This is according to the white paper, “Conquering Complexity in Real-Time Using Two-Tier ERP Strategies – Best Practices of Complex Manufacturers” (http://ow.ly/aV6Ig), presented by Cincom Systems (http://erp.cincom.com) that examines the best practices for companies that are out to become more competitive with a two-tier ERP strategy. “By concentrating on steps you can take today to transform your complex business ― and make it more competitive, responsive and opportunistic ― your company will better use the ERP systems it has,” says Louis Columbus, author of the white paper. “It’s time to challenge the status quo and confront complexity for what it is ― a major roadblock.”

 “Conquering Complexity in Real-Time Using Two-Tier ERP Strategies – Best Practices of Complex Manufacturers” (http://ow.ly/aV6Ig) answers the following questions:

• Can using a two-tier ERP strategy support the strategic role of factories in their global value chains?
• Can following a two-tier ERP strategy unite enterprise systems to a common objective?
• How do you define critical success factors for both pilots and full production?

“Opportunities are everywhere. Spotting and acting on them takes enterprise systems that can cut through complexity and allow a business to quickly get to its goals,” says Louis Columbus.

To download Cincom’s “Conquering Complexity in Real-Time Using Two-Tier ERP Strategies – Best Practices of Complex Manufacturers,” visit http://ow.ly/aV6Ig (no registration form required).

ABOUT CINCOM

For 43 years, Cincom has helped thousands of clients worldwide by solving complex business problems with its software and services. For more information about Cincom’s products and services, contact Cincom at 1-800-2CINCOM (USAonly), send an e-mail to info@cincom.com or visit the company’s website at www.cincom.com. Cincom is a Gold Certified Partner of the Microsoft Corporation.

Media Contacts:
Robyn Johnson
Corporate Public Relations
Cincom Systems
rrobinettjohnson@cincom.com
513-612-2123

This year the annual tradeshow focused on innovation, technology and education as Australia’s manufacturing industry faces a changing political, economic and social landscape. In response to this theme, Cincom saw a fantastic opportunity to discuss some of the latest technology trends in business and operations software.

“Your Interactive Connected Business” provided an overview of the shift towards mobile computing in Australia. Mobile computing refers to the ability to process business transactions and access BI information from a variety of mobile devices remotely. For example, Mobile Field Sales software gives roving salespeople the option to quote, close and better manage their customers and prospects without visiting the office.

Combining a sound mobile strategy with a comprehensive ERP backbone such as Cincom’s Priority™ means manufacturing businesses can become adaptable and dynamic, reacting quickly to opportunities and avoiding competitive threats.

Along with Peacock Brothers (mobile hardware supplier) and Flow (data integration specialists), Cincom discussed how the use of innovative technology can turn a process-stagnant company into an interactive, connected business. The demonstration was well received and sparked much discussion among attendees.

Automating processes is not a new idea in the manufacturing world. Before a product can hit the production line, it must first be configured before being sold, which for complex manufacturers, is a common bottleneck.

“Driving Information Closer to the Buyer” was comprised of a Cincom-chaired discussion on the sales and configuration process for complex manufacturers. Key issues that arose included lead times, limitations in responding to tenders and collaborating with your bid partners.

Concluding the session, Cincom demonstrated one particular technology that aims to automate this process: the Enterprise Sales Portal. Attendees were able to watch the inquiry-to-order and bid-management process in real time and ask relevant questions.

Greg Mills, CEO of Cincom Systems Australia, said, “The slogan for National Manufacturing Week this year was ‘Making Manufacturing Stronger’; we saw the seminars as the perfect opportunity to transfer information on some seriously innovative ideas and products. … Innovation is the path to growth and strength, and at Cincom, we are dedicated to business improvement and efficiency, and we love communicating that!”

National Manufacturing Week was held at Sydney Olympic Park from 8^th May-11^th May 2012. The show attracted over 8,000 attendees from across Australia and abroad.

About Cincom Systems

Cincom Systems of Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based Cincom Systems. For over 40 years, Cincom’s problem-solving software, services and people have helped thousands of companies all over the world grow and manage their businesses. The Australian subsidiary, established in 1975, services both Australiaand New Zealandand includes Australian customers Royal Australian Mint, ASC, Thales, CSL, Manly Windows, Campbell Scientific, SMC and TAD.  For more information about Cincom’s products and services, contact Cincom at 1 800 022 871, or send an e-mail to info@cincom.com.au.

Media Contacts:
Maria Mourikis
Cincom Australia Marketing Department
Phone: 02-8875 1400
Email: mmourikis@cincom.com

Cincom Acquire supports multi-channel selling for companies that sell complex products and services by providing channel and distributor collaboration, guided selling, sales and product configuration as well as price quotation and proposal management capabilities. Cincom Acquire can also be used to extend existing platforms including Microsoft Dynamics, salesforce.com, SAP and other CRM and ERP systems to deliver best-in-class configure, price, quote capabilities across multiple channels.

