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Catalyst International, Inc. - Supply Chain Software
(414)
362-6800
8989
North Deerwood Drive
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53223
www.catalystwms.com
Sales
$31
million
Business Description
Catalyst International, Inc. provides customer-driven supply chain software
and services that optimize supply chain performance. We offer an innovative
suite of supply chain execution (SCE) supply chain software products and
services, called CatalystComplete™, that help our customers implement,
integrate, manage, and operate fast, efficient supply chain networks.
We develop SCE supply chain management software products and services that
add value to the supply chain and minimize risks to mission-critica1
operations. We believe that CatalystComplete benefits our customers by
delivering both a return on investment and a return on information. The
return on investment is achieved through enhanced operational efficiencies
and improved capital utilization. Our software improves the operational
efficiency of distribution centers by increasing labor productivity through
efficient employee scheduling, reduction of downtime, and by streamlining
product flow. The advanced features of our software improve capital
utilization by lowering inventory levels, increasing inventory turns, and
warehouse efficiencies, and improving space utilization. CatalystComplete
also provides a return on information through improved customer service,
enhanced customer satisfaction, and shortened delivery times.
Our plan is to improve our position as one of the leading best-of-breed SCE
suppliers through growth in three areas. First, we plan to expand our
product and services offering to include additional components of SCE
through both internal development and through acquisition. Second, we plan
to continue to add products and services that supplement the SCE offerings
of the major ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) companies, particularly SAP.
Finally, we plan to expand our customer base by combining with other SCE
companies as part of the continuing industry consolidation.
Our strategy is to provide customer-driven, value-added software products
and services that are focused on our customers’ business goals and based on
an open, modular technology. We also have a unique ability to integrate with
and support SCE products from leading ERP vendors, particularly SAP. Our
vision is to be the sole resource our customers need to install, integrate,
and manage world-class SCE software products that minimize risk and maximize
the long-term value of our customer’s investment. We call this unique
ability to support heterogeneous SCE environments “best-for-business”.
Our
software products and services (CatalystComplete™) are organized into three
distinct groups each of which address a specific set of SCE requirements:
• A collection of SCE products (CatalystCommand™) that support the efficient
operations of warehouses, transportation networks and yard facilities within
the supply chain;
• A collection of supply chain process management products (CatalystConnect™)
that supports the effective synchronization of data and processes between
the various parties and systems that comprise an enterprise’s supply chain;
• A collection of supply chain monitoring and reporting products (CatalystCompass™)
that provides analysis of execution and process activities for the purpose
of managing and improving performance of the supply chain.
CatalystComplete™ can be configured to meet the needs of individual
customers by utilizing the following key attributes:
• A product roadmap designed to accommodate growth, provide ease of upgrade,
simplify modification, and conform to emerging standards;
• Standard interfaces to ERP systems, complementary supply chain software
solutions, automation technologies, and add-on third party software
products;
• A standard implementation methodology; and
• A value-driven support model.
CatalystCommand™, our Supply Chain Execution Management solution set,
manages the physical movement and storage of goods and associated resources
at or between locations. It comprises the following three product suites:
• Transportation Suite
• Transportation Planning – With Transportation Planning, customers can shop
for the right carrier at the lowest cost, determine the best routes and
rates, and consolidate and build loads for greatest efficiency. Customers
can also consider parcel, less than truckload (LTL) and truckload (TL) or
any combination thereof to create the best plan.
• Transportation Execution – Transportation Execution enables electronic
document generation and automates the labor-intensive packing processes. The
system can be interfaced with an in-line scale, label printer, laser printer
and bar code scanner to increase efficiency and reduce data entry. If
planning has also been automated, the only functions necessary to perform
are weight and piece confirmation, and document creation.
• Transportation Reconciliation – Transportation Reconciliation reduces
transportation costs by automating freight audit, freight payment and claims
management processes. The system verifies the majority of the freight
payments and enables customers to spend time on exceptions to correct
overpayments.
• Warehouse Suite
• Warehouse Management – Warehouse Management automates and optimizes all
aspects of distribution center operations from receiving to order selection,
picking, loading and shipping.
