Executives at manufacturing firms that use SAP AG's popular R/3 enterprise system will soon have a new visual tool to help them make decisions.
SAP AG has purchased the rights to Management Cockpit, an executive information system that provides high-level data in a visual format. Developed by Patrick Georges and his company, N.E.T. Research Brussels, Belgium, the Management Cockpit takes corporate data from SAP's Business Information Warehouse and displays it graphically on large "war room"-style panels.
The Management Cockpit is actually a specially designed room resembling an airplane cockpit crammed with visual displays. For instance, the "flight deck" has a six-screen, high-end PC and a wall display system with 18 backlit panels. The system is supported by software that manages the display of information on the walls of the room.
"The Management Cockpit allows chief decision makers to concentrate on the most important issues," says Henning Kagermann, executive board member, SAP AG. "Just as in an airplane cockpit, all the information relevant to corporate management is made available quickly, enabling managers to adjust their corporate strategy promptly if necessary."
