General Dynamics buys $4.5 million worth of IFS Applications

Three General Dynamics operating units – Communications Systems, Electronic Systems and World-wide Telecommunications Systems – are to standardise on high growth Swedish enterprise software vendor IFS’ ERP and web portal technology under a $4.5 million deal including software and services. General Dynamics, the $11.5bn aviation, information systems, shipbuilding defence industry company which employs 47,000, will use the system for its integrated supply chain management initiative. Initially, the software will be implemented at five sites in the US, and managed and supported by its IT services giant Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). The order follows last month’s major multi-million dollar contract win for IFS with GE Engine Services, which provides maintenance and support services for aircraft engine operators around the world. That one involves rolling out IFS’ aviation ERP across GE’s 60-plus sites world-wide and the marketing of IFS software throughout the commercial aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry. The initial software license alone was valued at $12 million, but it will be the tip of an iceberg. Meanwhile, General Dynamics says that, with CSC, it selected IFS, which includes portal technology and web collaboration support, because it could provide a single, integrated solution across all aspects of its supply chain. And in fact, the system will handle the wide definition of supply chain management, from manufacturing, to procurement, project control, customer ordering, product data management, maintenance and engineering. It will use IFS’ portal and web collaboration technology along with the e-business modules.