News Briefs and Product Shorts

• Shipping errors are known to shoot holes in a distributor's profitability. Every company has these costly mistakes targeted for reduction. The question is, how does it get done? Automation is the key, and warehouse management software vendors, like Varsity Logistics, are in a battle to increase efficiency. Varsity is one of the leaders in packing automation software that runs on the iSeries. The most current release of its pick/pack module, ShipPack 2.2, includes automatic palletization of orders as they are packed, automatic end-of-order once all items are packed, and validation of package weight and dimensions to ensure correct shipment charges. ShipPack extends the functionality of ShipSoft, Varsity's small-package shipping solution for the iSeries. It provides line-item visibility into the contents of each package, including description, size, weight, and controls to improve shipment accuracy. ShipPack also mitigates costly routing guide violations and consignee penalties by providing order information on compliant barcodes (UCC 128). In addition, ASNs can be automatically generated in EDI format (856). Varsity is based in San Francisco. For more information on ShipPack 2.2, go to www.varsitylogistics.com.
  
  

• The management of service contracts, warranty claims, task assignments, technician scheduling, return material authorizations, and service-variance analysis is the purpose of MAPICS's latest software for after-market services personnel, materials, and information. It's called MAPICS Field Service & Support, and the company is promoting it as a method for improving margins and offering customers post-sale support. Those two benefits, the company says, will lead to increased customer loyalty and retention. Customer management tasks that are automated include automating the administration of service contracts and warranty claims; tracking time and materials contracts for equipment repair not under warranty or service contracts; integrating service-related material management, financial management, and billing processes; and providing integrated incident tracking, technical support, and management of return material authorizations. Field Service & Support is integrated into the MAPICS ERP for iSeries solution to encompass manufactured products throughout their life.
  
  
• Requests for software support in 2002 reached an all-time high for Business Computer Design Int'l, according to the Hillsdale, Illinois, software company. BCD has over 25,000 active copies of software in use around the world, up from 20,000 copies in 2001. BCD currently sells and supports 10 software products. An iSeries-based help-desk system, developed in-house, allows technicians to manage customer relationships at high call volumes, says Eric Figura, director of sales and marketing. The workflow-management capabilities in the system allow open support calls to be tracked to a satisfactory resolution and the record is closed. The system has a record for every support call received since 1993. A Web-based front end for the help-desk system is under development to replace the green-screen user interface now used by support representatives. BCD's Progen WebSmart is being used to develop the new system.
  
  
• Advanced Systems Concepts announced a new enhancement to its ABSTRACT application analysis tool that gives RPG developers the capability to extend their applications with Java, yet retain the impact-analysis data they rely on. This new feature tracks Java as procedures that may be used within RPG job streams. The product's Where Used repository and screens were enhanced to deal with the long names associated with Java prodedures. Advanced Systems Concepts' research concluded that many iSeries developers prefer extending their legacy applications with Java, rather than replacing their legacy code with Java. "There's traction for both ideas," said Programming Tools Director Chris Wilson. "Larger sites and independent software vendors simply have better business reasons for using an RPG/Java conversion tool like ASC's RIO, where midsized RPG shops are more interested in moving into Java only when it makes sense in certain cases." ABSTRACT is used at thousands of sites around the world, Wilson said, and offers green-screen, iSeries Navigator, and WebSphere Development Studio client interfaces. The product ranges in price from $4,500 to $6,000.
  
  
• Cap Gemini Ernst & Young U.S., a global management and IT consultancy, and CARCO Group, a leading provider of investigative and security-related business information services, have formed an alliance designed to offer CGE&Y clients additional security and fraud detection in the areas of insurance and human resources. CGE&Y is known for its expertise in human-resources systems integration and strategic consulting. CARCO's reputation is based on investigative and security experience. The two organizations represent more than 500 insurance clients. The agreement represents the second phase of CARCO's technology update program, enabling the company to replace its background-checking system using the latest technologies offered by IBM and other solution providers. The solution, designed and managed by CGE&Y will be built using IBM's WebSphere, DB2, and Process Choreographer workflow. It will reside on the iSeries and xSeries platforms.
  
  
• American Software, a company known for its supply-chain-management ERP solutions, has redesigned its Host-Access tool to allow customized graphical user interfaces and Web browser accessibility to its applications that run on iSeries and zSeries servers. The company used IBM's WebSphere Host Access Transformation Server (HATS) software to accomplish the transition, and uses the HATS rules-based transformation engine to apply application rules and screen customization. New features include cascading menu-driven navigation, pop-up calendars, and pop-up selection windows to aid data entry.
  
  

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