ORLANDO, Fla. and STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 10, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Intentia today unveiled plans for Movex3, a third generation of its Movex enterprise software designed to help mid-sized companies adopt more flexible business processes. The key drivers for Movex3 will be deeper, industry-specific functionality, simplified interoperability with other systems and business partners, and a richer, more natural user experience designed to encourage innovation, not just mechanical efficiency.
The plans were shared at Intentia's U.S. Movex User Conference held in Orlando.
Intentia CEO Bertrand Sciard said Intentia's industry-specific solutions provide a critical advantage for mid-sized companies. "Everywhere we see an increasingly dynamic, global business environment and the companies that are going to thrive are those that are able to embrace changes that give them a competitive advantage," he said. "Intentia can uniquely address the distinct business needs of food and beverage, fashion, wholesale distribution and asset-intensive companies. Generic approaches just won't work."
Sensible Approach to SOA Will Deliver Agility and Simplicity
A key part of Intentia's plans for Movex3 is to give mid-sized companies the means to realize the benefits of a service-oriented architecture (SOA) while re-using their existing investment in Movex and without the complexity of managing or assembling countless web services. The SOA enabler of Movex3 is code-named ADA-Active Document Adapter, which provides a business process layer for Movex3 applications to interoperate seamlessly with other SOA-based web services and applications. Because the interoperability takes place at the business logic level, rather than at the code level as with traditional enterprise application integration, it will dramatically improve companies' ability to change processes and connections as their business needs require.
Intentia will be able to quickly define all core business integration scenarios with Project ADA by leveraging its 20 years of expertise in the make, move, and maintain industries. Henrik Billgren, president of Intentia research and development, described the approach as ideally suited for mid-market companies.
"Breaking down bulky enterprise applications into individual services delivers the flexibility benefits of SOA, but in its purest form, implementation complexity and cost is too high for mid-sized companies and would more than offset any gains," Billgren said. "Conversely, larger applications are simpler to deploy but are too rigid for today's dynamic business environment. We believe that Project ADA will enable us to take a sensible approach to SOA that's right for the mid-market by providing both business agility and implementation simplicity."
The ADA platform will encourage agile supply chains and adaptable business processes because the time and cost required to make changes will be significantly reduced. Companies can choose and change business partners based on the ability of those partners to deliver the best product or service, rather than resisting such changes because of the IT hurdles they create. "The smartest thing about Project ADA," Billgren concluded, "is that it again leverages our customers' investment in Movex Java. They can therefore benefit from SOA faster, with less risk and at a lower cost than otherwise possible."
Declaring War on the ERP User Experience
Intentia is also working with Palo Alto, Calif.-based consulting firm frog design to completely rethink the user experience of enterprise software. The goal is to eliminate the rigidity prevalent in the user experience of most ERP systems on the market. This rigidity causes knowledge workers to turn to spreadsheets and other tools that are disconnected from the information in the ERP system. By enabling users to work flexibly within the Movex3 system, Intentia believes customers will foster more enterprise-wide innovation.
"We're declaring war on the traditional ERP user experience," Billgren said. "People should want to go into the system."
Cees van Dok, frog design creative director, said dramatic changes are being driven by careful analysis of users' needs. "We are addressing these needs via a number of new user interface techniques that we believe will dramatically improve both the usability and efficiency of the software and really give Intentia's applications a signature look," he said. "This includes easier navigation within workflows, easy customization of forms, and smart input assistance to help users make faster decisions. It also includes a cleaner visual design that is more customized and focuses the user more easily on core tasks through less clutter and a spacious primary workspace."
Intentia has shared a prototype with users to demonstrate concepts the new Movex3 may include.
"The prototype shows that Intentia understands the real limitations of the user experience of today's ERP systems," said current Intentia customer Herbert Schaffner, general manager, information systems, Olympus Europa GmbH. "I'm enthusiastic about the direction Intentia is headed in freeing users to bring more innovation to their work. I can see how their new approach to the user interface could unlock significant additional value from business applications for better and flexible process support."
New Product and Service Announcements Support Future Direction
Intentia's other user conference announcements complement the Movex3 themes of industry focus, enhanced interoperability, improved user experience and lower cost of ownership.
-- QuickStep industry solutions lower ownership costs by providing
pre-configured solutions for Intentia's primary industries,
reducing implementation times by 50 percent or more. The
solutions leverage Intentia's years of industry experience by
pre-configuring up to 90 percent of the processes and
functionality that companies in each industry need.
-- The Stepping Up program introduces faster and simpler upgrade
paths to Intentia's latest Java version, demonstrating continued
focus on reducing total cost of ownership for customers
throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Both announcements also illustrate Intentia's emphasis on delivering a whole solution for the mid-market, which includes applications, technology, business intelligence tools, professional services and support.
For further information, please contact:
About frog design, inc.
frog design is a creative consulting firm founded in Germany in 1969, where it worked with firms such as Wega, Sony, then Apple. Today, frog design works with Fortune 100 clients to evolve, expand and envision their businesses by identifying emerging market opportunities and transforming ideas into compelling product and service experiences. The company consults with companies in a variety of industries including consumer electronics and goods, retail, entertainment, finance, medical, automotive, software and fashion, among many others. Recent clients include Nextel, Disney, and Hewlett-Packard. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and employs 300+ individuals with an eclectic range of backgrounds. www.frogdesign.com
About Intentia
Intentia is the only global enterprise solutions provider 100% dedicated to bringing software applications and consulting services to companies whose core processes involve manufacturing, distribution and maintenance-what we call the "make, move and maintain" market.
-- 100% of our resources are committed to this market. -- 100% of our software is designed for this market. -- 100% of our experience is in serving this market.
Intentia was founded in 1984 and serves over 3,000 customer sites in some 40 countries around the world. Our business solutions currently comprise enterprise management, supplier relationship management, customer relationship management, supply chain management, value chain collaboration, enterprise performance management and workplace management.
Intentia is a public company traded on the Stockholm Stock Exchange (XSSE) under the symbol INT B. Visit Intentia's Web site at www.intentia.com.
Intentia
The Intelligent Choice