Integrated Enterprise Excellence

Manufacturing Excellence Recognition

Oracle customers - Avago Technologies, Batesville Casket and Hologic - are recognized for their manufacturing excellence at the third annual Progressive Manufacturing 50 Awards Program, presented by Managing Automation. ...

... "The Progressive Manufacturing 50 Awards Program recognizes 50 companies that have achieved distinction in at least one of the eight core disciplines defined by Managing Automation as critical to business success in the years ahead. These disciplines include: Business Model Mastery, Customer Mastery, Supply Network Mastery, Data & Integration Mastery, Innovation Mastery, Training & Education Mastery, Leadership (new), and Operational Excellence (new). " ...

Via Oracle: 2007 Progressive Manufacturing 50

Quality Execution System Integrates into ERP

Apriso Corporation improves the functionality of their FlexNet Quality application – with a Quality program capable of performing purely as an execution application, or as a Quality Execution System. ...

... "This application enhancement provides manufacturers a viable alternative to purchasing third party Quality Management Systems (QMS), which can often be challenging to integrate with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications because of overlapping business processes, incompatible quality plans and data collection activities. Apriso's FlexNet QES was designed instead to complement existing functionality within ERP systems provided by vendors such as SAP, Microsoft, Oracle or Infor Global Solutions. Few will argue the importance of an effective quality assurance program to achieve global manufacturing excellence - the challenge lies in how to effectively design, execute and administer such a program. One approach has been to purchase a third party QMS to provide planning, execution and reporting on overall product quality. The problem with this approach is that many existing quality management functions within ERP systems already perform most of these tasks, so any benefits from a QMS implementation are reduced through a duplication of efforts and data reconciliation issues.

Quality Execution Systems recognize that ERP applications are designed as centralized data repositories, providing a global view of corporate performance, customer interactions, and order status while supporting Quality Assurance (QA) planning efforts best performed at the corporate level. Best-in-class manufacturers have demonstrated that quality execution is best performed as an embedded process - not as loosely linked activities - within production, maintenance and warehouse operations. " ...

Via Apriso: Quality Execution System

IMMI Lean Six Sigma Transformation

At recent ARC conference, the Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma transformation at IMMI was discussed. ...

... "Lean process improvement and Six Sigma are supported with their IT systems (Oracle EBS). Now, Lean extends to all the production lines, material handling, shipping, warehouse, receiving, and inspection. Lean created new business opportunities for IMMI. " ...

Via ARC Advisory Group: IMMI Lean Six Sigma

Lean Manufacturing ERP Selection Criteria ...

Lean manufacturing features, such as e-kanban, were part of the criteria of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system selection. SAP bests Oracle in this selection process. ...

... "Southco also wanted an ERP system that could support its lean manufacturing initiative with features like electronic kanban and inventory management. " ...

Lean Manufacturing ERP Selection Criteria: SAP Bests Oracle at High Profile Mid-Market Account: Via Managing Automation ...

SixSigma Service Levels: Customer Experience Measurement ...

Software enables measurement of the customer experience so that Six Sigma quality improvement can drive down defects through root cause elimination. ...

... "Wily Technology, the leader in Enterprise Application Management, announced the availability of Wily Customer Experience Manager (CEM) Version 3.0 featuring integration with Introscope, Wily's industry-leading application performance management solution. Wily CEM alerts IT staff and business teams to defective customer transactions or problem incidents in packaged or custom applications, including those from Siebel, SAP, Oracle and others whether they are built on Java, .NET, mainframe, or legacy technologies. The integration between Wily CEM and Introscope in this version allows data regarding the performance of customer transactions captured by Wily CEM to be analyzed with Introscope's application performance management tools, enabling faster problem resolution, higher transaction success rates and more consistent revenue streams.

Wily CEM enables both IT and business teams to manage online applications from the customer's point of view based on facts, not guesswork. Wily CEM continually monitors transactions 24x7 for any web-enabled application. The product tracks and reports key business metrics including customer and transaction success rates, transaction performance, transaction quality, and customer and transaction volume. Wily CEM also measures and analyzes customer activity at the business process level, creating a unique historical repository of customer information, reports, and scorecards. These metrics are essential to establish and measure performance against Service Level Agreements (SLAs) or quality initiatives such as ITIL and Six Sigma. " ...

