Manhattan Associates enhances Manhattan ILST

Global supply chain optimisation provider Manhattan Associates, Inc. has announced enhancements to Manhattan ILS: Integrated Logistics Solutions, built on Microsoft.NET, developed for companies desiring supply chain solutions that leverage the advantages of Microsoft's.NET technology which is flexible and economical to deploy.

Manhattan ILS uses sophisticated optimisation techniques to improve the flow of goods throughout supply chains, enabling companies to tie together processes, data and workflows to increase order accuracy, improve deliveries and gain total visibility into inventory.

Optimised for the Microsoft platform and leveraging the complete Microsoft .NET framework, Manhattan ILS provides a familiar, easy-to-use experience across all modules. As the first supply chain software to be Certified for Microsoft Dynamics, Manhattan ILS gives Microsoft DynamicsT AX customers a proven solution with independently tested integration that has been deployed at numerous companies. For organisations that have invested or plan to invest in Microsoft environments, Manhattan ILS maximises speed-to-value by reducing IT complexity and deployment.

"Manhattan ILS manages inventory flow from order to delivery in our primary distribution centre, which fills orders from more than 3,500 retail locations," said Matt Wojewuczki, vice president of operations for Vera Bradley, which creates and distributes a large selection of cotton quilted handbags, travel bags, accessories, and innovative limited edition lines. "Manhattan ILS enables us to centralise distribution functions where appropriate and provides visibility into each order; improving process efficiencies and providing better service to our partners and customers."

"Manhattan Associates has made substantial commitments in expanding its R&D for this latest release, broadening its functionality within warehousing, transportation, labour management, billing management, slotting optimisation, trading partner management, RFID support, and business intelligence (BI)," said Greg Aimi, research director, AMR Research.

The Manhattan ILS solution suite includes: warehouse management, labour management, transportation management, yard management, extended enterprise management and performance management.

New features and enhancements of Manhattan ILS include:

• New graphical outbound dock management screen, using Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) technology, supports real-time management of shipping dock operations;
• Improved visibility to dock locations, tasking post-picking, and trailer loading providing optimised distribution processes;
• Additional Web Services interfaces added to support Work Orders and Bills of Material;
• Continued expansion of service-oriented architecture (SOA) platform by exposing supply chain processes as web services and introducing Microsoft's Workflow Foundation (WF) technology;
• Additional developments to the Performance Management Dashboard including a graphical representation of trend analysis, and a new option called Analytics, which analyses labour and profits to provide greater supply chain visibility;
• Enhanced wave management capabilities including the ability to better personalise the selection of shipments and the ability to more effectively manage custom wave filters;
• Updated Dynamics AX interface with significant enhancements to serial and lot processing for greater inventory accuracy and accountability.

"Manhattan ILS integrates the many business processes of the supply chain to ensure customers receive their goods when they expect them," said Eddie Capel, executive vice president for product management and customer support, Manhattan Associates. "This new version adds exciting new features to help businesses identify areas of opportunity and revenue growth, improve operations across their enterprise, and deliver a higher level of service to their customers."

About Manhattan Associates, Inc.

Manhattan Associates continues to deliver on its 17 year heritage of providing global supply chain excellence to more than 1,200 customers worldwide that consider supply chain optimisation core to their strategic market leadership. The company's supply chain innovations include: Manhattan SCOPET, a portfolio of software solutions and technology that leverages a Supply Chain Process Platform to help organisations optimise their supply chains from planning through execution; Manhattan ILST, a portfolio of distribution management and transportation management solutions built on Microsoft.NET technology; and Manhattan Carrier Management, a suite of supply chain solutions specifically addressing the needs of the motor carrier industry.