Cincom Acquire has many new features including:

ENHANCED BUSINESS RULES MANAGEMENT

Improved integration with external product data sources enables business users to effortlessly wrap knowledge around product and option data without the need for replication. “Customers want a single system of record, particularly when dealing with product and pricing data,” says Jim Wilson, Cincom Acquire product director. “Acquire makes this easier than ever.”

ADVANCED PRODUCT CATALOG AND OPTION MANAGEMENT

New Product Catalog and Option Management modules are included in Acquire 4.0. Acquire Catalog Management (CM) enables users to quickly select, configure and price products with minimal effort. Integration with the Cincom Business Rule Engine (BRE) enables product managers to intelligently manage access to the catalog based on channels and users so that each has their own view of products available. Another key feature, Option Management (OM), supports rule-based workflows to manage customer special requests.

MULTI-CHANNEL SUPPORT ENHANCEMENTS

Acquire 4.0 supports complex, multi-tier sales channels including direct and indirect agents. “One of the most important features added in release 4.0 is the ability for dealers to create and manage their own products and product options within the system,” says Jerry Miller, Cincom Acquire managing director. “Eighty percent of a reseller’s business goes to the manufacturer easiest to buy from. By integrating the reseller’s products and options, it’s now quicker to generate complete proposals for their customers from one system.”

NEW, EASY-TO-USE ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS

Many new tools have been added to simplify the setup and management of the system. “The Acquire 4.0 Administration tools have been extended to empower business users to easily manage the system without requiring additional IT support,” says Miller.

ABOUT CINCOM ACQUIRE

Cincom Acquire is a multi-channel, multi-currency and multi-lingual selling solution that automates the configuration, pricing and quoting (CPQ) of complex products and services. Cincom Acquire is powered by the Cincom Guru™ Business Rule Management System (BRMS) that empowers business users to automate complex sales and product knowledge. Cincom Acquire has helped companies streamline their sales processes by delivering critical product and sales knowledge to the point of sale, while significantly reducing “quote-to-cash” time―reducing proposal generation time from days to minutes and closing deals up to 80 percent faster.

ABOUT CINCOM

For 43 years, Cincom has helped thousands of clients worldwide by solving complex business problems with its software and services. For more information about Cincom’s products and services, contact Cincomat 1-800-2CINCOM (USAonly), send an e-mail to info@cincom.com or visit the company’s website at http://www.cincom.com.

RELATED LINKS

Cincom Acquire website

http://acquire.cincom.com

Website for configure, price quote; sales and product configuration; guided selling
Cincom Acquire Smart Selling blog

http://acquire.cincom.com/blog/

Cincom Acquire for Salesforce is a comprehensive, interactive, Configure Price Quote solution that simplifies and greatly improves the ability to sell complex products and services.  Cincom Acquire for Salesforce automates guided selling, creates complex pricing and discount rules and generates customized documents to meet customer needs.

To register for the Cloudforce Social Enterprise Tour – London, visit the Salesforce.com events website.

 About Cincom Acquire

Cincom Acquire is a multi-channel, multi-currency, multi-lingual and multi-branded selling solution that automates the configuration, pricing and quoting (CPQ) of complex products and services. Cincom Acquire is powered by the Cincom Guru Business Rule Management System (BRMS) which empowers business users to automate complex sales and product knowledge. Cincom Acquire has helped companies streamline their sales processes by delivering critical product and sales knowledge to the point of sale, while significantly reducing “quote-to-cash” time –  reducing proposal generation time from days to minutes and closing deals up to 80% faster.

The people who persuade the influencers are those highly experienced, trusted individuals who sit at the influencers’ feet. One of those who persuade the influencers is Louis Columbus of Cincom Systems. “Columbusis truly influential in the relationships he has with the influencers he knows,” says Paul Greenberg, author of “A Guide to Influence(rs) Chapter 1.” “He is one of those people that influencers simply trust.” Greenberg’s “A Guide to Influence(rs) Chapter 1,” discusses the top influencers in CRM, where they fall into the scheme of things and who they get their information from, including Louis Columbus.

Louis Columbus has extensive experience in CRM, sales, product configuration and multichannel management systems and strategies. While at AMR Research (Gartner), Louis assisted many Fortune 1,000 companies with their product and sales configuration, partner relationship management and channel management strategies. In addition to working at Cincom, he advises CRM and channel management start-ups on occasion with regard to product and marketing strategies. Louis lives inOrange,Californiawith his wife, daughter and two dogs. Louis likes to write and teach, in addition to hiking, mountain biking, snorkeling and scuba diving. He is also an avid traveler.

To read the full article, “A Guide to Influence(rs) Chapter 1,” visit Paul Greenberg’s blog.

Media Contact

Robyn Johnson
Cincom Systems, Inc.
Corporate Public Relations
rrobinettjohnson@cincom.com
513-612-2123

Pressures from the high Australian dollar, environmental issues, domestic politics and the global economy are all contributing to a major focus on innovation for today’s Australian manufacturing industry. Businesses are being pushed to keep up-to-date and find new and efficient ways of operating.

NMW 2012 aims to strengthen industry through technology, innovation and education. Paul Barker, Exhibition Director, says,

“Manufacturers are operating in a tough environment … however, there is clear evidence Australian industry is responding with increased productivity and innovation.