SixSigma Service Levels: Customer Experience Measurement: Via Wily Technology: New Version of Wily Customer Experience Manager Features Integration with Introscope: Integrated Products Deliver Unmatched Insight Into Customer Experience and Web Application Performance ...

Lean Manufacturing: Software Enables Waste Reduction ...

Oracle software enables lean manufacturing transformation at Asia automotive parts manufacturer. ...

... "AAPICO Hitech Plc, an automotive parts company based in Thailand, implemented Oracle applications and technology to enable lean manufacturing operations, Oracle announced. AAPICO will soon be ready for fulfilling complex customer requests while reducing waste in its supply chain. AAPICO wanted to move towards a demand-driven supply chain to accommodate the just-in-time manufacturing schedules of its customers to reduce inventory and fulfillment times. The company, a progressive jig, die and automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts vendor with facilities in Thailand, Malaysia and China, supplies parts to all major car manufacturers in Thailand including Toyota, Honda, Isuzu, Ford, Mazda and Nissan. AAPICO began its migration to lean manufacturing through a pilot program with the support of Auto Alliance Thailand and Toyota. The program brought about quick success, as AAPICO received Toyota's coveted TPS (Toyota Production System) Championship Award in 2004 and again in 2005. After the conclusion of the program, the company decided to implement an enterprise software system to provide the platform for lean manufacturing and integrate the network of facilities.

After a careful evaluation of several vendors' offerings, AAPICO chose Oracle to support lean manufacturing using Oracle Database and the Oracle E-Business Suite, specifically the Oracle Supply Chain Management (SCM) suite, which includes Oracle Discrete Manufacturing, Oracle Flow Manufacturing and Oracle Order Management applications. AAPICO also selected Deloitte Consulting LLP to lead consulting services and additional software from A-Host, a Certified Partner in the Oracle PartnerNetwork. " ...

Lean Manufacturing: Software Enables Waste Reduction: Fastest-Growing Automotive Parts Company in Thailand Implements Oracle E-Business Suite to Enable Lean Manufacturing: Company Moves to Lean Manufacturing To Eliminate Waste and Reduce Risk in the Supply Chain for Thai, Malaysian and Chinese Facilities ...

Kaizen-Enabled Supply Chain Software Solutions through Partnership ...

APRISO AND NEORIS PARTNERSHIP DELIVERS RESULTS IN LATIN AMERICA ...

... "Apriso and Neoris have signed a partnership agreement appointing Neoris as Apriso's FlexNet application implementation partner in Mexico and throughout Latin America. Neoris will offer Apriso's FlexNet as the first commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) solution in their portfolio of Supply Chain Operations solutions. FlexNet combines the essential aspects of advanced warehouse systems with the critical functions of advanced manufacturing systems, so manufacturers can synchronize material flows with their production schedules. The agreement also selects Neoris as a premier Apriso Implementation & Services Partner, which will be engaged in FlexNet implementation projects throughout the region. " ...

Apriso is the pioneer of a new class of enterprise software that for the first time enables global corporations to define, operate, and monitor supply, production and distribution processes in real time, without limits. Using an event-driven, distributed services model, Apriso’s software provides such fine-grained visibility and control of both execution processes and key performance indicators that it is an ideal platform for accomplishing the most pressing business initiatives of today: compliance, product genealogy, in-line production sequencing, real-time, RFID-based asset management, lean supply, successive refinement (kaizen), six-sigma quality levels, demand-driven supply (the “Dell” model), and the adaptive enterprise. Apriso’s software, known as FlexNet®, integrates quickly, easily and naturally into an enterprise’s existing software infrastructure, and effectively extends the scope of systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) into the furthest reaches of the extended production and supply network, as required. But unlike existing systems, which are based upon a top-down, plan-driven operations orientation, Apriso’s event-driven, process-based architecture accommodates any operational model that is based upon real-time collaboration between execution processes, real-time visibility into performance, or the requirement to define, refine, or immediately control workflows throughout the enterprise, and across borders. Apriso was founded in 1992 and now operates in nine countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. World headquarters are in Long Beach, California. Apriso’s rapidly-growing customer base of more than 140 customers and over 350 installations worldwide includes such high-profile, global companies as General Motors, Lear, Honeywell, Microsoft, Merck, Lockheed Martin, ITT, Baker Hughes, International Paper, Rubbermaid, Matsushita Avionics Systems, Saint-Gobain, Pechiney, and British American Tobacco. In addition, Apriso has partnered with leading technology companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and SAP.

