often unafraid to install his or her own software or handle his or her own system configuration.

But what about the big ERP systems? As usual, the large software companies are still swallowing the smaller ones. Rarely do these acquisitions result in a better product or better services for the customer.

If you are looking to upgrade your computer systems this year, should you look at the bigger ERP systems? Absolutely—see the guide by clicking on the link below, listing only those systems that have some real experience serving the cleaning industry.

As for the off-the-shelf software like QuickBooks and Peachtree, they can be a great alternative—although they still aren’t powerful enough for a sophisticated warehouse with bar code scanning and lot control. They also require a tremendous time investment to properly configure them to your unique business processes, especially in a multibranch environment.

Download the Sixth Annual ISSA Today Software Guide