Chief Industries among first companies live with IFS Enterprise Explorer

IFS, the global enterprise software company, announced today that Chief Industries, Inc. (Chief) is one of the first companies worldwide to go live with the IFS Enterprise Explorer (IEE) user interface. Chief, a leading world-wide multi-product manufacturer of pre-fabricated steel buildings and grain systems, is now using the IEE in three production divisions and will continue a roll-out across its 10 remaining divisions in different stages.

As well as improved usability with its existing IFS Applications, Chief also expects to experience productivity gains with a quick, simple way of managing the organization’s 14 million documents.

The IEE is the first deliverable from IFS’ Aurora program – the company’s long term commitment to user productivity. It uses familiar concepts from web browsers and a “less is more” philosophy to create a user interface that can be learned intuitively. New navigation technologies such as adaptable link pages, contextual breadcrumb navigation, and visual recent screens makes it easier for users to find their way around the application, and a “google”-like search function uses keywords rather than complex queries. Built-in collaboration tools such as rich media notes and task management support dynamic and agile ways of working. In-application document viewing for common file types such as PDF and Word, single-click integration with Microsoft Office applications and the ability to integrate the application with other web content through “mashups” makes the IEE a natural part of a digital working environment.

Chief has been piloting the IEE since November 2008. Throughout the pilot phase, Chief logged user feedback, case scenarios and suggested functionality changes to optimize the solution’s performance. The company was one of a number of companies worldwide to work closely with IFS developers to share their view of the product and request alternative features and functionality.

“Technology and productivity is vital in all aspects of our company,” Chief ERP Project Manager Jay Gnuse said. “The early adopter program was an exciting opportunity for us to help create and influence the development of a cutting-edge application that will move us into the future. The IEE has great potential to change the way we work with our business processes using IFS Applications, and we were delighted to be able to work with IFS to enhance the application further.”

“Its intuitive and ergonomic interface appeals to both casual and power users and has dramatically reduced training times. Casual users will be able to work more independently while the power user can take advantage of IEE’s more advanced features. We have been impressed by the level of support we have received by IFS throughout the testing period and look forward to rolling out the IEE across our entire business,” Gnuse said.

“We developed the IEE to revolutionize enterprise software interfaces,” IFS AB President and CEO Alastair Sorbie said. “Developments in consumer technology, particularly web browsing, made it clear that slow and difficult to use enterprise software interfaces were no longer acceptable for businesses. Search difficulties and poor navigation are two key areas addressed by our innovative solution, taking the nuances of data held in the application into consideration to deliver second-to-none search and usability results. Chief’s involvement in the early adopter program has been invaluable in helping us develop a tool that will drastically improve productivity for all our customers.”

The IFS Enterprise Explorer will be available for general release in July 2009.