Neoris is the 4th largest IT consulting firm and 5th largest custom application development firm in Latin America, according to IDC. In addition to Latin America, Neoris has a strong presence in the US and Europe, offering systems integration, custom application development, IT consulting and software deployment. As a digital enabler, Neoris transforms the way companies conduct business by using digital technologies to capture profits. Clients include Lockheed Martin, GlaxoSmithKline, OfficeMax, Pemex, Cisco, Petrozuata, Luchetti and Verizon. Neoris is a privately owned company headquartered in Miami, Florida with over 1,000 employees in the US, Europe and Latin America.

Lean Manufacturing Initiative Drives Operational Efficiency of the Cash Cycle ...

Lean Manufacturing Initiative Drives Operational Efficiency of the Cash Cycle: Emerson Reports Record First-Quarter 2005 Sales Up 10 Percent to ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... We continue to excel on our operational efficiency and lean manufacturing initiatives, with the average days-in-the-cash-cycle improving to 74 days in the ...

... Emerson (NYSE: EMR) announced that net sales increased 10 percent to $4 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2005, ended December 31, 2004, with increases in all business segments and double-digit sales growth in Process Management, Industrial Automation, and Network Power. Underlying sales were up 5 percent for the quarter, excluding the impact of exchange rates (3 percent) and acquisitions (2 percent). Net earnings for the first quarter increased 22 percent to $297 million, or $0.70 per share. Net earnings in the first quarter of fiscal 2004 were $244 million, or $0.58 per share. ...

Additional resources on improving the cash cycle with lean manufacturing ...

Ducati aims for new angle of lean with Oracle: cutting costs, reducing inventory investment and improving overall asset ... for the median; and cash-to-cash cycle time was ... œAt the heart of the lean movement is ...

Takt Times: Competitive advantage is possible by improving information flow. ... technology domain of computerized systems or lean approaches like kanbans. ... Cash-to-cash cycle. ...

Improve Cash Flow: Inventory Turns.... it impacts the "cash to cash" cycle - you've paid ... is a key element in improving inventory management ... a build to order system, lean manufacturing strategies and ...

Six Sigma Cycle Time Measurement and Reduction Benchmarks in the Supply Chain ...

Six Sigma Cycle Time Measurement and Reduction: New Benchmarks for Supply Chain Centers: Driving Efficiency and ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... Drive cycle time reductions everywhere through six sigma teams and through expanded definition and use of cycle time metrics. ...

... In today's fast changing, competitive and cost-driven market, supply chain organizations have to take every opportunity to lower cycle time, reduce uncertainties and stay current with market trends. Supply chain executives need to optimize both dimensions by working closer with business units, other corporate groups, and with customers directly. A new study by Best Practices, LLC takes a data-driven look at best-in-class supply chain centers. ...

Best Practices, LLC is a research and consulting firm that works on the principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic performance by studying the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of world-class organizations. Our suite of customized Research and Consulting services is designed to assist you in improving your company's performance by analyzing the winning practices of leading corporations.

Additional resources on Six Sigma Cycle Time Measurement and Reduction ...

Existing Product or Service Improvement: A Six Sigma project was initiated to reduce cycle time. ... methodology consists of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve ... from initiation of a Six Sigma program for ...

Performance Control and Measurement in Lean Six Sigma Environments: File Format: Microsoft Powerpoint 97 ... Reduce Variation & Batch Size. Improve Flow & Productivity. ... Addresses Cost Reduction, Alignment To Goals, Waste, Cycle Time. ... Lean Six Sigma Across the Enterprise. ...

Future Fab Intl.: the course of a (Phase I) Six-Sigma content-reduction ... influence on overall wafer build cycle time, formed the ... s = standard deviation of time t = average time. ...

Six Sigma: into subgoals such as cycle time reduction, cost reduction ... team methodically proceeds through Measurement, Analysis, Improvement ... A Six Sigma improvement team is ...

