Improving manufacturing operations during a recession . . . is software really a priority?
The headlines of today’s Wall Street Journal listed the rapid (vapid?) drop in manufacturing across the globe – Japan, Korea, the EC, the US – without exception the incredibly rapid drop in output is horrific. And yet, as history has proven, these are the very times that will sort out the best run businesses. The survivors will be those that make the investments and difficult changes necessary to become the kind of nimble and efficient manufacturer required to thrive during the next economic cycle.
How do know this? Q4 2008 was the best quarter ever for Steelwedge as manufacturers really focused on wringing out inefficiencies, moved quickly to improve agile planning practices, and set short-term goals to put in place the kind of infrastructure required to survive the dramatic downturn and be well positioned to thrive during the next cycle.
However, there is a distinction this time. Companies are not buying the kind of old-school, traditional cumbersome, transaction-focused software offered by the first generation of software companies – SAP, Oracle, Infor and the like. Leading companies already have this kind of infrastructure in place – now they are looking to leverage there investment by improving planning. Moreoever, they cannot wait for an expensive 12 month implementation cycle – they need a solution now!
The net effect of this change in focus has been a dramatic increase in interes in OnDemand (SaaS) software offered by companies such as Salesforce.com and Steelwedge. In fact, our partnership with Salesforce has brough in numerous deals as has our growing partnership with SAP. In each case, their customers were looking for a world-class, highly scalable, yet simple, cost-effective, and subscription-based solution.
This is at the heart of Steelwedge’s best-in-class OnDemand Sales and Operations Planning solution.
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