Optiant Customer Imation Wins Start Magazine's Technology and Business AwardOptimized Postponement Strategy Sets New Industry Standard for Supply Chain Performance BOSTON, MA (Sept. 20, 2002) -- Imation Corp., a global leader in removable
data storage media, has been selected as the 2002 winner of Start Magazine's
prestigious Technology and Business Award, for its innovative use
of Optiant's PowerChain software for supply chain design and optimization. Imation was selected for the award based on the groundbreaking success
it achieved with the implementation of the PowerChain suite from
Optiant. Imation's objective was to develop and implement a re-designed
supply chain within its Data Storage and Information Management Division
to help the electronic media giant deliver over 7,500 product options
to market with the highest possible customer service levels for its retail
outlets. Using Optiant's PowerChain suite to design its optimal supply
chain, Imation successfully met its business goals for increasing market
share with new custom packaging options and executing the most responsive
and timely delivery performance. Within only a few weeks, Imation increased
customer service levels by 25 to 30 points and reduced total inventory
investment by 20 percent. "We're very excited to be recognized for our use of cutting-edge
technology," said Dana Smith, project manager at Oakdale, Minn.-based
Imation. "We have long believed in the value of innovation and the
power of the supply chain in supporting our business - with Optiant we
will be able to combine the two for powerful results." Imation selected Optiant after a careful evaluation of its needs and
requirements for a packaging postponement and inventory strategy. Imation
selected Optiant because of the company's established supply chain expertise
and the software's ability to pinpoint the optimal balance between customer
responsiveness, cost containment, and inventory. Most significantly, Imation
appreciated the PowerChain suite's robust modeling capability under
an intuitive GUI. The cross-departmental teams were able to compare hundreds
of alternative supply chain structures in seconds and quantify - in dollars
- the impact of postponement strategy decisions on the entire supply chain. "Imation's team took a bold step by demonstrating the importance
of establishing a comprehensive technology selection process," said
Peggy Smedley, editorial director of Start Magazine. "The
challenges they faced were significant, but the final supply chain solution
is proving to help Imation continue down the road not only as a leading
manufacturer, but a technology visionary as well." Imation has just completed an upgrade to Optiant's PowerChain
4.0, announced earlier this week. Imation will take advantage of new features,
such as time phasing, service level optimization, and cycle time optimization,
designed to help manufacturers meet the fluctuations in any business environment
to strike just the right balance between supply and demand. Imation's
experiences played a critical role in the evolution of the software to
model and optimize even the most complex supply chains under the solution's
remarkably intuitive GUI. "Imation has truly established a new standard for supply chain performance
in the manufacturing industry," said Jim Lawton, vice president of
product management for Optiant. "We are pleased to have helped them
exceed their business goals." About the company Optiant and PowerChain are trademarks of Optiant, Inc.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
|