SmartOps Joins New SAP Industry Value Network For Chemicals
Industry-leading provider of inventory optimization solutions is among first to be included in new partnership network
SmartOps Corporation, the leading provider of enterprise-class supply chain optimization solutions, was named one of SAP's partners in its newly formed Industry Value Network (IVN) for Chemicals. The designation reflects SmartOps' record of success in providing inventory optimization solutions for a growing number of chemical manufacturers that are also SAP users.
The IVN for Chemicals joins SAP with leading independent software vendors, systems integrators from the chemicals industry, and executives from leading chemical companies to address the unique challenges facing the chemicals industry, including price and margin management, predictive process control and optimization and environmental compliance. IVN for Chemicals partners will collaborate to deliver new solutions in areas including supply chain optimization, where SmartOps is the leader with its Multistage Inventory Planning & Optimization (MIPO) software. For more information about the SAP IVN for Chemicals, please see the May 8, 2006 SAP press release titled, "SAP Ecosystem Unites to Bring Innovation to Chemicals Industry."
SAP announced the choice of SmartOps as the SAP IVN for Chemicals partner for Inventory Optimization as part of the launch of SAP's Enterprise Services Community at the SAP Enterprise Services Partner Summit in San Francisco on April 18-19th, 2006.
The IVN for Chemicals solutions will leverage SAP's NetWeaver platform, integrating with current SAP solutions to improve business processes, enhance operational performance and drive cost savings. SmartOps was among the first supply chain optimization solutions providers to receive Powered by SAP NetWeaver certification, a designation that indicates that MIPO seamlessly interfaces with SAP solutions-based environments.
SmartOps helps a growing number of chemical industry customers including Monsanto, Sun Chemical, Rohm and Haas, and Bayer MaterialScience achieve significant inventory reductions while improving customer service levels, product availability and other key performance measures.
"Rohm & Haas uses both SAP and SmartOps, and we see the IVN partnership as an accelerator to driving the next level of innovation in enterprise applications for companies in the chemicals industry," says Stephen J. Rauscher, vice president, global supply chain director, architectural and functional coatings at Rohm and Haas.
"The IVN for Chemicals gives SmartOps the opportunity to work closely with SAP, other top software vendors and integrators, and the chemical industry's leading manufacturers to create new, innovative processes and achieve transformational change in supply chain management," says Sridhar Tayur, chief executive officer of SmartOps. "Through the IVN for Chemicals, chemicals manufacturers can be assured that their business pain points - which often include supply chain management and inventory optimization - are addressed through broad-based industry expertise, best practice processes and SAP's platform leadership."
MIPO enables customers to achieve both a rapid return on investment and a long-term competitive advantage by determining the best possible inventory and product availability plans given inherent uncertainties, time-varying data, multi-location and inventory stage complexities, and aggressive customer service goals. MIPO dynamically generates optimal inventory targets for each stage of the supply chain while providing visibility into each inventory requirement -- including safety, cycle, pre-build, pipeline and merchandising stock requirements, by item or stock-keeping unit (SKU) -- to meet desired service levels. MIPO's optimized inventory targets serve as critical inputs for enterprise resource planning and advanced planning & scheduling systems, such as the SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization component of the mySAP(TM) Supply Chain Management solution, to deliver better intelligence for inventory planning and execution.
About SmartOps
SmartOps, the market leader in enterprise-class inventory optimization solutions, enables companies to more effectively manage the uncertainty of complex, multi-stage supply chains to achieve rapid return on investment and long term, sustainable value. Deploying SmartOps' practical and powerful solutions has dramatically improved critical, key planning targets leading to reduced working capital and increased profitability at Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies in heavy automotive, consumer durables and packaged goods, technology, pharmaceutical manufacturing, distribution, and retail industries. Contact SmartOps at 412-231-0115 or www.smartops.com for more information.