Supply-Chain Planning Software Tackles High-Value Problems

Compiled ByDeborah Austin SynQuest Inc., Atlanta, has launched a new suite of collaborative supply-chain planning (SCP) software -- SynQuest 7.0 -- which aims to solve high-value business problems once deemed too complex to tackle. Rather than addressing separate functions that may present conflicting objectives when deployed together (e.g., lowering inventory costs at the expense of higher transportation costs), SynQuest says its software lets companies address common business goals across multiple functions. SynQuest 7.0 -- designed for automotive, industrial, printing, packaging and consumer-durables applications -- adds the following capabilities to its existing software: product line profitability analysis, returnable container planning, advanced supplier collaboration (enabling direct input of trading partners' capabilities), finished vehicle scheduling, trim optimization, calibration (to baseline existing performance) and contingency planning.