Tradenex.com Sdn Bhd, subsidiary of Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), has announced the launch of nexCONNECT - a Microsoft .NET based system that serves as the underlying electronic collaboration platform for inter- enterprise collaborations.
With nexCONNECT, enterprises, agencies and various trading parties in the retail, manufacturing and logistics segments have an electronic ‘gateway’ - that acts as an information exchange hub that allows them to efficiently manage information as well as business processes, between trading partners (ie.suppliers, customers and service providers); by allowing for greater visibility and timeliness of information across the supply chain.
Soon Koi Voon, chief executive officer of Tradenex.com says that nexCONNECT is a home grown technology, with the “unique ability to bridge the e-business collaboration processes of different and multiple treading partners”.
“Just imagine: Retailers and their Tier-1 and 2 suppliers; logistics companies, freight-forwarding agencies, importer and exporters; manufacturers, raw material/ component suppliers and distribution entities. All of them can now operate business with each other on a single platform that is extremely efficient, user-friendly and highly empowering,” he added.
For example, via nexCONNECT, major hypermarkets can perform daily collaborations with their suppliers - of whom are mostly manufacturers, as well as logistics providers, through a single, automated and seamless order, billing and delivery process that encompasses the exchange of transactional information such as electronic Purchase Order, Invoices, Goods Receipts and Advance Ship Notices.
nexCONNECT is offered as an Application Service Provider (ASP) service whereTradenex.com is making this powerful e-collaboration platform widely available to enterprises operating within the three industries.
“Operationally, businesses will find that the adoption of nexCONNECT as via the ASP model makes is extremely attractive in economic terms,” says Soon.
While nexCONNECT’s high level of affordability appeals to the bulk of enterprises in the retail, manufacturing and logistics industry - especially for the small to medium sized with limited budget and IT capabilities to invest in leading-edge technology to support their business; this e-collaboration platform can scale for larger enterprises, providing crucial integration capabilities into their back-end systems.
Soon shares that currently, close to over 500 local companies and trading entities have adopted nexCONNECT as their collaboration platform.
By January 2008, nexCONNECT will feature a new capability that will further boost the application’s user-friendliness. “nexCONNECT will adopt Ecma Office Open XML (OpenXML) as one of its standards. This move will allow users to interact with nexCONNECT in the familiar Microsoft Office environment such as Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office 2007 that they are so used to, with the aim to simplify its usage and adoption,” says Soon.
Yasmin Mahmood, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia shares that Tradenex.com is a Microsoft Certified Partner with ISV Software Solutions Competency and developed nexCONNECT based on Microsoft’s .NET platform.
Tradenex is one of the increasing number of ISVs leveraging on the Ecma Office Open XML open standard. OpenXML enables ISVs to simplify the computing experience by enabling users to leverage on familiar applications such as Microsoft Office while enabling the seamless flow of information from one system to another. This ability to store and manage business data in documents results in lower cost of automating business processes that enhances global competitiveness of our SMEs.
nexCONNECT also supports common standards such as Electronic Data Interface (EDI), GSI Global and EDIFACT, as well as technological formats such as XML and .csv (for data storage). Coupled with Tradenex.com’s Application Service Provider (ASP) model for nexCONNECT, this makes it extremely versatile, simple and economical for any company to adopt it as a significant part of their supply chain ecosystem.
Moving ahead, Soon says that nexCONNECT will be the platform that Tradenex.com will leverage in its expansion plans throughout the region.
“The nexCONNECT e-collaboration platform is built with niche, expert knowledge of the three industry verticals - retail, manufacturing and logistics, all of which are crucial markets in the South Asian region.”
“We are confident that regional players in these industry verticals will quickly realize the immense benefits of nexCONNECT that will allow them to trade in the most seamless and efficient manner,” said Soon. |
