NCS Launches Mobile
Applications developed with the Microsoft .NET Compact
Framework
~Dean Foods to Pilot New
Application~
HAUPPAUGE, NY (Sept. 16)--Numeric Computer Systems, Inc.
(NCS), the leading developer of applications supporting the
“Order to Cash” process for Direct Store Delivery (DSD),
announced the upcoming release of their eXpress Route
product developed with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework.
"eXpress Route provides
a valuable solution to the DSD industry," said David
Rasmussen, lead product manager for
.NET mobile developer technologies in the Developer
Platform and Evangelism Division at Microsoft Corp.
"Microsoft is excited that NCS is offering its customers this
unique, new mobile solution to take advantage of the next
generation of mobile devices with the Microsoft .NET Compact
Framework."
In today’s competitive
retail environment, direct store delivery personnel need
visibility to a range of customer information such as
inventory, sales history and product details to carry out
their work quickly and efficiently. eXpress Route allows a
route salesperson to easily handle all elements of route
distribution such as order entry, invoicing, messaging,
collections, returns, inventory control, and DEX.
Mr. Art Fino, CIO of
Dean Foods, the largest dairy distributor in the US, a $10
billion company, says, “We envision that eXpress Route will
create added value for our customers while, in turn, making it
easier to do business with us. As our reporting capability
increases, we intend to offer key information to our business
partners by delivering systems rich in functionality. We also
expect to achieve benefits in our operations by enhancing the
delivery process including: faster, more efficient delivery of
products to the marketplace, better visibility to incremental
sales opportunities, streamlined inventory management, and, a
more efficient route settlement/financial close process.”
The eXpress Route
solution represents a significant technology upgrade for Dean
Foods. They will be migrating to a standard; open platform for
route/distribution management application which they believe
will provide long term business benefits for Dean Foods and
its customers.
"NCS is an early adopter
of the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework. We developed our
mobile applications with Microsoft .NET because it provided a
flexible and consistent development environment and great XML
support. The .NET Compact Framework is a subset of the .NET
Framework that is designed to run on smart devices, providing
support for managed code and XML Web services. The application
will run on all Microsoft supported
platforms. The extensive use of XML includes host-mobile
data exchanges, configuration settings, business rules,
printout specifications and screen specifications.
Customization of printouts and screens can be accomplished
without programming. The system can be configured to
align to current business processes not the other way
around. The client can make these changes easily with
internal resources, allowing the enterprise to drive cost out
of the IT budget" says Robert J Hochberg, President of NCS.
Dean Foods expects to
dramatically lower IT and business operations expenditures
while improving customer relationships through the
implementation of eXpess Route. eXpress Route is part of a
suite of products developed by NCS with Microsoft .NET
including eXpress Sales Force and eXpress
Merchandiser.
About NCS
Inc.
NCS is a leading
supplier of Order to Cash systems to the DSD Marketplace. NCS
solutions automate the sales and delivery processes for
businesses with a mobile workforce. The complete solution
includes: software, hardware, implementation, integration,
training, service, and support. NCS specializes in
delivery/route accounting, wireless, and sales solutions for
the vertical markets including, dairy, frozen food, beverage,
baked goods, and snacks.
NCS, a member of
expedium, is based in Hauppauge, New York with corporate
offices in Los Angeles, Sydney, Auckland and San Juan. Contact
NCS at 1-800-321-7822.
Other product and service names mentioned herein are
the trademarks of their respective owners.
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