German business software supplier SAP is rolling out a
new version of its SAP Business One software with several functions
designed for small and medium-sized manufacturers.
A key capability of the new release is integrated material
requirement planning (MRP), which gives small manufacturers greater
oversight and control of their operations, SAP said.
The MRP Wizard function, for instance, is designed to help
manufacturers manage their material planning more effectively in
the areas of procurement and production .
"The initial target group of SAP Business One consisted of
service-oriented companies, such as retailers, seeking software
support in the areas of accounting, human resources and logistics
as well as some CRM," said SAP spokesman Markus Berner. "With the
new version, we are adding capabilities required on the
manufacturing side."
Service-oriented users of SAP Business One, however, will also
benefit from some of the other software enhancements, according to
SAP. These include embedded CRM capabilities that support better
integration among sales, service and other customer-facing
activities, access to a fully integrated calendar to schedule
sales, service tasks and meetings and the ability to track, compare
and analyse win/loss activity.
Integration with Microsoft's Outlook is another new feature.
In addition, users can customise the business application to
manage additional or changing parts of their business.
The upgrade is available to existing SAP Business One customers
as part of their standard maintenance agreement. Additional
information is available at
www.sap.com/smb/businessone
John Blau writes for IDG News Service
