(eIntelligence)
Originally RELEASED 8:30 August 26, 2002
e.Intelligence
and Fusion Labs Offer Retailers and Consumer Packaged Goods
Companies Collaborative Demand Planning
New
Collaborative Planning Hubs offer managed service for collaborative
planning to improve demand generation and forecast accuracy
Minneapolis,
MN, August 26 - Today, e.Intelligence, Inc. and Fusion Laboratories,
Inc. announced a strategic partnership to bring to market
Collaborative Planning Hubs that enable retailers and manufacturers
to improve revenue and margins by better planning and coordinating
demand generating activities. Collaborative Planning Hubs
allow department stores, mass merchandisers, drug, grocery,
electronics, home improvement chains and their vendors to
more effectively plan, manage and track demand by sharing
key information and collaborating on ongoing planning and
execution. e.Intelligence and Fusion Labs will jointly develop
and market Collaborative Planning Hubs, and Fusion Labs
will manage the solution and provide process integration
capabilities.
Collaborative
Planning Hubs improve inventory level management and reduce
out-of-stocks, markdowns, returns and spoilage. The shared
results are improved margin, increased revenue, higher levels
of profitability and improved customer service for both
the retailer and the manufacturer. In addition, because
it is a managed service, the retailer and manufacturer do
not have to apply internal resources to manage and maintain
the solution.
"The
benefits of industry collaboration are not subject to debate,"
said Jack Haedicke, President of Arena Consulting, industry
veteran and co-chair of VICS CPFR n-Tier Committee. "The
results are proven in terms of increased sales, reduced
out of stocks and lowered inventories. What has been missing
is a simple to use collaborative system solution. Combined,
the resources of e.Intelligence and Fusion Labs make that
solution a reality."
"The agreement between our two companies is more than
the traditional marketing agreement. Together, we are providing
retailers and their vendors an effective and efficient collaborative
demand planning solution that improves operational efficiencies
and increases demand for products moving through the demand
chain," said Brian Blackmarr, Fusion Labs President/CEO.
"e.Intelligence provides proven planning capabilities
and has a veteran team that has successfully built industry
solutions for nearly 20 years."
Collaborative
Planning Hubs will leverage e.Intelligence's proven software
for demand planning and analysis, that is optimized for
secure information sharing and user collaboration, and further
complement Fusion Labs' suite of retail specific managed
applications. Fusion Labs currently provides business application
management services for companies including Mary Kay Cosmetics,
Neiman Marcus, Toys "R" Us, Saks Fifth Avenue,
Bank of America, NCR and Kintetsu World Express.
The
Need for Collaborative Planning Hubs
Retailers and manufacturers share responsibility for demand
creation; however, each has different operational and financial
goals driving their decision-making. To achieve these different
goals, both parties need to share certain pieces of information
while keeping other key pieces of information private. Collaborative
Planning Hubs support secure information sharing while addressing
the unique analytic requirements of each participant.
"Collaboration
is not a simple exchange of forecasts or sales data,"
said Rick Tanler, founder and CEO of e.Intelligence. "True
collaboration requires that both the retailer and the manufacturer
have the ability to share key elements of their analysis,
reach consensus and most importantly, work together to execute
plans to achieve their goals."
About
e.Intelligence, Inc.
e.Intelligence provides collaborative demand planning and
performance tracking solutions to retailers and consumer
good manufacturers, enabling each to more efficiently and
effectively collaborate and execute demand generating activities.
e.Intelligence enables companies to see and understand the
impact of demand drivers like merchandising, pricing and
promotion. Through e.Intelligence, companies collaborate
and reach consensus on projected demand with their suppliers
and partners in order to improve forecast accuracy and establish
time-critical performance targets. Based in Minneapolis,
MN, e.Intelligence can be reached at 952.920.0478 and www.ei-inc.com.
About
Fusion Laboratories, Inc.
Fusion Laboratories, Inc. was formed in 2001 to provide
Technology Infrastructure, Application Management and Consulting
Services. The Fusion Labs management team previously founded
and built BRBA, a Dallas based-regional technology firm.
Fusion Labs has provided business solutions, application
support and business process outsourcing for a range of
vertical market leaders. Current clients and partners served
by Fusion Labs include: Neiman Marcus, Toys "R"
Us, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bank of America, NCR, and Kintetsu
World Express.
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Contacts:
Steve Byrnes Cheryl Bella
e.Intelligence Price Public Relations, Inc.
952.920.0478 x112 415.447.1660
sbyrnes@ei-inc.com cbella@pricepr.com
