3rdwave: Frequently Asked Questions

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1. What is 3rdwave?
   
   
2. What makes 3rdwave different from enterprise resource planning (ERP) and/or supply chain management (SCM) applications?
   
   
3. Does 3rdwave operate separately from ERP and SCM solutions, or as a complementary component?
   
   
4. Is 3rdwave easy to use?
   
   
5. How does 3rdwave help C-level and other managers better run their organization?
   
   
6. How will 3rdwave support staff and operators in doing their work more effectively?
   
   
7. We need to increase our ability to deliver product to our customers -- on time, securely, and according to our commitments. Will 3rdwave provide our firm with the tools we need to insure we can deliver increased customer services without increasing levels of inventory on hand?
   
   
8. What is 3rdwave's web strategy?

1. What is 3rdwave?

3rdwave is a robust, full featured enterprise global software application providing organizations with real-time synchronized information and fully-integrated control over the total global demand/supply pipeline by:

- processing information from customers, vendors and service providers in real time.
- enhancing collaboration across the entire global supply chain:

• internally between senior managers, finance, trading and sourcing groups, purchasing, operations and operators, customer service, sales and marketing personnel; and
• externally with customers, vendors and service providers.

2. What makes 3rdwave different from ERP or SCM applications?

ERP solutions focus on the impact deployed organizational resources have on a company's financial assets. A company's accounting and finance processing and reporting, HR deployment and manufacturing resource requirements are the central concern of most ERP applications.

The underlying premise of ERP solutions is that by maximizing resources throughout an organization, the company will maximize productivity and profitability.

SCM solutions focus on optimizing inventory throughout the supply chain by reviewing predictable organizational demands and forecasting requirements - often within tight timeframes.

SCM solutions work with ERP applications by providing resource planning and visibility across the supply pipeline. SCM applications do not have MRP (Manufacturing Resource Planning), finance and accounting capabilities and are designed as 'best of breed' solutions to support ERP applications.

3rdwave is a comprehensive, well-designed hybrid of ERP and SCM, specifically developed to meet the ever-evolving needs of firms that source and distribute across the global marketplace. It is a 'neural' information system that synchronizes the gathering, processing and flow of information across interdependent and independent operational functions within an organization and with its suppliers and service providers.

3rdwave optimizes resource utilization in highly flexible, loosely controlled supply environments. It achieves asset optimization by providing absolutely clear visibility of inventory at all stages in the global supply pipeline - from demand planning, purchasing, and global logistics through sales, marketing and finance. The benefit to 3rdwave users is their ability to plan and deploy resources as and when required.

3rdwave has comprehensive, sophisticated and accurate finance and accounting capabilities. 3rdwave is able to support SKU-level costing (multi-currency) and profitability analysis within its own structure, or as part of a greater ERP application.

3. Does 3rdwave operate separately from ERP or SCM solutions? Or can 3rdwave be a complementary component?

In a manufacturing organization or retail business, 3rdwave is a complementary application. It accepts purchase order information from host applications, enriches it for global trade, and provides detailed inventory visibility as products move from source to production facilities or DC's.

Manufacturing schedules or distribution commitments are better managed with 3rdwave because SKU availability is accurately positioned across the supply pipeline monitored to insure execution, and made totally visible to support corporate workflow.

3rdwave's extensive real cost capabilities captures SKU-level estimated and actual costs (with full multi-currency capabilities), and passes all pertinent information to host ERP accounting and finance applications.

For global sourcing and distribution companies, 3rdwave provides exceptional stand-alone enterprise functionality. 3rdwave has a full suite of fully-integrated modules for:

• planning, RFQ, sourcing, and procurement;
• inbound logistics with real-time global track and trace;
• purchase order;
• inventory and warehouse control;
• sales and marketing;
• accounting and finance; and
• management reporting.

Discrete and process flow light manufacturing, kitting and product transformation control are also supported in 3rdwave.

In 3rdwave, accounting and financial controls are all part of and integrated to the enterprise-wide application for fast, accurate month and year end closes.