We believe that we are the first SCE supplier to offer both flow-through
functionality and traditional warehouse management features in one system,
allowing a facility to run in either or both modes. Flow-through is commonly
used by retailers and provides the capability to receive product and send it
directly to shipping without ever being stored in the warehouse or
physically handled.
• Yard Management – Yard Management treats the distribution center yard as
an extension of the warehouse. The system optimizes yard, dock and warehouse
performance by providing greater visibility into assets and inventory in
trailers parked in the warehouse yards. Yard Management makes warehouse
operations more efficient for both inbound and outbound shipments by
improving visibility of expected loads and trailers and then managing
activities between yard gate and dock door.
• iRFID – iRFID provides the ability to add radio frequency identification (RFID)
enabled processes to warehouse management, ERP or standalone operations.
This solution provides immediate benefits today and can be leveraged to
support wide range uses of RFID across the extended supply chain. Our
componentized system enables customers to start small and grow later. Our
exclusive modular business process “plug-ins” allow customers to go beyond
shipping compliance to support a variety of supply chain processes including
receiving, putaway, shipping, picking, packing and loading.
• SAP LES – We are a certified SAP Services Partner focused on Supply Chain
Execution as well as a contributing member of SAP’s LES Implementation
Partner Program. Combined with our extensive SAP LES help desk experience,
we offer one of the most comprehensive suites of services to extend the
functionality of SAP throughout the supply chain.
• Resource Suite
• Labor Management – With Labor Management, customers can establish time
standards, calculate estimates for task completion, and compare them to
actual times to drive better performance throughout the organization. This
enables customers to automate labor planning and management and identify
unproductive time.
• Simulation – Simulation is a sophisticated planning tool that reduces the
cost of problem analysis and resolution while enabling customers to measure
potential effects on productivity, customer service, overtime, key volume
indicators, and the number of cases or pallets shipped. Through simulation
we offer customers a graphic real-time view of their warehouse and
distribution center operations. Simulation enables users to gauge the impact
of retooling functions prior to making financial or logistical commitments
to real world operations.
• SAP TRM – SAP’s LES new Task and Resource Management (TRM) module is a
powerful application that adaptively controls warehouse tasks in real time
and optimizes the sequence in which they are executed.
• SAP Console – Companies today are optimizing their supply chain and entire
value chain with real-time data collection. For SAP users, this capability
comes in the form of SAPConsole, a native radio frequency (RF) data
collection application for SAP R/3, which SAP users already own as part of
the R/3 suite. Catalyst has extended SAPConsole’s functionality with
enhanced transactions for use throughout the entire enterprise.
Our component-based architecture is easily integrated with all pieces in a
total SCE solution, including manufacturing resource planning and ERP
systems, such as SAP™ and Oracle®; and supply chain planning (SCP) and
transportation management systems. CatalystCommand interfaces with a wide
range of automation technology interfaces, such as radio frequency-based
scanning and data collection devices, bar coding devices, and material
handling equipment (such as conveyors, sorters, and carousels).
CatalystCommand also interfaces with several add-on third party software
products that deliver specific functionality including shipping management,
warehouse optimization, and warehouse simulation.
CatalystConnect™, our Supply Chain Process Management solution set
facilitates, coordinates and optimizes the information and product flow in
the extended supply chain network. It comprises the following three product
suites:
• Collaboration Suite
• Supplier Link – Supplier Link allows customers to give their suppliers the
benefit of EDI without the cost. Supplier Link is a Web-based multi-language
capable application that enables even the smallest overseas supplier to
create an ASN on the Web. Supplier Link provides suppliers with an on-line
Web-accessed hub that connects to real-time order shipment information and
enables generation of ASNs, UCC labels and necessary packing slips. This
on-line interface streamlines the warehouse receiving process and reduces
labor costs. With Supplier Link, the entire receiving process becomes more
efficient. Cartons can be received using both RF-enabled and conveyor
scanning devices without creating bottlenecks that occur during the
receiving process.
• Carrier Link – Carrier Link concentrates service to a select number of
capable, high performance carriers, which guarantees a portion of projected
volume in return for better rates and service quality commitments. The
system creates RFPs, evaluates and selects providers, and negotiates spot,
lane or excess volume contracts with carriers.
