Kinaxis Launches On-Demand RapidResponse Service
Leading Response Management Provider Simplifies Acquisition and Deployment for Customers With Secure, Hosted Service Offering
Kinaxis™ Inc., a provider of Response Management solutions that drive operations performance management by enabling both brand owners and manufacturers to rapidly respond to change, today announced an on-demand Response Management service.
With its new web-based, on-demand RapidResponse™ service, Kinaxis establishes itself as a leader in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings that address critical supply chain challenges. Kinaxis will now offer the rich and proven capabilities of RapidResponse in a medium that simplifies adoption for customers by reducing implementation risk, ownership costs, and required IT resources. Kinaxis is collaborating with IBM Global Services who will provide the on-demand environment, ensuring that the on-demand RapidResponse service will be supported by a reliable and security-rich application-hosting infrastructure.
The on-demand RapidResponse service empowers brand owners and contract manufacturers with multi-enterprise visibility and decision support tools to respond with speed and confidence to constant changes in supply, demand, capacity and product. By empowering front-line staff to take effective and efficient action, companies can enhance supply chain agility, driving breakthroughs in customer service and operating performance.
AMR Research data shows that more and more enterprises are considering hosted options for Supply Chain Management (SCM) software applications. "It is now coming of age for several reasons: IT departments have full agendas, budget constraints are delaying capital expenditures, and business-to-business synchronization requirements are increasing," states Mark Hillman in the August 2005 AMR Research report, "SCM Handbook for Hosted Services". "In short, business users cannot wait for the deployment of a licensed application, and IT shops are too strapped to deploy software the old-fashioned way."
"Supply chain problems are more acute than ever and to solve them requires a different set of capabilities and a different delivery model," said Douglas Colbeth, CEO of Kinaxis. "In offering RapidResponse as an on-demand service, we are changing the paradigm in which customers acquire, deploy and use the unique capabilities we deliver. By easing cost and IT resources, customers can achieve unprecedented time-to-value, and gain the extended supply chain visibility, coordination and response management methods necessary to drive operations performance in today's complex manufacturing world".
On-demand Service Meets Today's Business Needs
With the pervasive trend of outsourcing, adoption of an on-demand service to solve supply chain challenges is a natural extension of a brand owner or manufacturer's outsourcing activities and offers many compelling operational benefits.
- Lower Total Cost of Ownership and No Capital Investment
Unlike traditional enterprise applications, an on-demand service requires no user-owned or managed infrastructure (software or hardware), reducing risks and costs by eliminating the need for up- front capital investments and ongoing IT resources for maintenance and management. And with a one-time, fixed-fee deployment, customers can depend on a predictable and cost-managed implementation. In addition, the on-demand RapidResponse service, available through an all-inclusive monthly subscription fee, gives companies the flexibility to scale the solution as and when needed, as well as to automatically remain current on new RapidResponse releases. - Global Access, Any Time, Anywhere
The on-demand RapidResponse service is accessible from a web browser, making it instantly available to unlimited employees and partners around the globe. - Rapid Time-to-Value
With a streamlined deployment process that can typically be done in a matter of weeks with limited IT resources, customers are able to realize value quickly. And the on-demand model allows companies to add sites, users and/or other application modules at any time. - World Class Security and Availability
The on-demand RapidResponse service is built around world-class network security and availability. Kinaxis has collaborated with IBM Global Services to deliver a state-of-the-art service. With one of the most comprehensive application hosting capabilities in the industry, IBM has the system architecture and monitoring procedures to ensure utmost security and optimal performance, supporting a Service Level Agreement (SLA) of 99% uptime. While Kinaxis remains the single point of contact to the customer, its on-demand offering is backed by IBM's deep application hosting expertise, reliable services, and a security-rich infrastructure.
Raising the Bar on Supply Chain Collaboration and Response
Supply chains have been replaced by supply networks. Brand owners, contract manufacturers, and suppliers manage a "virtual enterprise" of interconnected players working in a dynamic environment. To win in this environment requires supply chain visibility and collaboration throughout the enterprise and extended supply network-a function best met through an easily and widely accessible on-demand service.
Fundamental to RapidResponse is its ability to facilitate a community of users working simultaneously from a "single version of the truth" to solve problems as they arise. Now, the need for collaboration and operational transparency will be further served through the on-demand RapidResponse service and in particular its RapidResponse Glass Pipeline(capability. RapidResponse Glass Pipeline provides a conduit to securely connect RapidResponse to data residing in disparate ERP or other RapidResponse systems-whether internal or external to the organization-enabling an aggregated, multi-enterprise view of the entire business.
RapidResponse with the RapidResponse Glass Pipeline benefits all supply network participants by reducing the burden on IT to share essential information, while fostering increased supply chain visibility, coordination and response to improve customer service and operating efficiencies.
Kinaxis RapidResponse is used by over 50,000 users at over 400 manufacturing sites around the globe, including some of the largest brand owners and manufacturers in the world. With a 20-year history of innovation and customer service, Kinaxis is uniquely positioned to lead with an on-demand Response Management service.
The on-demand RapidResponse service with RapidResponse Glass Pipeline will be available next month.
New Board Member
In a separate release issued today, Kinaxis announced the appointment of Howard Gwin to its Board of Directors. Gwin, a seasoned software company executive with direct Software-as-a-Service experience, has been a valuable resource as Kinaxis introduces its on-demand Response Management service. For full release visit: www.kinaxis.com.
About Kinaxis
Kinaxis stands alone in delivering an on-demand Response Management service that drives operations performance management for brand owners and contract manufacturers. RapidResponse extends beyond supply chain planning systems to enable global leaders such as Casio, Coty, Honeywell, Jabil Circuit, Raytheon and Benchmark to access real-time information; quickly collaborate to reach optimal decisions that align with corporate objectives; and rapidly drive effective action when faced with constant changes. For more information, visit the Kinaxis web site at www.kinaxis.com or the company's blog at blog.kinaxis.com.