Six Sigma Working Capital Solution: Textron Chooses Emagia Software Solution to Help Drive Efficiencies in Shared Services Operations ...

Santa Clara, Calif. November 30, 2004 – Emagia Corporation, the leading provider of Enterprise Cash Flow Management™ software solutions, today announced that Textron (NYSE:TXT), a $10 billion multi-industry company with businesses spanning aircraft, industrial and finance segments, has selected Emagia Cash Inflow Manager Hosted Solution™ to help enable its shared services operations to streamline receivables management.

Textron’s internal shared services organizations were created to address business needs across the enterprise for a fraction of the cost and with greater speed and efficiencies than traditional decentralized models. Emagia Cash Inflow Manager Hosted Solution™ was selected to help gain real-time visibility into cash flow and to automate cash flow processes such as receivables management.

Textron’s shared services centers were established to support multiple business units within the company. With Emagia’s consolidated cash flow management platform, Textron will have a single pane of visibility into business units that have different back-end financial systems.

... “World class companies such as Textron view Emagia as an integral part of shared services initiatives around cash flow processes,” added Emagia CEO Veena Gundavelli. ...

Emagia Corporation is the leading provider of cash flow management software solutions and outsourcing services that streamline and automate cash flow processes for Fortune 2000 enterprises. Emagia solutions allow companies to realize significant benefits including maximizing cash conversion efficiency, facilitating strong internal controls for financial reporting and improved returns from cash flow management. World class enterprises use Emagia solutions to strengthen and accelerate corporate initiatives around cash flow management, Six Sigma, shared services, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, Emagia products seamlessly integrate with SAP, Oracle, BaaN, PeopleSoft and other back-office financial systems. Emagia solutions can be deployed using standard enterprise license models or Emagia’s unique hosted offering. For general information, call 866-EMAGIA-1 or visit www.emagia.com

Emagia Cash Inflow Manager Hosted Solution™ offers a revolutionary approach to deploying end-to-end receivables management software solutions. The full breadth of the Emagia Cash Inflow Manager application is hosted in Emagia’s secure and reliable data center with real-time web-enabled access provided to Emagia’s customers. All hardware and software is entirely managed by Emagia and a wide range of integration, customer and technical support services is readily available. In return, Emagia customers choosing to leverage this unique hosted deployment option can utilize multiple payment options including monthly subscription services. Emagia Cash Inflow Manager Hosted Solution™ delivers rapid cash flow efficiencies to leading enterprises along with a low total cost of ownership.

Contact Information: Lou Mohanty, (408) 492-8886 or pr@emagia.com

HR Balanced Scorecard: PeopleSoft, Oracle, Accenture, and Convergys Among Vendors ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... TalentMax Version 2.0, an enterprise wide performance management system that can be deployed on either .NET or J2EE to offer a balanced scorecard of metrics ...

Balanced scorecards in human resources can measure the pulse and productivity of the enterprise workforce...

... The premier destination for HR decision-makers, Human Resource Executive's 7th Annual HR Technology Conference & Exposition will once again feature the largest number of new product announcements made at any similar event in the world. This year, 25 of the show's exhibitors are planning significant product announcements about the most cutting edge technologies. The conference and exposition will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago from October 13 - 15, 2004. ...

Hudson Highland Group will unveil TalentMax Version 2.0, an enterprise wide performance management system that can be deployed on either .NET or J2EE to offer a balanced scorecard of metrics that forms an objective view of your organization's performance. Hudson Highland Group is one of the world’s leading professional staffing, retained executive search and human capital solution providers. Hudson delivers specialized professional staffing, outsourcing and human capital solutions worldwide. From single placements to total solutions, the firm assesses, recruits and develops talent to meet the specific business needs of each client. Global practice areas include Accounting & Finance; Engineering, Operations & Scientific; Healthcare; Human Resources; IT & Telecommunications; Legal; and Sales & Marketing. Hudson is a division of Hudson Highland Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: HHGP) one of the world's leading professional staffing, retained executive search and human capital solution providers. More information is available at http://www.hudson.com.

Performance Metrics: Outstanding Financial Performance and Customer Acquisition ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... the leading provider of real-time supply chain execution (SCE) software solutions, today announced dramatic growth across key performance metrics for their ...

