IBM and Infor Partner to Offer Integrated Hardware/Software Solution

IBM recently announced that they are releasing an integrated solution featuring IBM’s Power7 hardware loaded with Infor’s ERP LX, ERP XA, and ERP System21 software. The hardware and software solution is designed specifically for manufacturing environments. Manufacturers can improve their processes through functions like automated planning, scheduling, and fulfillment. The system also provides business analytics for insights that can support corporate decision making. Customers can choose from different products tailored to workload amounts.

The packages includes three years of support and services along with other optional addons. The system can be based on the IBM Power 720 Express or the more powerful 740 Express servers. The 720 server carries a $6,500 minimum spending level and the 740 model carries a $25,000 minimum spend level. The company says this represents up to a 35% discount off a separate purchase.

This system is the second industry specific product set offering developed by the IBM/Infor partnership. The first system, ERP Distribution Enterprise (A+) focused on the distribution segment. The partnered companies say that the Puerto Rico Supplies Group was able to bring revenues up by 10% over one year and improve on-time/in-full deliveries 23% while raiding productivity of warehouse workers by 44% and 85% for refrigerated and dry products, respectively.

Carlos Falcon, the director of Puerto Rico Supplie Group, was positive about his distribution focused solution suite:

"A+ is the backbone and facilitator of everything that goes on in the warehouse. We register every transaction in it to maintain full control. And we’re also happy with the IBM i For Power Systems (iSeries) platform that we’ve used with A+. It’s stable, long-lasting, and it basically runs on its own"

This new offering could be a similarly powerful tool for manufacturers. Charles Germano, IBM’s Global Alliance Executive of Sales and Distribution certainly believes that the integrated package will be beneficial for manufacturing companies:

"Manufacturing is a process and each step can dramatically affect profitability. Gaining more visibility into processes and optimizing each step efficiently is crucial for any company wanting to compete globally. By offering an integrated hardware and software solution that is already tuned to the specific tasks of manufacturers, we are simplifying the IT environment to make this transformation possible"

Jack Bullock, Infor’s Vice President and General Manager for System i, also commented on the fruitfulness of the IBM/Infor manufacturing focused product set:

"Infor continues to demonstrate its commitment to our more than 15,000 customers running on IBM systems by enhancing and innovating our ERP solutions to bring greater efficiency and improved performance. Partnering with IBM to deliver this integrated solution to help manufacturers achieve greater profitability and improved business decision making is the latest innovation that Infor is bringing to our IBM i-based customers"

What do you think about the IBM and Infor partnership to offer integrated solutions for specific industries? Will complete solutions be the new way companies buy hardware and software? Is the partnership between the two companies going to help them defeat competitors like Oracle, SAP, Dell, and Microsoft? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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