Oracle is upgrading some of its core logistics applications, offering new releases of its retail category management, transportation management and global trade management software.
The updated retail application, which will be demonstrated at the National Retail Federation Convention in New York next week, offers improved data integration capabilities and new analysis features. The transportation software provides new business intelligence and mobile functionality.
The new releases highlight Oracle's efforts to continue enhancing its older applications, despite the hype around the vendor's next-generation, cloud-based Fusion applications. Most of Oracle's application sales today are of its older, on-premise E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft and J.D. Edwards products, as well as stand-alone applications such as the retail and transportation software.
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Oracle Transportation Management 6.3 has a number of new fleet management and transportation sourcing capabilities for shippers and logistics service providers. The application's business intelligence features include new fleet and asset management content and metrics. And the product's mobility enhancements allow users to perform common transportation and shipment management tasks on mobile devices with a new configurable Web-based application.
Oracle Global Trade Management 6.3 offers a new module for managing customs clearance screening and filings. Also new are features for globally managing license requirements for aerospace and defense, high technology, life sciences and industrial manufacturing.
"To support business growth and market expansion, shippers and logistics service providers are looking at new ways to streamline and enhance complex transportation and trade management processes," said Derek Gittoes, Oracle vice president, logistics product strategy, in a statement. With the improvements to the transportation and trade management applications "we are in a better place than ever to help our customers further streamline processes, reduce costs and mitigate risks."
The new Oracle Retail Category Management application, meanwhile, offers simpler processes for integrating data from multiple third-party syndicated sources and internal sources such as point-of-sale systems and customer loyalty cards. And new embedded forecasting and customer segmentation features improve a retailer's ability to stock the most profitable assortment of products, according to Oracle.
While the applications are frequently sold directly to large and midsize companies, Gittoes said Oracle sometimes works with partners to sell and implement the software, while other partners provide hosting services for the applications.
PUBLISHED JAN. 7, 2013