... ClearOrbit, the leading provider of real-time supply chain execution (SCE) software solutions, today announced dramatic growth across key performance metrics for their fiscal year ending June 30th 2004, ClearOrbit's tenth year in operation. License revenues, maintenance renewals, new customer acquisition, and new product launches all increased for the year. In particular, software license revenues were up over seventy (70) percent over the fiscal year ending June 30th 2003. ClearOrbit has demonstrated sustained growth across all the critical performance metrics by delivering innovative software solutions to extend the supply chain execution functionality of Oracle, SAP and other ERP systems. ...

Since 1994, ClearOrbit has assisted more than 250 clients in automating and controlling their supply chain execution processes. ClearOrbit extends enterprise systems value with proven Supply Chain Execution (SCE) and Collaborative Supply Management (CSM) software solutions that allow customers to fully leverage their investment in enterprise applications while also gaining additional value by incorporating their trading partners into their supply chains. ClearOrbit products work within the existing enterprise system to leverage a "single version of the truth," expanding rather than duplicating functionality to eliminate inefficiencies in the supply chain. By using the customer's data model, ClearOrbit delivers on the promise of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with fully integrated supply chain execution and collaboration solutions that address "last mile functionality" issues inherent in most ERP systems. ClearOrbit customers include Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), JDS Uniphase (Nasdaq: JDSU), and Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN).

Lean Manufacturing Software: Aerospace Company Significantly Improves Operations with Lilly ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... From award-winning software to strategies in Lean Manufacturing and TOC, Lilly Software offers companies the tools they need for higher productivity and ...

... Lilly Software Associates, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors, today announced that McWilliams Forge, a leading provider of aircraft and engine parts to the aerospace industry, has seen a 25 percent reduction in lead times, an increase in its already strong on-time delivery performance, and a dramatic overall improvement in its shop floor operation after implementing VISUAL Easy Lean. ...

Lilly Software Associates, Inc. provides a complete line of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors. The VISUAL Enterprise(TM) suite of products helps companies capture and analyze real-time data about all their business processes using ERP, Project Management, Business Performance Management, Quality Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Warehouse Management System capabilities. From award-winning software to strategies in Lean Manufacturing and TOC, Lilly Software offers companies the tools they need for higher productivity and profitability. Most VISUAL(R) applications run on Windows(R) 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows XP, UNIX(R), LINUX, Novell(R), using Gupta(TM) SQLBase(R), Microsoft SQL Server(R), or ORACLE(R) relational databases. Lilly Software has received many industry awards for its products, service, and financial growth since its inception. Most recently, the company has been voted one of the Top 10 Best of Breed solutions for manufacturing by readers of Consumer Goods Technology, listed in Software Magazine's Top 500, selected as a Top 100 Logistics Information Technology Provider in Inbound Logistics, listed in the Top 100 Application Vendors in Supply Chain e-Business, included in MSI's Top 100 for its eighth year, and ranked as one of Start magazine's Hottest Companies.

Lean Manufacturing Software: Wire Belt Company of America Sees Dramatic Results After March ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... From award-winning software to strategies in Lean Manufacturing and TOC, Lilly Software offers companies the tools they need for higher productivity and ...

... Lilly Software Associates, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors, today announced that Wire Belt, the world's leading supplier of Flat-Flex(R) wire belts to the food processing industry and others, has achieved dramatic results after implementing VISUAL Easy Lean(TM). ...

Lilly Software Associates, Inc. provides a complete line of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors. The VISUAL Enterprise(TM) suite of products helps companies capture and analyze real-time data about all their business processes using ERP, Project Management, Business Performance Management, Quality Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Warehouse Management System capabilities. From award-winning software to strategies in Lean Manufacturing and TOC, Lilly Software offers companies the tools they need for higher productivity and profitability. Most VISUAL(R) applications run on Windows(R) 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, UNIX(R), LINUX, Novell(R), using SQLBase(R), Microsoft SQL Server(R), or ORACLE(R) relational databases. Lilly Software has received many industry awards for its products, service, and financial growth since its inception. Most recently, the company has been voted one of the Top 10 Best of Breed solutions for manufacturing by readers of Consumer Goods Technology, listed in Software Magazine's Top 500, selected as a Top 100 Logistics Information Technology Provider in Inbound Logistics, listed in the Top 100 Application Vendors in Supply Chain e-Business, included in MSI's Top 100 for its eighth year, and ranked as one of Start magazine's Hottest Companies.

