IBM Corp. announced a flurry of supply-chain management product bundles and service initiatives today, aimed mostly at the industrial and distribution industries.
The announcements were made at the company's Global Supply Chain Executive Conference in Orlando, Florida.
IBM's new Supply Chain Services Practice initially will offer consulting and implementation services using applications from i2 Technologies Inc., Manugistics Inc., Synquest Inc. and others. The practice has 80 consultants, a figure expected to double in the coming year, IBM said.
IBM also formed a supply-chain logistics group that will assist firms with managing warehouse operations, application system design, workflow definition, warehouse customization, facility design and more. The Supply Chain Logistics Solutions Group is based in the U.S. and will work with IBM's supply chain management consultants here and overseas, IBM said.
Joint initiatives announced by IBM and its partners include:
-- The availability of QuickWin, a supply chain collaboration program that bundles Syncra Software Inc.'s Syncra Ct collaboration software and IBM Netfinity server and consulting services.
-- A deal with Oracle Corp. to offer Oracle Applications for IBM's RS/6000 and Netfinity servers along with a service from IBM designed to help small and medium businesses implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
-- Another deal with Oracle to make its Oracle 8 Server database available for IBM's RS/6000 f and H server families.
-- The availability of Lilly Software Associates Inc.'s Visual Manufacturing and Acacia Technologies Inc.'s PRMS, KBM and Warehouse Boss supply chain management and ERP software products preloaded on IBM's AS/400e server.
-- The availability next quarter of a 64-bit version of Prophet 21 Inc.'s Wholesale software with AS/400e.
Pricing for these product bundles was not immediately available.
IBM, in Armonk, New York, can be reached at +1-914-765-1900 or at http://www.ibm.com/.
Desk edit by: Nancy Weil