SSA reveals modern portal-based ERP and supply chain systems

Greater efficiencies and ultimately better productivity, customer service and profitability with less expediting are the promises of role- and web portal-based extended enterprise systems, whoever they come from. SSA Global Technologies’ new offering, launched at its Las Vegas global user event this week, will be no exception. The firm led by stating the obvious – that it will provide consolidated functional views into the enterprise, irrespective of the system upon which information is held (its own ERP suites, others’ ERP and legacy systems) – and hence better, more real time decision support for managers in every department. Unsurprisingly, it also stated that it’s own research shows 75% of its clients will have multiple applications in place throughout their organisations by early next year. “This presents a challenge for users who are required to make decisions using [that] information,” intoned Graeme Cooksley, SSA GT’s executive vice president. And hence, of course, the portal solution that integrates data from pretty well anywhere and anything into a single, seamless view, using SSA GT’s integration architecture, which runs on J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) server. The portals are being developed as a functional series, and first up will be Order Enquiry, due in February next year, able to handle all ordering-related issues, like status, availability and the rest. Others to follow, says the firm, will include: Customer Service Representative, Sales Representative, Material Planner, Transportation Planner, and Department Manager. You get the drift. “SSA GT’s portal solution will be an important business tool to increase efficiencies and reduce cost throughout an organisation,” says Lee Mashburn, SSA GT vice president of global solutions.