Lean Manufacturing ERP Software: Oracle launches supply change management globally

From Computerworld New Zealand, New Zealand ... to manage global supply chain networks, integrate compliance regulations with the supply chain solution and enable a more global approach to lean manufacturing ...

... Oracle unveiled onSupply Chain Management Version 11i.10, which it says reflects customer demand for a global approach to SCM and visibility. Included in 11i.10 are new capabilities to manage global supply chain networks, integrate compliance regulations with the supply chain solution and enable a more global approach to lean manufacturing. The demand planning functionality will now allow managers to coalesce demand planning across all regions, which was not possible previously. ...

Stronger, faster, better: the time has come to make your entire enterprise Lean. Lean is an enterprise methodology that eliminates the wastes that inflate costs, lead times, and inventory requirements. Only Oracle's information architecture (enterprise applications built on our secure database) provides a single source of truth so the right information can be provided at the right time, and critical decisions can be made without requiring or storing more data than needed.

Six Sigma ITIL ITSM: Opticom Adds Application Discovery and Dependency Mapping To SLM

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... Designed around industry standard best practices of ITIL and Six Sigma, iView, with its Automated Service Level Management, is the original Business Service ...

" ... Opticom, the originators of Business Service Management software, today announced the release of iView 5.0 with significant new features including automated application discovery, dynamic infrastructure dependency mapping and real-time IT to business processes reconciliation. A unique Application Discovery Dictionary(TM) allows iView's state-of-the-art data mining and correlation technology to discover applications and supporting IT infrastructure, and then create topological dependency mappings of the relationships between applications, servers, network devices, transmission facilities and the business processes that use them. The Application Discovery Dictionary ships with rule entries for SAP, Siebel, BEA WebLogix, IBM WebSphere, Microsoft SQL Server, Exchange and IIS, Apache, Oracle and others. The Application Discovery Dictionary is user-configurable, and may be easily expanded to include customized and homegrown software applications. This new version also delivers additional enhancements including support for IBM Tivoli NetView as a data source, and enhanced support for Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) ... "

Opticom develops and markets strategic Business Service Management software solutions essential to IT-dependent companies. Opticom iView enables Global Fortune 1000 enterprises, service providers and Government to optimize, validate and communicate the impact of IT on their business. Opticom customers include Harley-Davidson, AT&T, Lucent, Philip Morris, The US Army, Air Force, Marines, DOD and others.

Lean Manufacturing: Lean manufacturing is a process whose time has come--with help from software vendors...

From Information Week ... Lean isn't a word that's generally associated with smoke-belching factories and mammoth manufacturing plants. But in some circles it is--more and more, these days. "Henry Ford used the word lean when referring to manufacturing," says Mike Mitsch, VP of operations at Keihin Aircon North America Inc., a company that has used lean-manufacturing techniques for nearly a decade to make heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning components for the automotive industry. "Lean has been around for years in different capacities, and now it's making a comeback." Mitsch is referring to the practice of lean manufacturing, a methodology that seeks to eliminate all waste from the manufacturing process ...

Oracle Solutions for Heavy Equipment and Machinery Manufacturing: Machinery and equipment manufacturers are trying to come to terms with declining sales and increased competition. Those manufacturers who hope to survive--and thrive--focus on improving business process efficiency, whether through adopting lean techniques or sharing services at facilities around the globe. Delivering a superior customer experience across all channels is critical when you have products that can be configured to customer need. Stand out from the crowd by making doing business with your company easy, leveraging your brand, and providing the end customer with timely and cost-effective solutions.

Six Sigma Process: TO REACH THE MASSES

From Calcutta Telegraph, India ... Oracle, Six Sigma, and other new process improvement technologies are sweeping this second rung and other companies will have to follow if they are to survive. ...