“NMW 2012 will, once again, feature a showcase of the latest capabilities available to industry, and we believe there will be strong interest in these new developments.”

This year, Cincom Systems is proud to be contributing to the theme of technology, innovation and education by not only exhibiting the absolute latest in enterprise software at stand 6406, but also by holding a series of informative seminars on the future of ERP and business-operations technologies in our dedicated seminar room, North Pod 3.

On Wednesday morning, Cincom will be talking to large-scale, complex manufacturers about collaborative selling and configuration.

Graeme King, BDM Cincom Systems of Australia, says,

“Manufacturers who have to deal with made-to-order or engineered-to-order products have a unique problem: bringing together masses of information from different departments, offices and businesses to complete simple tasks such as producing quotes. … We’ll be talking about the techniques and technologies available to cut down lead time considerably and increase profitability.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Cincom Systems will be partnering with Peacock Brothers and Flow Software to present an important seminar on the changing nature of business operations software. “Your Interactive Connected Business” will discuss new technologies such as mobile systems, cloud storage and paperless technologies.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for businesses to hear about these technologies in a practical way. We’ll be presenting case studies and explaining how businesses can gain competitive efficiencies as well as see a solid ROI,” says Peter Lanigan, BDM Cincom Systems.

As always, the Cincom Systems booth at 6406 will be manned by our manufacturing business experts. Part of our exhibition this year will also be to discuss the new Microsoft Global Independent Software Vendor (GISV) agreement that Cincom recently signed.

“It’s an exciting time at Cincom Systems, and NMW provides a great opportunity to talk with our customers and market about the endorsement by Microsoft as a GISV means for not only our customers, but the manufacturing technology market,” says Greg Mills, CEO, Cincom Systems Australia.

Earlier this year, Microsoft selected Cincom to build on the Microsoft Dynamics AX foundation as part of its Global ISV program. Cincom’s reputation as an industry leader with 40 years of experience in transforming complexity into sustainable competitive advantage for global manufacturers was a major contributing factor to selecting Cincom Systems.

Cincom Seminars at National Manufacturing Week 2012:

Driving Information Closer to the Buyer

Time: 10 a.m.–10:30 a.m., repeated at 11 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Date: Wednesday 9th May 2012

Location: Hall 3 North Pod

Your Interactive Connected Business

Sponsored by: Cincom Systems of Australia, Peacock Brothers and Flow Software

Time: 1:30–2:30 p.m., plus networking

Date: Wednesday 9th May 2012

Location: Hall 3 North Pod

About Cincom Systems

Cincom Systems of Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based Cincom Systems. For over 40 years, Cincom’s problem-solving software, services and people have helped thousands of companies all over the world grow and manage their businesses. The Australian subsidiary, established in 1975, services both Australia and New Zealand and includes Australian customers Royal Australian Mint, ASC, Thales, CSL, Manly Windows, Campbell Scientific, SMC and TAD.  For more information about Cincom’s products and services, contact Cincom at 1 800 022 871, or send an e-mail to info@cincom.com.au.

Media Contacts:
Maria Mourikis
Cincom Australia Marketing Department
Phone: 02-8875 1400
Email: mmourikis@cincom.com

Family, friends and colleagues were in attendance to help Nies celebrate his award for which he thanked his parents, his late wife Sue Nies, and all of the Cincomers past and present who have helped him achieve the tremendous levels of success that Cincom has reached over its 44 years.

The ceremony was filmed by the University of Cincinnati, and his acceptance speech was recently posted on the UC website.

To view the acceptance video, please click here: http://bit.ly/IRLqAp

“The importance of discreet activities (and of marking activities as complete when they’re finished) for the purpose of documenting history with an account or contact, and/or reporting, should not be underestimated,” says Andrew Vogel, a self-proclaimed CRM Ninja, of Cincom Systems.  His method for keeping track of activities and client account history in CRM, instead of on a tally sheet, were featured in the spring issue of CRMUG Magazine.  The article, “The Importance of Being Discreet,” is the first time Vogel has been mentioned in a CRM article; but this is not his first experience with CRM.

Andrew Vogel has experience with CRM that includes writing a CRM program for The University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy and implementing CRM for The University of Cincinnati College of Business, not to discount his experience with CRM at Cincom.  Andrew is a Cincinnati native who now lives in Forest Park with his wife Wendy and their seven cats and three dogs.  In his spare time, Andrew likes to travel and scuba dive with his wife, and has guided new chefs at the Midwest Culinary Institute for six years.

To read the full article, “The Importance of Being Discreet,” visit the CRMUG Magazine website. Or, to download your copy of the magazine, click here.

About Cincom

For 43 years, Cincom has helped thousands of clients worldwide by solving complex business problems with its software and services. Cincom, an IBM Premier Business Partner, helps customer-centric organizations differentiate and outperform through customer experience management.

Media Contact

Robyn Johnson
Cincom Systems, Inc.
Corporate Public Relations
rrobinettjohnson@cincom.com
513-612-2123