• Returns Authorization – Returns Authorization enables companies and their
customers to automatically schedule and authorize the disposition or return
of materials due to damage, seasonal inventory, restock, salvage, recalls,
or excess inventory.
• Visibility – Visibility is a collaborative solution that shares real-time
supply chain information across the supply chain with key customers,
suppliers and partners. Visibility tracks inventory flow, updates orders
status in real-time and enables the business to effectively manage
incidents. The system enables customers to view aggregate data both within
and throughout the extended supply chain.
• Control Suite
• Dynamic Fulfillment – Dynamic Fulfillment is a real-time system that
addresses any changes that might occur in order processing (e.g., order
changes, cancellations or priority changes) and determines the most cost and
time effective way to fill the order. The system builds and adjusts the
order fill plan in real-time taking into consideration current events,
status, capacities and constraints and makes adjustments to the plan to meet
demand.
• International Trade – International Trade improves the management and
control of your global shipping by calculating all tariffs and duties,
insuring compliance and generating all required documentation.
• Returns Management – Returns Management takes control of the routing,
disposition, refurbishment and eventual disposal of returned goods.
• Supplier Quality – Supplier Quality’s electronic auditing procedure
replaces error-prone, paper-based audits and provides real-time visibility
into vendor performance. It offers customers a reliable electronic method to
“certify” each vendor’s ASN process and continually monitor the accuracy of
ASN data against actual shipment and carton contents. By uncovering vendor
compliance issues, the electronic audits allow users to track the frequency
of violations and to work with vendors to eliminate their root causes.
• Optimization Suite
• Order Fulfillment – Order Fulfillment is a real-time system that serves as
a bridge between order processing and warehouse management to optimize the
fulfillment of orders. The system receives information from order
processing, determines the most effective way to fill the order based on a
number of constraints and variables and sends the information to the
warehouse management system. Order Fulfillment enables customers to achieve
the highest order fill rates and reduced order cycle times at the lowest
possible operational cost.
• Inventory Optimization – Inventory Optimization helps customers close the
gap between supply and demand for increased cash flow. Inventory
Optimization leverages data from existing ERP or transaction systems to
provide advanced functionality in the form of automated supply analysis,
demand forecasting, inventory modeling, replenishment, and distribution. The
system enables customers to eliminate excess stock, reduce lost sales and
minimize cost and time.
• Demand Management – Demand Management, an automated
forecast-to-replenishment system, helps customers close the gap between
supply and demand to reduce lost sales, recover profit from inventory and
increase cash flow. The system reduces the complexity associated with demand
forecasting, inventory planning and replenishment tasks by automating
forecast-to-replenishment processes. By analyzing the level of demand at the
point-of-sale, the system uses advanced statistical techniques to
quantitatively determine the impact of past promotions and to define the
forecast for the underlying level of demand. Demand Management identifies
the causal factors that drive demand and models future sales more
effectively based on those factors.
CatalystCompass™, our Supply Chain Performance Management solution set
provides analysis of execution and process activities for the purpose of
managing and improving performance. It comprises the following three product
suites:
• Analytics Suite
• Reports – Reports is a supply chain analytic that provides analysis of
historical and trend information to drive operational improvement. Example
report data includes carrier performance, supplier performance and order
fill rates. The system uses a common reporting framework that supports
numerous third party-report providers, including Actuate™ and Crystal
Reports™.
• Dashboards – Dashboards is a real-time operational analytic that compares
current operational performance against specific operational or business
objectives. This information enables customers to respond to bottlenecks
before they affect productivity.
• Event Management Suite
• Alerts – Alerts enables customers to transform their supply chain into a
real-time adaptive network that optimizes productivity and efficiency by
proactively notifying key personnel when operational or system-related
events occur across their supply chain. These notifications are delivered
immediately by phone, fax, pager or e-mail. We offer several alert bundles
for your warehouse, yard, labor and supplier operations that enable
companies to meet customers’ needs in real time.
• Resolutions – Resolutions is an application that takes the appropriate
action for the active information published by the Alerts application.
• Consulting Suite
• This is a combination of specialized consulting offerings that are
described within the Services section below
Supply Chain Software -
Category Main Page
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