Softworx, SSA Global regional distributor and member of EOH Group of Companies, is a platinum exhibitor at this year`s Gartner Symposium/ITxpo. Using the symposium as a platform, Softworx will discuss areas that often hamper supply chain management (SCM).
According to Niel West from Softworx, supply chain management success is a popular topic for the company. West says one such area is the technology evolution of third-party logistic suppliers (3PLs).
"This vital component in today`s supply chain is technology and the adoption rate by 3PLs has been too slow. Most 3PLs have fallen short of expectations. IT investment has always ranked below acquisition of physical assets."
He says many service providers have failed to view technology as a strategic investment and as a result, they lack the resources, vision and drive to keep pace with innovation and customer expectations.
In defense of 3PLs, West says clients have contributed to the problem by attempting to dictate what technology platform to use. He says this has resulted in many 3PLs ending up with a multitude of applications to maintain and support.
Thankfully, West says there is a shift within both camps. Clients are more interested in achieving cost and service-level goals than in the means used to accomplish these objectives. Similarly, 3PLs are recognising the strategic significance of IT and its role in enabling profitable growth.
They are responding to technology needs in a variety of ways, including implementing best-of breed solutions, as well as developing their own in-house. West says in many cases 3PLs have had to develop their own applications because off-the-shelf solutions do not always meet the unique requirements of the industry.
"Choosing to build a solution does have its merits, however; most service providers are seeking outside help to address their technology requirements."
What makes a difference, according to West, is the fact that software vendors are now tailoring their solutions to meet the needs of 3PLs. He says this is thanks to the emergence of service-oriented architecture (SOA), which facilitate configurability and integration. "3PLs are also thinking more strategically and are aligning themselves with global service providers because their operations - either today or in the future - will span multiple geographies."
In a report released by the Aberdeen group titled: "Service-Oriented Architecture in the Supply Chain: What Supply Chain Managers Need to Know", service-oriented architecture was said to help companies expand the capabilities of their supply chain. From the responses of approximately 300 executives, 45% of companies have SOA or Web service projects geared to get SCM under way. Almost 20% of respondents plan to launch similar projects over the next 12 months.
West says another stumbling block is poor data quality, believing it is the Achilles heel of SCM. "Contrary to current expectations, data quality is likely to decline as companies add or change trading partners and are flooded with new streams of information and data requirements."
He says that although data quality management has failed to grab the attention of CEOs and CFOs, the renewed focus on compliance and corporate governance will place the necessary emphasis on data quality management.
For more information, visit Softworx at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, Cape Town Convention Centre from 31 July - 2 August 2006 or visit www.esoftworx.co.za.
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Delivering business solutions with a difference.
Softworx is a successful South-African business applications company that prides itself in being able to deliver world-class products to its extensive customer base, which includes a number of Fortune 500 companies. In addition, Softworx supports clients in industries ranging from manufacturing, retail, distribution and financial to supporting various government entities. The company is dedicated to marketing, implementing and providing support for its range of complimentary software products to medium and large enterprises that require effective solutions to optimise their business processes.
Softworx has positioned itself as a leading provider of business applications in South Africa specialising in end-to-end business solutions.
The company prides itself in being able to deliver true value to its customers through the implementation of business solutions based on a powerful combination of leading edge products and consultancy. As a wholly owned subsidiary of EOH, Softworx has increased the number of services and products that can be offered to its customers from within the group.
EOH
EOH is a business and technology solutions provider creating lifelong partnerships by developing business and IT strategies, supplying and implementing solutions and managing enterprise-wide business systems and processes for medium to large clients. EOH operates in the following three clusters of business units as a fully integrated business:
Consulting - Concentrated under the EOH Consulting brand are business units offering services ranging from strategic and business process consulting, project services, change management, supply chain optimisation and education. The EOH Consulting business unit is responsible for delivering IT solutions that make business sense. We focus on providing remarkable technology solutions using robust methodologies to perform along the following four dimensions of IT excellence:
* Business-alignment
* Quality
* Risk management
* Cost management
Technology - Through a number of subsidiary companies, EOH is able to sell, implement, and support a range of world class business applications including enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, business intelligence, advanced planning and scheduling, e-commerce and manufacturing execution systems.
Outsourcing - EOH offers comprehensive maintenance and support of client`s IT infrastructure and applications through the rendering of full IT outsourcing, application hosting and managed services. In addition, EOH offers full business process outsourcing services.
EOH has a presence in all major centres in South Africa and Botswana, and operates in the rest of Africa.
SSA Global
SSA Global (NASDAQ: SSAG) is a leading provider of enterprise business software for mid-sized and large organisations, primarily in select manufacturing, consumer and services industries. The company`s software solutions include enterprise resource planning, financial management, human capital management, corporate performance management, customer relationship management, product lifecycle management, supply chain management and supplier relationship management. Headquartered in Chicago, SSA Global has over 50 locations worldwide and its product offerings are used by customers in over 90 countries. For additional information, visit the SSA Global Web site at www.ssaglobal.com. SSA Global is the corporate brand for product lines and subsidiaries of SSA Global Technologies, Inc. SSA Global, SSA Global Technologies and SSA GT are trademarks of SSA Global Technologies, Inc. Other products mentioned in this document are registered, trademarked or service marked by their respective owners.
Distributed for and behalf of Softworx by Watt Communications & G Watt Design
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