Managing Automation - March 2009 - (Page 44)

03-09 PRODUCT SCAN Contact Info Editorial product consideration: Diane Himes Senior Web Editor 212-560-1849 dhimes@thomaspublishing.com M anaging Automation’s Product Scan is a roundup of some of the latest tools available to help you run your manufacturing business, from the shop floor to the top floor and beyond. This format facilitates a connection to the TechMATCH product directories at Managing Automation.com, where you will find a wealth of information on the vendors relevant to your business as well as product and contact information that can jumpstart your technology selection process. You’ll notice a link to ManagingAutomation.com associated with each of the product descriptions in this section. Follow that connection for actionable information on the company and its products. For a look at how you can compare various products through MA’s TechMATCH online product comparison tool (www.managingautomation.com/ comparisontool), see the sidebar on p. 45. For example, see the inventory optimization applications listings most often viewed through TechMATCH in the sidebar on p. 46. And this month’s product listings update provides a look at the latest developments in MA’s TechMATCH product directories (managing automation.com/Directory26). S&OP process squarely into the executive realm, amalgamating planning data from across the enterprise into a searchable repository. JDA portrays the new application as more than a simple executive dashboard. The Workbench offers templates that help business leaders synchronize plans with company goals. It also reviews and analyzes time-phased demand, supply, and financial projections, while delivering scenario planning and what-if capabilities. Further, the application helps regulate the resulting workflow through task management and alerts. The Executive S&OP Workbench can be deployed as an add-on to JDA supply chain software or as a standalone application. www.managingautomation.com/JDA AXWAY TRACK AND TRACE SOFTWARE T argeting potential customers in the life sciences and consumer product goods markets, Axway recently released Axway Track and Trace 2.1, a software package for serialization management that helps companies track their products within their own facilities as well as into the distribution chain. Axway said the latest release helps to minimize product recalls by pinpointing select product batches; aid counterfeit detection efforts; and facilitate adherence to various product regulations. Version 2.1 features a new Event Repository that supports EPC Information Services queries. An optional Serial Number Manager allows companies to define unique serial numbers based on GS1 standards. The Track and Trace application operates on Axway’s SOA-based Synchrony platform. www.managingautomation.com/Axway M/A-COM TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS RFID FORKLIFT SYSTEM tag after it has been loaded onto the forklift. The system then identifies a pallet storage location utilizing a narrow-beam antenna, laser-height sensor, and controller logic to confirm that the specific pallet has been picked up or dropped off at that location. These slotting transactions are fed into a company’s enterprise system via WiFi connectivity. The RFID Forklift unit includes an Impinj Speedway reader. www.managingautomation.com/MACOM BIGMACHINES INC. SALES QUOTING SOFTWARE igMachines Inc. has released the latest version of its sales configuration and quoting software. The company touts the speed of BigMachines 9 as one of its defining features, and says it allows salespeople to “quickly configure products, generate quotes and proposals, manage complex pricing, generate legal contracts, and submit and manage orders.” New features include a Document Engine that facilitates the creation of proposals and other documents, rich text commerce fields and text libraries that help users collaborate on best-practice templates, a Web 2.0-based Admin Platform, an Integration Platform that relies on B M /A-COM Technology Solutions’ RFID Forklift System automatically records an RFID-tagged pallet’s exact storage location during handling and slotting processes, without requiring the operator to initiate traditional manual data collection methods. New or existing forklifts can be retrofitted to work with the system, which uses an acoustic sensor, broad-beam antenna, and controller logic to identify an RFID pallet 2009 JDA SOFTWARE SALES & OPERATIONS PLANNING ith its new Executive S&OP Workbench offering, supply chain software specialist JDA Software delivers an application that has roots in JDA’s partnership with sales and operations planning pioneer Oliver Wight. The Workbench brings the W March 44 http://www.managingautomation.com/comparisontool http://www.ManagingAutomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/comparisontool http://www.ManagingAutomation.com http://www.ManagingAutomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/Directory26 http://www.managingautomation.com/JDA http://www.managingautomation.com/Axway http://www.managingautomation.com/MACOM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - March 2009

Managing Automation - March 2009 Contents Take 1 Sober Outlook, Cost-Cutting Techniques Dominate at Automation Conference Sale Canceled, i2 Searches for Its Focus Accenture Unveils a Service for the Factory Floor Solar Is Bright Spot for MES Player Eyelit Other Industries Outspent Auto on Robots in 2008 Integrators to Play a Bigger Role at ILS Technology Notes Deep Dive Supply Chains Reader Poll Technology Directions Expert Q&A User Resources Special Report Transformation Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - March 2009

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