REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and BOSTON (Mar. 4, 2003) Menlo Worldwide and Optiant, Inc. today announced a partnership that brings together world-class supply chain management expertise and inventory optimization solutions to help Fortune 1000 manufacturers improve operational efficiency and overall business performance.
The partnership reflects the growing interest among manufacturers, as they position themselves for an improvement in the economy, in reducing costs and improving service through effective supply chain planning and management services such as those offered by the companies of Menlo Worldwide.
Under the terms of the agreement, Menlo Worldwide will add Optiant’s PowerChain software for inventory optimization to its portfolio of supply chain technology solutions.
“Today’s economic conditions require that global manufacturers and their supply chain partners seek new and innovative ways to navigate uncertainty,” said Ed Feitzinger, Senior Vice President of Menlo Worldwide Technologies. “Via Optiant’s inventory optimization solutions, we can help our customers better manage fluctuations in supply and demand, reduce costs and improve service.”
With $2.8 billion in revenue and nearly 15,000 employees in 200 countries, the supply chain services companies operating under the Menlo Worldwide(SM) brand provide air and ocean forwarding, logistics management, supply chain consulting and information technology services. Menlo Worldwide will use Optiant’s PowerChain software to help customers configure their supply chains, and determine where best to place inventory and at what levels. In addition, Menlo Worldwide Technologies, which provides supply chain technology and professional services that include logistics engineering and consulting, will integrate PowerChain with customers’ existing APS and network design systems to continuously evaluate and optimize their supply chain and inventory strategies.
Optiant provides supply chain design and inventory optimization solutions that enable global companies to collaboratively design real- world supply chains that balance the critical decisions that are made at all stages of the product delivery process – from materials procurement to distribution. Optiant’s PowerChain enables stakeholders to quickly evaluate the impact of their choices on broader business issues such as cost, time-to-market and customer satisfaction, to make the best possible decisions.
“Menlo Worldwide is a premier name in global supply chain solutions and offers an unmatched portfolio of supply chain services and technologies,” said Mike Braatz, vice president of business development at Optiant. “We’re very excited by the opportunity to work with Menlo’s blue-chip customer base and provide them with one of the industry’s most comprehensive solutions for building world-class supply chain operations.”
