News Briefs and Product Shorts

• West Marine, the multi-channel retailer of boating supplies, won an award from Frontline Solutions magazine for a recent supply chain initiative that resulted in very high levels of stocking accuracy. The Watsonville, California, retailer, which, since 1988, has run the OS/400 version of JDA Software's merchandising application (now called Merchandise Management System-i), won the magazine's Supply Chain SuperStars Award for its use of JDA software to help it achieve a 96 percent in-stock rate during peak season (which is May through August for boating enthusiasts). In addition to stocking accuracy, West Marine was able to maintain 85 percent supplier order forecast accuracy, to drive $3 million in cost reductions at its distribution centers, and to improve visibility and collaboration with suppliers. West Marine used the following JDA products in its supply chain project, in addition to Merchandise Management System-i: Win/DSS in-store system, Advanced Store Replenishment by E3, Advanced Warehouse Replenishment by E3, Space Planning by Intactix, and Merchandise Planning by Arthur.
  
  

• GO Software last week launched a new release of its Java-based credit-card transaction processing software, RiTA Server Version 2.1, which runs on OS/400, Windows, Unix, and other platforms. This release features several new certifications that let users connect to additional payment and clearance networks, including First Data's CARDnet payment network (also known as the North Platform), which, GO says, will enhance Internet merchants' ability to use its software to process payments. RiTA 2.1 also supports Paymentech's Salem batch management service, which, GO says, gives merchants better batch management capabilities without custom coding. The new release also includes certifications for Vital Processing Services, which provides enhanced card verification codes and increases fraud protection for card-not-present merchants, and for Certegy (formerly Equifax Check Services), which gives merchants more options for check processing.
  
  
• The Belgium division of the Switzerland-based Adecco employment and staffing company will stick with Magic Software's programming tools to upgrade and migrate its staffing application, which was developed with Magic tools some years back and is now being retrofitted for the OS/400 server. Adecco Belgium will use the latest release of Magic's fourth-generation-language-based IDE, eDeveloper 9.4, to improve the capability of the 150-office subsidiary to communicate with its customers and its employee prospects, through the use of XML and Web services technologies, and to better comply with government requirements, the company says. Officials with Magic say the new Adecco Belgium IT project will be similar to other projects recently completed at Adecco headquarters in France, England, and The Netherlands. In Holland, in 2000, Adecco moved its staffing application, which had been developed using Magic tools in the mid-'90s, from Windows to OS/400. Before that, the same application had been moved from DOS to Windows. "If that isn't investment protection and future-proofing, I don't know what is," the Magic official said.
  
  
• Thin-client manufacturer IGEL Technology unveiled the first of a new line of computers at the Citrix iForum 2003 conference in Orlando, Florida, last week. The new IGEL Compact features a 400 MHz Via Eden CPU, up to 512 MB of main memory, a Linux operating system, and an internal smartcard reader, as well as a stack of software that includes 5250, 3270, and Citrix emulators. Steve Earle, president of IGEL's U.S. operations, said the new "zero maintenance" IGEL Compact offers plug-and-play installation, the capability to be managed from a central location, and "increased performance and flexibility in demand at the value end of the market." IGEL thin clients are sold through a network of resellers; pricing was not disclosed.
  
  
• R.C. Bigelow, the Fairfield, Connecticut, manufacturer of tea and tea accessories, is savoring some recently installed software from LANSA that streamlined the way that orders are entered into its BPCS system. The company used to receive almost 90 percent of its orders via fax, but that was introducing too many errors into the computer and was requiring too much time to correct them. To alleviate these problems, Bigelow wanted to allow its distributors to place orders themselves, from over the Web. Now, after installing and configuring LANSA's Commerce Edition for BPCS software, Bigelow is able to pump its product, pricing, and order information from BPCS to the Web, enabling customer self-service for Bigelow distributors. Which means more time for tea. "In times when hiring additional staff is just not feasible, LANSA's tools are proving to be productive, flexible, and easy-to-use for my staff," says Robert Dupree, Bigelow's IT director. The company also plans to install LANSA's UCCnet Direct product, to let it synchronize its BPCS product data with the product data of major retailer customers, like Wal-Mart and Food Lion, through the UCCnet's GlobalRegistry database of standardized product data.
  
  
• Automated Packaging Systems, which developed bagging machines as well as integrated thermal label printers, last week introduced a new integrated thermal printer that connects to its bagging systems, as well as to OS/400 servers. The new Autobag PI 412c high-speed printer was designed to be deployed with the Streetsboro, Ohio, company's new AB 180 bagging system. Together, the two machines can load and seal bags with alphanumeric, text, and graphic designs on them, at rates of up to 80 bags per minute. The printer can print all barcode formats, including 2D and UPS MaxiCode, and True Type fonts. It interfaces with APS' AutoLabel software, as well as with the company's existing label design software, with an optional print driver. The system includes serial, parallel, and USB ports and supports Ethernet and AS/400, the company says.
  
  

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