Roadmap outlines supply chain solutions offering for companies spanning the supply chain from raw materials to the consumer
Roadmap outlines supply chain solutions offering for companies spanning the supply chain from raw materials to the consumer
With a focus on enabling the customer-driven value chain, allowing companies to rapidly respond to market realities and delivering improved visibility and productivity to users, JDA Software Group has announced the release of its latest product roadmap.
Since its acquisition of i2 Technologies in January this year, JDA has been focused on bringing together the two companies’ manufacturing, supply chain, merchandising and transportation solutions. The result is a product roadmap that it said supports the integration and ongoing innovation of those solutions to provide customers with a comprehensive, integrated solutions offering that spans the entire supply chain, from raw materials to the end consumer.
Satisfying expanded customer base
“We are proud today to announce a product roadmap that demonstrates the breadth, depth and future direction of our powerful suite of supply chain planning, optimisation and execution solutions,” said JDA president and chief executive officer, Hamish Brewer. “Our focus throughout the process was to put the customer first by providing a solutions offering that is easy to implement, maintain and upgrade, delivers innovation with a rapid return on investment and has a powerful impact on their bottom line.”
The convergence of two of the industry’s leading solutions offerings will not come at the expense of its customers, he added. JDA intends to continue supporting all products and will offer customers the opportunity to move to new solutions on their own timelines – within a normal upgrade cycle, for example.
“JDA’s ‘roadmap’ is less about how the different product sets will be converged, or which products will get a greater share of development dollars, than it is a set of principles and a framework that sets out a sensible approach to achieving products that will make customers happy both now and into the future,” said Steve Banker, ARC Research director of supply chain management.
Aiming at comprehensive portfolio
The JDA product roadmap focuses on the development, delivery and support of solutions in 22 product areas. These product areas include demand management; sales and operations planning; price and promotion optimisation; trade funds management; execution, collaboration and visibility; web commerce; supplier relationship management; network design; inventory optimisation; supply chain master planning; factory planning; scheduling; contract manufacturing; space and category management; enterprise planning; assortment management; allocation; replenishment; transportation management; store systems; merchandise operations; and revenue management.
With the addition of i2 to the JDA family, the company said it now offers the patented technology, industry knowledge and proven best practices gained by the combined companies’ more than 40 years in the supply chain industry. JDA and its acquired brand, including i2, Manugistics, Intactix, E3, and Arthur, have supported the roadmap process, allowing the company to offer solutions to support the needs of JDA customers across all geographies and industries, including manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers and services industries companies.
“The knowledge transfer and collaboration that took place throughout this process among professionals from our combined companies was incredible,” said Namita Dhallan, JDA’s chief product officer. “Tapping the deep industry and solution expertise of our respective companies has allowed us to create a product roadmap that will offer proven supply chain, merchandising and pricing solutions to meet the toughest business challenges facing our customers today.”
Roadmap details to prove event FOCUS
Roadmaps for all JDA products will be discussed by product managers at FOCUS 2010, JDA’s annual user conference from 16 to 19 May in Las Vegas, US. Discussions will take place in the 38 Special Interest Group meetings scheduled over the three-day event. These sessions will be open to maintenance-paying customers only and will include a roadmap presentation and an interactive question-and-answer session.
Customers unable to attend FOCUS 2010 may review the integrated roadmaps on JDA’s user portal, JDAUser.com. JDA is also conducting a customer outreach programmew, originally launched during the company’s acquisition of i2. As such, JDA’s global sales and services teams are contacting customers to discuss JDA’s vision and how it can deliver results that address immediate business needs.