Six Sigma Supply Chain: Aceva Enables Increased Client Use of Six Sigma(R) Quality Initiatives to Optimize Working Capital

Six Sigma -- White Paper and New Research from Aceva Technologies Focus on Ensuring Quality Throughout the Financial Supply Chain --

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Aceva Technologies, Inc., a developer of working capital management solutions for global enterprises, has enabled increased use of Six Sigma methods by its enterprise clients seeking to improve financial process work flow to optimize working capital management. To document this achievement, the company has released an executive research paper entitled "Six Sigma Methodologies to Optimize Working Capital Management," available at www.aceva.com/sigma .

As a strategy for securing business process improvement, Six Sigma has been proven as a clear path for freeing up working capital for strategic investments. Six Sigma creates clear and measurable deliverables and produces high rates of process improvement in quote-to-cash (Q2C), vendor manage inventory (VMI), procure-to-pay (P2P) and working capital life cycles.

"Forward-thinking financial executives view the management of working capital performance as a critical measure of overall operational soundness," said Allen Silberman, Partner, Quote-to-Cash Process Consulting and past Global Credit Director at Honeywell, Corp. "Aceva has demonstrated an impressive level of leadership by enabling companies to examine the quality of all processes in the financial supply chain. This examination involves many disparate systems and processes including pricing and terms policies, order accuracy, product delivery and returns, billing, credit and collections."

Aceva's Working Capital Management Solutions have been used successfully by global corporations to achieve their Six Sigma goals. Aceva enables the aggregation of information from a variety of ERP and enterprise systems, the analysis of Pareto optimality within financial transactions, algorithmic reconciliation and business rule application to proactively identify and prevent operational transaction errors within the forecasting, billing and collections processes.

"As the need to unlock more working capital accelerates in today's challenging business environment, process improvement techniques to reduce Days Sales Outstanding and other measures of the financial supply chain cycle become more critical," said Sanjay Srivastava, COO of Aceva. "Toward this end, Six Sigma methodology and the Aceva platform are helping global companies measure and ensure quality in all areas of the enterprise, including the identification and rectification of inefficiencies and problems throughout the financial supply chain."

The key steps in the Six Sigma DMAIC Loop (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), pinpoint and prioritize defects and errors, with the twin goals of identifying the root causes of defects within cash conversion cycles and eliminating them. Although Six Sigma was first implemented by manufacturing organizations, it is being widely used today in many types of companies and in every department of the enterprise.

About Aceva

Aceva Technologies provides Working Capital Management Solutions to global enterprises. The Aceva Working Capital Management suite of applications delivers the tools and work flow improvements necessary to reduce Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), eliminate financial process errors, identify and resolve root causes, and unlock working capital. Aceva's solutions focus across the working capital sub-processes of quote-to-cash (Q2C), procure-to-pay (P2P), and supply-chain-management (SCM) to achieve business process optimization for enterprise financial operations, regulatory compliance and quality initiatives. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Aceva is a privately held corporation with financial partnerships with investors including Accel Partners, Sequoia Capital, Oracle and others. For more details, visit www.aceva.com , send email to info@aceva.com or telephone 1-650-227-5500.

PointCross Ships 'SOXCom(TM)' a Rapid-Deployment Sarbanes-Oxley ...

From Yahoo News (press release) ... Houston -- as well as their Orchestra Funnel Development Kit (FDK) for deploying corporate- wide Continuous Process Improvement models like Six Sigma, CMM, ISO ...

Orchestra is based on open and scaleable systems architecture that comprises multiple tiers including database, application server and Web server tiers. The system is accessed by end users through a standard Web browser session.

Our database backend comprises unique data models that provide a comprehensive representation of three distinct layers - Corporate, Project and User - which mirror real-world enterprises. Orchestra currently supports either Oracle or SQL Server 2000 databases. However, we can support any other OLE DB enabled relational database or a combination of databases as needed.

You should be using Orchestra if your company is engaged in business processes that are characterized by one or more of the following:

High level of knowledge-intensive interactions among people and multiple dispersed organizations

Multiple, structured organizations for knowledge, process, design, and agreements and contracts

Regulatory constraints that require compliance and a high level of governance

Kaizen Software: ITX E-Globaledge Introduces Performance Insight 5.2.3, with ...

From PRNewswire (press release) ... Management Tools. One of the PI's key features, the KAIZEN* Report tool, detects problems automatically in the Oracle Database. It ...