SynQuest
Ships Manufacturing Software for AS/400
S. McVey - April 18th, 2000
Event
Summary
SynQuest, Inc. recently shipped its supply chain management software for
IBM AS/400e servers to a division of Chesapeake Corporation, a $1.2 billion
provider of specialty packaging and merchandising services. Following
a port begun last November, SynQuest Manufacturing Manager software for
the AS/400 includes advanced planning and scheduling capabilities that
are integrated with manufacturing execution. An existing SynQuest customer,
Chesapeake is hoping to use the software to further reduce cycle times,
inventory and work-in-process, as well as to link suppliers via the Internet
for improved collaboration.
As a producer of specialty packaging, Chesapeake measures success by its
ability to satisfy particular customer requirements. "At Chesapeake Display
& Packaging, every order is 100 percent customized to the needs of our
customers," said Gary Cheimis, vice president and chief technology officer,
Chesapeake Display & Packaging. "SynQuest supply chain software, combined
with the high performance of the AS/400 platform, will provide the infrastructure
necessary to synchronize our complex order fulfillment activities to meet
profitability and on-time delivery objectives."
Market
Impact
IBM is finding several new allies in its mid-market AS/400 campaign. Both
i2 Technologies and Logility have announced agreements with IBM to deploy
selected parts of their suites on AS/400 servers, but the SynQuest effort
involves a true porting of its software to AS/400 whereas the others will
embed compiled executables in the IBM environment. All other things being
equal, SynQuest Manufacturing Manager will have considerable performance
advantages over the other applications. The downside for SynQuest is the
additional burden of maintaining and upgrading releases of its software
for another platform.
User
Recommendations
SynQuest was one of the first vendors to integrate advanced planning and
scheduling capabilities with manufacturing execution. SynQuest Manufacturing
Manager is an attractive candidate for mid-market companies that rely
on precise synchronization around production and distribution scheduling.
SynQuest has found particular success in industries characterized by make-to-order
manufacturing. Its solutions are best suited for discrete manufacturing,
such as electronics, packaging, transportation, and industrial products.
Current
AS/400 users who are evaluating advanced planning and scheduling products
in discrete manufacturing industries should consider taking a look at
SynQuest Manufacturing Manager, but should demand a site visit that allows
a first hand look at the application in Chesapeake's live environment.
Face-to-face meetings with users, IS personnel, and management are a crucial
part of these visits, enabling prospective clients to learn about kinks
and foibles of the new platform first hand.