International Business Systems (IBS) has announced the general availability of IBS Enterprise7, a major new release of the IBS Enterprise suite. Designed and architected with business scalability in mind, IBS Enterprise7 promises to be the only distribution management system a company needs regardless of size, location, reach or complexity, the company says. With more than 150 different and new areas of functionality, IBS Enterprise7 will help organizations scale their sales, markets, execution capabilities, and most importantly their efficiencies and control.

"Our vision of scalable distribution is to ensure that our customers never outgrow their core business applications. With IBS Enterprise7 we continue to deliver the robust proven solutions that our customers have now enjoyed for over 30 years. Now with increased scalability, our customers and, indeed future customers, can be sure that they will never outgrow their application needs. Scalable distribution is something all of our customers strive for, and now they know that their business software infrastructure will assist them achieving it,” said Andy Bailey, chief marketing officer at IBS.

Scale Your Sales

Distribution companies invariably operate in increasingly complex markets, with tightening margins, greater competition and a never-ending focus on sales and improved customer service. To help facilitate a greater scalability around sales execution, and in response to significant customer requests, IBS Enterprise7 now includes a new integrated best-in-class and world-recognized CRM offering. Additional and significant enhancements have also been developed to deliver more scalable e-commerce solutions, including a sophisticated portlet architecture for social media and customer self-service.

Scale Your Market

Pushing into new markets and deepening market penetration and share has become commonplace in wholesale and distribution, with companies needing to extend their basis of operations as well as their range of product and services. In short, today’s demand-driven distributor needs to be scalable and global. IBS Enterprise7 helps simplify that challenge by delivering a single offering but with localized language, business regulations and cultural facets built in. IBS Enterprise7 helps companies easily expand their business in other countries, with a localized system that still provides a consolidated view, visibility across territories and common application platform. For example IBS Enterprise7 includes business processes that allow distributors to sell products across different legal companies, whether the goods are stored in their own warehouses, within the company group or by a supplier.

Scale Your Execution

Increased volumes and more complex networks mean that execution capabilities need to grow. IBS Enterprise7 includes a new role-based user interface with dynamic and scalable integration to different applications and web-pages, allowing user familiarity and rollout in the fastest possible time.

Scale Your Efficiency

Increasing transaction and data volumes can in turn lead to out-of-control inefficiencies. IBS Enterprise7 ensures organizations never fall into the pit of growth paralysis, with many new automated processes. These include automated customer and supplier rebate processes and a dynamic tool to rationalize the supplier invoice process, resulting in increased productivity and significant time savings.

Scale Your Control

The specific processes of wholesale and distribution require specific management, reporting and controls; we call it Distribution Intelligence. A set of integrated planning, real-time monitoring and performance improvement tools, Distribution Intelligence provides everything needed to ensure companies stay in control of their business, no matter how small or large.

About IBS

With more than 30 years of experience, IBS is a leading provider of distribution management solutions. IBS focuses on industries such as automotive, electrical components, paper and packaging and pharmaceutical distribution. More than 4,000 customers across some 40 countries use IBS software to gain fast and measurable returns on IT investments.

After a turbulent few years, IBS has become a revitalized business with long-tem and profitable structure. Now in its 33rd year, IBS is still the world leader in distribution resource management with offices and partners in over 40 locations and more than 4000 customers throughout the world.

International Business Systems, IBS, was founded in 1978, when Staffan Ahlberg and Gunnar Rylander decided to turn the IT division of Ekonomisk Företagsledning into an independent company. The company’s first major success was a global assignment to develop an order processing system for all of Alfa Laval’s international subsidiaries. This type of close, long-term partnership set the company on a course of exceptionally close cooperation with customers, which is the backbone of the current strategy for recovery.

The company joined the Stockholm Stock exchange in 1986 and around that time established close cooperation with IBM. IBS became one of the leading suppliers of software for the IBM AS/400 (now Series i). In 2001, IBS set a new record by achieving the highest transaction volumes ever recorded in IBM’s testing lab in Rochester, New York for the AS/400.

 

During the second half of last year, IBS launched an extensive program to transform inefficiency and loss into a revitalized operation with long-range profit-able growth. A new organization and an extensive cost-reduction program yielded quick results and the last two quarters of the year were much stronger than the first two. This trend has continued into 2011.

The appointment of Johan Bergs as new CEO and the development of a fundamentally new platform for business has turned the company in the right direction and has created a confidence and renewed focus which is characterizing the new IBS.