Ixchange has brought together four of its software applications under the Ability brand, an enterprise software suite that addresses the key requirements of the retail distribution and services industries. The Ability suite represents the consolidation of three acquisitions made by Ixchange after its listing in 1997, together with its own Value Ixchange solution for customer order fulfilment.
"When we made the acquisitions, we promised a synergistic fit. Ability is the delivery of this synergy," says Ixchange`s Ability director Johan Buys. The components of the new Ability suite are AccountAbility (formerly from Hill Cunnington), SaleAbility (formerly the Precept point-of-sale offering), and VizAbility (the logistics offering, formerly Hawk Inventory Optimizer). The fourth product, ProfitAbility, combines Value Ixchange, AccountAbility and VizAbility in a single solution. All four products now fall under the Enterprise Management Solutions (EMS) division of Ixchange, which consists of more than 100 people. "Ability is the logical consequence of our acquisitions," says Buys. "Each product is the unquestioned leader in its market sector; taken together, they make Ability the most comprehensive suite of software for the supply chain market. We believe we deliver to clients the ability to get back to what they are in business for, namely profitable growth". "While each component can be sold separately and independently, depending on a customer`s needs, they have been integrated at a functional level to provide a complete solution set for the supply chain market," Buys adds.
"Given the shift to focusing on core business, I question the traditional approach of the Big-5 ERP systems. Talk abounds in the market of cost and time over-runs and non-delivery of anticipated efficiency improvements. In addition, it appears as though very few of these projects have delivered any tangible return on investment. We believe time to delivery is crucial and we pride ourselves on implementing a solution in the time it takes most people to select a system. Return on investment is vital. In all our projects our goal is to deliver a 100% return on investment in the space of a year," says Buys.
Key differentiators of the Ability suite relative to other enterprise software offerings are:
Integration yet independence: While they work together, the components of the Ability suite function quite happily on their own.
Speed and ease of implementation: The Ability suite fits into Ixchange`s software model which states that applications must be installed inside 100 days and produce more than 100% return on investment in the first year. "We cannot accept a situation which sees large teams of consultants labouring for years to implement impossibly complex software," says Buys. "I am astounded that some companies will still take four months to evaluate software when we take less to implement."
Scalability: The Ability suite is designed to support companies of all sizes and to grow as these companies grow.
Tightness of focus: "We will not go wall-to-wall as other enterprise software vendors have," says Buys. "Our focused software solutions are built on our acknowledged leadership in the area of supply chain management."
As the originator of the software, Ixchange can control its destiny, unlike agents for foreign principals which have no influence on the technology direction.
Buys adds that Ixchange will continue to acquire companies that can enhance its vision. One of these - the recently acquired Moresby - is the developer of customer relationship management (CRM) software that has the potential to enhance the Ability suite. "CRM and loyalty are a logical fit in the supply chain market," says Buys. "Whatever fits we will add to the suite." With a solid client base across the suite, Buys says a final differentiator is that every one of these customers is referenceable. "Maintaining a record of 100% customer referenceability is a key goal for us. At the end of the day referenceability sells software, not hype."
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