J.D. Edwards offers new CRM tool for manufacturing

Enterprise software vendor J.D. Edwards debuted a new CRM application Wednesday, introducing the latest iteration of its Advanced Order Configurator (AOC) tool, aimed at the manufacturing sector.

In keeping with its roots in the supply chain management and manufacturing industries, Denver-based J.D. Edwards said the CRM application should speed the made-to-order sales process by offering users the ability to picture different variations of a specific product before construction. The application will be marketed as part of the J.D. Edwards 5 CRM package.

The firm reported that AOC would allow users to review images and verify configurations of products from remote systems while assessing sales orders. The application can also be utilized via the Web or anywhere within a user company's security firewall, according to the vendor.

Mary Wardley, vice president of the CRM applications group at researcher International Data Corp., Framingham, Mass., said the release is in keeping with J.D. Edwards' commitment to its core of users in the manufacturing and high-tech arenas. The analyst observed that the application maker has been providing configuration technology for a number of years and will likely continue to do so.

"With the roots J.D. Edwards has in supply chain management, this sort of tool fits with their overall strategy," Wardley said. "Tying all of these inter-related manufacturing capabilities into a single suite is what customers in their core markets are looking for in an enterprise applications vendor."

Among the features J.D. Edwards is touting in the AOC tool are a point-and-click rules function to simplify custom configuration of products, compatibility with AutoCAD products, and automated catalog translation capabilities to support global configuration requirements.

The company said AOC can operate as a standalone CRM application or be used in conjunction with its J.D. Edwards ERP 8.0 package. The firm has not yet released pricing information.

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