Adonix + CIMPRO = A Feature-Rich Action ERP Product, But With Challenges

Adonix (www.adonix.com ), a abreast captivated French action applications provider for mid-sized mixed-mode accomplishment and administration companies, is shipment its new Adonix X3 Action Suite. When Adonix acquired the CIMPRO artefact from MAI Systems Corporation (NASDAQ: NOW), a provider of business solutions to the accommodation industry, in December 2002, it promised to use the CIMPRO appliance abject as a starting point to accompany a abounding Action ERP alms to the mid-market. Adonix X3 is a web-native ERP band-aid for mid-sized companies, amalgam manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, chump accord administration (CRM), and accounts functionality. The new Adonix X3 Action automates and integrates the circuitous adapt administration and planning requirements of action manufacturers.

Adonix is a absolute international, independent, mid-market ERP provider, founded in 1979, with over 7,000 barter worldwide. According to Alex Attal, CEO Adonix North America, "Adonix addresses the needs of the underserved "Fortune 50,000" of mid-market companies."

Although abreast held, the aggregation letters an amoebic advance amount of 5% additional acquirement advance via accretion that resulted in 2002 acquirement advance of about $75 actor over $45 actor in 2001. The aggregation claims abiding advantage and a 20%+ anniversary investment in R&D. With 750 advisers and 150 business ally in 18 countries, Adonix claims a arrangement of over 2,000 accomplished professionals

In backward 1999, Adonix X3 was launched. That artefact now serves about 700 new barter through 1Q 2003 and is experiencing a 20% acquirement growth. Adonix X3 technology and applications serve as a above allocation of the new Adonix X3 Action Suite. To the absolute X3 product, Adonix has rewritten and added the action functionality from CIMPRO.

Adonix X3 generally exhibits above appearance and capabilities compared to a lot of of its associate mid-market competitors' products, decidedly in agreement of scalability, flexibility/configuration, multi-national capabilities, multi-site capabilities, and the abutment for abounding platforms (UNIX and Windows NT/2000/XP, appliance Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, and Oracle databases, both through the Windows- and browser-based client). Further, Adonix uses industry-standard accoutrement such as XML and Java, calm with Adonix API's (application programming interfaces) that accessible the arrangement to communicating analytic calmly with business partners, trading exchanges and added applications and languages. In accession to the platforms mentioned, the aggregation afresh ported Adonix X3 to IBM's Websphere Appliance Express.

The CIMPRO acquirement was the a lot of contempo in a alternation of acquisitions that began seven years ago. Adonix has back acquired four added software vendors for their assets and ability and has melded the best of their capabilities into an chip action software framework for mid-market companies. For added advice on Adonix above-mentioned to CIMPRO acquisition, see Adonix Grows Roots Adjoin The Odds.

CIMPRO is far from a new name to those who chase Action ERP. CIMPRO was a baton in the amplitude from the mid-80's to the aboriginal 90's from Datalogix. In the aboriginal 90's Datalogix developed GEMMS as a sister artefact to CIMPRO. In the mid-90's Datalogix was acquired by Oracle with GEMMS now confined as the affection of the Oracle action accomplishment band-aid and CIMPRO affective to MAI. When MAI adjudge to focus on added markets in the 2002, Adonix acquired the CIMPRO business (see Will Adonix Provide A Warmer Home To CIMPRO?).

Adonix absitively to carbon the CIMPRO functionality appliance the Adonix toolset, accommodate it with the adapted X3 modules (financials and purchasing for example) and rename the consistent artefact the Adonix X3 Action Suite. This fast-acting move should affected some of the CIMPRO shortcomings mentioned like multi-national capabilities, that bound the marketability of the absolute CIMPRO Classic and CIMPRO V packages.

The celebrated CIMPRO strengths are still actual accordant to action manufacturers today and accept been preserved and, according to the vendor, added in the X3 Action Suite. These include:

Richard Surdez, Vice President, Action Industry for Adonix tells us, "Adonix X3 Action is the ideal band-aid for companies bearing aliment and cooler items (dairy products, preserved fruits and vegetables, atom comminute products, bakery and cake products, beverages, fats, oils, dressings, flavors and sauces) and chemicals (paints and coatings, automated chemicals, lubricants and adhesives, petrochemicals, cosmetics, plastics and constructed abstracts or specialty chemicals.)

Adonix is entering the awash mid-market action market. Although today no assured baton has emerged yet, added vendors are added accustomed in this bazaar including:

* Invensys Production Solutions (formerly Marcam Solutions and Baan Process, see Invensys Production Solutions - Can Celebrated Strengths And The 'Protean Boost' Affected Its Liabilities?)

* Agilisys (formerly SCT's Action Accomplishment & Administration Business, see Agilisys Continues Agilely Post-SCT)

* Ross Systems (Ross Systems Shows Poise in 'Big Easy')

* Ramco Systems (see Ramco Ships Technology And Products. Is This The Approaching Of Action Applications?)

* SSA GT (Is SSA GT Betting Infini(um)tely On Acquisitions?).

In addition, acceptable Tier 1 one vendors like J.D. Edwards, Oracle, and SAP as able-bodied as ample Tier 2 vendors like Intentia, IFS, QAD or SYSPRO are attempting to access this market. We aswell see Microsoft Business Solutions and Best Software acceptable alive in this amplitude either via accomplice solutions or acquisitions. With little or no name recognition, how will Adonix accretion a ballast adjoin this competition?

For abounding the CIMPRO name is a additional and a minus. CIMPRO is accustomed as a action affluent artefact but has a acceptability for old technology. Can Adonix account from the functionality after adversity from the technology atramentous billow even admitting the new artefact has been rewritten in the Adonix toolset? The ever-important abstruse clearing aisle for CIMPRO users will accept to be appear too, and it will accept to be abundant above archetypal abstracts about-face tools, and a consistent basic reimplementation if they advancement to the new product. A mitigating agency in this attention should be Adonix' artefact openness, and its antecedent ability in assimilating articles with disparate technologies.

Also, while CIMPRO supports batch-oriented accomplishment decidedly able-bodied with appearance such as adjustable packaging, adapt scaling, adapt administration and chancy abstracts reporting, it has been beneath able in a accurate continuous-flow ambiance and is best ill-fitted for alone rather than multi-site environments with interdependencies. Adonix has yet to adjudge whether to accompany the regulations from the US Aliment and Drug Administration (FDA) such as 21 CFR 11 Part 11 or the пїЅcatchweight' functionality (mandatory for some industries such as meat-packing), which its above-mentioned bounden action ERP competitors accept continued exhibited.

Adonix has congenital a able centralized and third affair approach to advertise its products. However, this approach is after action accomplishment acquaintance or ability in a bazaar advised by abounding to be actual ambitious in its admiration for abreast humans and companies. Not to acknowledgment the charge to apprentice the approaching absolutely chip artefact blueprint, and the approaching accomplishment of cross-training the accumulated absolute sales and amount added resellers (VARs). Can Adonix catechumen this approach to serve the action market? Should it try to body a action alone channel?