Supply chain optimisation specialist, Ability a subsidiary company of JSE-listed Ixchange, announced the availability of the latest release of its e-commerce fulfilment solution, ProfitAbility 5.1. This new version incorporates a new job costing module, enhanced procurement functionality and improved business intelligence and reporting capabilities.
ProfitAbility caters for businesses operating in the durable goods distribution environment and is designed to optimise a company`s business processes, from product planning to order fulfilment, account management, delivery and customer care.
The new job costing module has been designed to cater for many of the services surrounding the distribution function. Elements such as repairs, loan unit tracking, product assembly, warranty issues, maintenance, project management and administration have been catered for. The new module also caters for final and provisional invoicing directly to the customer from the job.
The newly enhanced procurement module facilitates the purchasing of non-stock items like consumables and services via normal procurement cycles. It also has enhanced functions for the purchasing of saleable goods. The distribution, shipping and freight handling functionality have also been significantly improved.
"This makes it easier for companies to process costs related to shipping, optimised warranty, customs and freight handling," says Tony Cunnington, President of Ability. "Cost allocations are automated, whether buying standard inventory items or non-inventory items." The improvements in the module will also enhance turnaround times between receipt of shipments and dispatching to customers.
"In terms of the improved reporting functionality in ReportAbility, the standard business intelligence module of ProfitAbility, the new report scheduling application allows reports or groups of reports to be automatically generated in the spreadsheet format of choice or in Crystal Reports format, and mailed to specific people," adds Cunnington. "Once a report is scheduled no further maintenance is needed to ensure that a refreshed report is mailed to the recipient(s) according to the defined schedule."
Excel add-ins also permit the presentation of reports using Excel templates, which are populated with the latest data according to user-defined criteria when the reports are generated. This provides users with the ability to make use of the functionality in Excel using ProfitAbility data.
The Management Console, an optional extra developed to provide key information to management in a graphic display, is also available with version 5.1. It enables the analysis of key figures, such as sales performance versus budget on a daily, monthly or annual basis.
"This format allows companies to set critical thresholds at which warnings will be displayed if crossed," says Cunnington. "A refresh on demand facility has been included allowing an updated view of the latest real-time information."
Should management need to drill down deeper into the database, Business Objects, Cognos Powerplay and Cognos Impromptu are able to provide in-depth intelligence functionality to registered users.
Another standard ProfitAbility module is the web storefront module, which effectively transforms a customer`s ProfitAbility offering into a business-to-business e-commerce solution. "The e-commerce module requires no modification. In fact, the only requirement is that the business has a registered Internet domain and Internet link. It takes minutes to implement the `vanilla` version compared to the alternative of a non-integrated e-commerce site taking months and significant cost to implement. As soon as the module is up and running, businesses can immediately start transacting," Cunnington contends.
ProfitAbility 5.1 is available with immediate effect.
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Ability Company
Ability, a subsidiary company of Ixchange, is the leading provider of eCommerce fulfilment and inventory optimisation solutions to the supply chain. The Company prides itself on delivering rapid ROI and targeted solutions that address the dynamic needs of customers in the New Economy.
Ability`s suite of flexible, scaleable and robust supply chain solutions is built for the Internet economy. These solutions are developed on the Microsoft platform.
Ability has offices in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Company via the Internet at http://www.abilitycorp.com or at +27-11-808-6155.
ProfitAbility
ProfitAbility is an eCommerce fulfilment solution that provides sophisticated order and inventory management with integrated financials. A highly focused solution, it gives distribution companies the power to open new markets and drive profitable growth. Through seamless integration and proven reliability, ProfitAbility allows you to focus on your core ability - the business of distribution.