ERP Vendor IFS Launches Office Business App in North America

By David Sims

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

IFS, an enterprise applications company, has announced the North American launch of its Business Analytics offering, an Office Business Application that makes IFS Applications enterprise resource planning (ERP) software accessible to users of the 2007 Microsoft (News - Alert) Office system.

 

Business Analytics is the first deliverable of the IFS Intelligent Desktop initiative, which company officials say will integrate IFS Applications with the 2007 Microsoft Office system "to make these applications more broadly available to enterprise customers."

 

The product provides "secure and traceable integration between Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and IFS Applications," according to company officials.

 

IFS North America President and CEO Cindy Jaudon said her firm is doing ongoing work with Microsoft on the Intelligent Desktop initiative, "in particular, extending ERP, enterprise asset management (EAM), supply chain management (SCM)" and other tools, such as maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO); product lifecycle management (PLM); project and contract management; customer relationship management (CRM); and corporate performance management (CPM) capabilities.

 

"Integration between IFS Applications and the 2007 Microsoft Office system will help our mutual customers increase productivity using the innovative Business Analytics OBA," said Eddie Amos, senior director of Developer and Platform Evangelism at Microsoft Corp.

 

Late last year humidity specialist Munters says it was continuing the roll-out of IFS Applications ERP system to improve efficiency and agility throughout the business -- the latest development being a contract to implement the solution for its Asian operations.

Munters, which first implemented an IFS Applications system in 2000, was using it in 14 countries in Europe and South Africa. The new system was due to go live first in Australia, followed by Japan and China.

As of the end of 2006, the system had been used to plan and manage all manufacturing, distribution, finance, installations, and service at its manufacturing sites in Sweden, Italy, Germany, and China.

David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.