4. Is 3rdwave easy to use?

3rdwave is deployed as a Java-based web-native application or a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). Because of its very efficient design, 3rdwave provides a fully-functional yet streamlined business environment. An average 3rdwave enterprise solution usually has between 300 to 400 forms, records and data tables. Many comparable applications with similar levels of functionality have between 1500 to 2000 screens and up to 15,000 data tables, which make them much more complicated and costly to populate, implement and maintain, and prone to coding errors.

3rdwave synchronizes information validates it and immediately posts it across the entire system, thus eliminating the need for operators to re-enter data. Data entry error is also virtually eliminated.

3rdwave provides full, real-time access to information from anywhere within the application and easy access to information through extensive "standard" reports or highly targeted ad hoc queries. Operators complete tasks effectively without the need to wait for others to provide them with required information by simply drilling down on line or initiating directed queries. Senior and line managers have instant access to predetermined or ad hoc information to make genuinely informed decisions.

5. How does 3rdwave help C-level and other managers better run their organization?

Management's overriding requirement is to have a consistent view of their organization - from any perspective and degree of granularity for, "one real view of the world." 3rdwave's synchronized multi-perspective organizational views empower and allow management direct access to accurate, critical information when and where it is needed, in formats that are meaningful.

3rdwave validates and reconciles information on a transaction-by-transaction basis. Information throughout the organization is always consistent, validated and balanced -- no matter which perspective it is viewed from. Accurate information made consistently available fully supports critical, tactical, strategic short- and long-term decision-making.

6. How does 3rdwave support staff and operators in doing their work more effectively?

One of the most often expressed complaints of staff or operators is that they can't get the information they need -- when they need it -- to accomplish their activities efficiently and effectively. They frequently are forced to wait for others to run reports or access information in disparate systems or files.

3rdwave eliminates this issue by providing access to information as soon as it is processed.

3rdwave is a fully-integrated, transaction based system designed to streamline and support the client's business processes. As information is entered into 3rdwave, electronically or manually, it is immediately posted throughout the system updating all affected records. Operators see the impact of the information on their work in real time and are able to act accordingly.

The need to re-key information into the system is eliminated with 3rdwave. This one write entry of information into 3rdwave means that data entry errors are dramatically reduced. Operators using 3rdwave perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively because redundant work is eliminated. And effort and time spent reconciling information on financials and different reports will be dramatically reduced.

7. We need to increase our ability to deliver product to our customers -- on time, securely, and according to our commitments. Will 3rdwave provide us with the tools we need to insure we can deliver increased customer services without increasing - or even reduce - our on hand inventory levels?

To optimize customer service while maintaining optimal inventory levels is a total company challenge. The ability for an organization to meet this objective requires competency in inventory replenishment planning, production scheduling and supply chain execution. Without all three elements working in sync, a system will fail to optimize asset utilization. 3rdwave makes this a reality.

3rdwave integrates all commercial elements that effect replenishment to support optimization of inventory throughout an organization's global supply pipeline. By providing total and absolutely clear visibility and statuses to the SKU-level or serial number-level inventory at every stage in the pipeline, the organization can 'know' - with certainty - of any impacts on downstream events.

The net effect of absolute visibility is the elimination of supply surprises soon as problems are identified. This means that vital resources for production can be proactively deployed or redeployed as inventory is positioned through the pipeline.

With 3rdwave, sales and distribution organizations are able to more accurately execute or restructure commitments with customers without suffering penalties or fines.

Customer service is fully enhanced because 3rdwave provides full and uncompromised visibility into the inventory pipeline -- from the earliest to the final stages of the supply cycle -- with no blind spots. This reduces or eliminates surprises in delivering customer commitments.

8. What is 3rdwave's web strategy?

BSI has developed 3rdwave in a totally web-native enterprise. All functionality available in 3rdwave's client-server solutions are now available in the Java web-native solution. In particular, 3rdwave was designed to run on the web at the same performance levels as it's client-server counterpart, making it one of the fastest, tightest web solutions available in the global sourcing and trade management arena. It runs in IE5+ browser environments and operates on industry standard environments. 3rdwave web-native solutions provide total enterprise-, company or department-wide capability.

3rdwave also provides web-enhanced services in support of its client-server applications so our clients can present a true browser-based database-driven face to the external world. 3rdwave's web services include: Customer Relations Management (CRM), Supplier Relations Management (SRM), and Global Logistics' capabilities, along with Quote Management (RFQ).