HighJump Software this week updated its supply chain execution software suite by unveiling a recently acquired on-demand transportation management application service as well as enhancements to its warehouse management and manufacturing execution modules.
The HighJump Supply Chain Advantage suite consists of more than 20 modules, including warehouse management, MES, manufacturing, and labor management applications. Version 9.0 of the suite is the first to feature HighJump's Transportation Management Advantage module, formerly known as FreightLogic by Pinnacle Distribution Concepts, which HighJump acquired in July.
HighJump was able to quickly integrate the transportation module into Supply Chain Advantage because both products share a common foundation -- Microsoft's .NET architecture. Also simplifying the task was the fact that the acquired module is delivered as a Web-based, on-demand application service, which minimizes required code integration, said Chad Collins, HighJump's director of product strategy, in an interview with Managing Automation. The other modules comprising Supply Chain Advantage are available in a standard on-premise, licensed format.
The new release of Supply Chain Advantage also includes enhanced warehouse management and manufacturing execution modules, as well as an improved execution platform and adaptability toolset. Among the new features:
- HighJump's flagship Warehouse Advantage module now contains deeper product support for distribution centers with complex, high-volume parcel shipping requirements. Specific enhancements for this module include cross-docking, inventory moves, purchase order handling, and voice container picking capabilities, Collins explained. Also, this release integrates the warehouse management system and the newly acquired transportation management system.
- The Manufacturing Advantage module features a new, Web-based touch-screen user interface optimized for the shop floor. This release also extends HighJump's material flow management capability to support lean manufacturing methods, according to the company, by orchestrating the movement of material through the manufacturing process, helping to streamline production without increasing inventory levels or adding labor. Material tracking and genealogy capabilities have also been enhanced to provide a greater level of inventory visibility and control of components and finished goods, the company said.
- Platform and adaptability toolset updates aimed at improving users' ability to efficiently adapt supply chain and manufacturing processes to meet ongoing demands include integrated version control, full support for international operations, and an Enterprise Application Repository, which provides a central storage location for business processes used across multiple applications and environments.
Moreover, HighJump's workforce management module -- Labor Advantage -- now ships with updates based on feedback from early adopters of the product, and features goal-time information made available to employees prior to a work assignment, and actual performance as well as overall daily performance displayed upon task completion. The new version also includes improved reporting, new travel attributes and rules, as well as a standard API for integrating a time and attendance system, according to the company.
HighJump claims Supply Chain Advantage's new .NET architecture has been extremely well received by customers, who now have access to a more modern and intuitive interface and visibility into their operations via an enhanced dashboard that provides detailed demand and inventory data spanning the supply chain.
The Supply Chain Advantage Suite dates to the mid-1990s, when HighJump, now an
subsidiary of diversified manufacturer 3M, was limited to providing bar code data collection technology. According to the company, many of its customers sought a "best of breed" SCE system to work alongside their incumbent ERP system. The company's founding bar code data collection system is still used in this capacity as well, where data is fed into a customer's ERP system via a handheld device.
Warehouse Management is the most popular module in the suite, Collins noted, utilized by 150-200 customers out of approximately 700 that license all modules combined. HighJump's major discrete manufacturing customers include Toro, Hitachi Data Systems, and York (a Johnson Controls company). Automotive and aerospace customers include Bridgestone/Firestone, Pirelli, and Honeywell. The company also has key customers in the food and beverage, CPG, retail, logistics, and distribution segments.
Pricing for the SCE suite depends upon factors including the number of customer sites at which instances of the software will reside, as well as the number of modules deployed, but generally begins at about $50,000 for a typical customer, Collins said.
HighJump's acquisition of Pinnacle, as well as a recently signed
agreement to acquire Global Beverage Group Inc. (GBG), a provider of delivery management solutions for the direct-store delivery of consumer packaged goods, align with the company's "source to consumption" vision, in which HighJump aims to offer functionality that spans the entire supply chain -- and beyond. The GBG deal, expected to close in early November, will provide HighJump with supply chain management technology to target the "last mile" for its CPG and retail customers, Collins said. Specifically, applications will include a set of mobile technologies for tracking inventory and sales data at the individual store level.
Once the GBG acquisition is completed, HighJump will have covered material flow management from source through consumption. From there, the company will focus on adding depth across the supply chain by blending execution and operational capabilities with supply chain planning, Collins said. HighJump's objective is enabling a "real-time supply chain," he added.