Lawson Software Introduces Lawson QuickStep Fashion to Accelerate ERP Implementations and Deliver Fast ROI
Keen Footwear Selects QuickStep Fashion for Enhanced Speed,, Reliability and Functionality
ST. PAUL, Minn. (January 15, 2007) – Lawson Software (Nasdaq:LWSN) today announced the general availability of QuickStep Fashion, the company’s second industry-specific, pre-configured ERP application package. Keen Footwear, a new U.S. customer for Lawson, will use QuickStep Fashion for its implementation. Keen Footwear licensed Lawson Manufacturing, Financials, CRM and e-Business suites to improve operational efficiencies and provide a platform for future growth. The contract was signed in Lawson’s second quarter of fiscal 2007, which ended Nov. 30, 2006.
QuickStep Fashion is an integrated solution focusing on making key information visible across the organization, and aiming to eliminate the “islands of information” that frequently occur for manufacturing and distribution companies. The new solution from Lawson is designed to help meet the industry-specific business challenges of companies in the apparel, footwear, home textiles and accessories industries. This includes brand owners with a design, source and distribution business model and manufacturers that face challenges such as:
Managing wide product ranges, short lifecycles, high order volumes and the high velocity of transactions
Planning a mix of style-based (e.g., style, color, size) and non-style products across complex global supply chains
Meeting customer demands for short delivery lead-times and on-time delivery
Managing inventory levels to ensure high customer service levels while controlling the level of capital tied up in inventory
Keeping track of financial information as material flows through the supply chain to measure profitability and meet compliance rules
Establishing better supply chain visibility to provide customers with information and help facilitate timely decision making
Establishing a single, common, up-to-date source of information
Helping to minimize time and effort for implementing new technology due to resource-constraints and seasonal peaks.
The heart of QuickStep is the latest version of the Lawson M3 Enterprise Management Suite, M3 5.2, released in November 2005. The QuickStep solution speeds implementation by pre-configuring 70 to 90 percent of the key processes required by companies in the fashion industry.
Keen Footwear, based in Portland, Ore., designs, markets and distributes shoes for a variety of outdoor activities and casual wear. The company said the QuickStep implementation timelines will meet its needs and they anticipate the improved speed, reliability and functionality of the Lawson applications will deliver a much more efficient business model.
“As we’ve grown and matured, we needed a faster, more reliable database, more sophisticated functionality, and dependable scalability. Lawson’s applications met all of those needs,” said Joe Zitomer, director of operations, Keen Footwear. “Of the enterprise applications we considered, Lawson provided us with the functionality and reliability that we need now and in the future, for a very reasonable cost of ownership.”
QuickStep Fashion provides full-functionality applications – not “light” versions. Customers can add features, components and customization as part of a continuous improvement program.
“Lawson is continuing its momentum in delivering industry preconfigured solutions for our customers concerned about reducing the time, costs and risks in implementing new applications,” said Jim Anderson, executive vice president, Lawson Professional Services. “QuickStep is standard Lawson software so customers can rest easy in knowing that we are focused on delivering solutions that are simpler to own, implement and use.”
Lawson announced its first pre-configured ERP application package, QuickStep Food & Beverage, in November 2006. Lawson plans to offer additional QuickStep solutions in the coming months.
Source: Lawson
