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BARLOWORLD OPTIMUS APPOINTS DUTCH PARTNER TO SPEARHEAD BENELUX SALES DRIVE
18 June 2007
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As the demand for inventory optimisation software continues to increase in the wake of economic pressures forcing more and more companies to focus on reducing costs and |
increasing efficiency, Barloworld Optimus this week appointed Zeist-based TopLogic to spearhead the company's software and consultancy sales drive in the key Holland and Belgium regions.
Already a successful reseller of Barloworld Optimus' inventory optimisation tool Optimiza into Holland and the Benelux countries, the new non-exclusive deal expands TopLogic's portfolio to cover all the company's world-beating programs including CAST and CAST-FE supply chain modelling, network design and optimisation tools, and Optimiza Demand Planner (ODP), with additional responsibility for promoting CAST consulting services.
According to Barloworld Optimus, the tie-up with TopLogic is a significant move as recent figures indicate 'spectacular' growth in volumes from Asia into Europe via Holland.
"As an established reseller of Optimiza in Holland and Belgium, TopLogic has already notched-up considerable success with some of Europe's biggest companies, and the association is a timely extension of that success story. We've worked together in the past and this is the start of an important new phase in a trading area we're increasingly viewing as key to continued European success" commented Barloworld Optimus' Global Business Development Director Fraser Ironside this week.
The two companies already have a history of collaboration on key projects, while major Benelux concerns including Deloitte Consulting, IG and H Management Consultants, Maersk Logistics, Univar, Dow Benelux, CEVA Logistics (formerly TNT Logistics), DHL Exel, Abbott logistics BV, and Groenewout are already included in the expanding list of regional names calling on world-leading Barloworld Optimus software programs for network optimisation and, to a growing extent, carbon emission reduction modelling.
According to TopLogic MD Alex Verweij, the slogan 'Holland, the gateway to Europe' is very much alive.
"Recent changes in volumes as a result of the economic climate are driving more companies to recognise the need to rationalize their supply chain and now with both CAST and Optimiza, we are in a perfect position to accommodate that demand" he said.
Established in 2004, TopLogic has already established a notable reputation in supply chain management. With a strong background in complex implementations of warehouse management systems for logistics service providers, manufacturers and wholesale concerns, the company says that much of its success is based on providing solutions for organisations who began looking for more efficient warehouse operations, but soon came to question inventory levels and the marked impact of effective inventory optimisation.
Typically, Optimiza effectively reduces stock levels by between 15-50% while increasing service levels by as much as 20% - key elements in the tool's major advances into worldwide markets.
Meanwhile, CAST is already viewed as market-leader in Europe and increasingly in Asia.
With more than 350 licences world-wide and over 1300 trained users the tool is used widely by third party logistics, manufacturing, consulting and retail companies to evaluate and identify different supply chain strategies, in turn leading to significant cost savings and service improvements by allowing customers to design and configure their own optimal supply chain infrastructure.
ODP is a purpose-built demand management tool designed to create responsive multi-level multi-channel forecasts with highly flexible financialised views.
Says Alex Verweij: ".we believe that Optimiza adds value to our consultancy practice because its methodology fits perfectly in our strategic approach on inventory management. The approach we use has been developed by TNO, a Dutch research institute, and recognises the elements of reducing risks and concepts like Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR).
"The acquisition of Radical by Barloworld Optimus has given us the opportunity to expand our strategic consultancy by using CAST for network optimization".
As part of the deal, Barloworld Optimus is also providing a full training programme, marketing support, and shared website presence ahead of the combined operations' first exposure at Supply Chain Innovations at the Antwerp Expo, Sept 25-27th stand 3110.
The tie-up deal is with immediate effect, and in addition to Optimiza, Optimiza ODP and CAST, TopLogic will also continue as European supplier and consultant for a leading Dutch proprietary warehouse management system.
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