newsworthy
JDA Software Group Inc. has chosen Google Inc. to host
JDA’s future cloud-based software apps, enlisting one of
the industry’s leading names to spearhead the supply chain
technology developer’s march to the cloud.
By building its new apps on the Google Cloud Platform,
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based JDA will be able to focus on its core
expertise—creating supply chain planning software—while
Google manages the back end of the cloud computing
operation.
The new partnership also allows JDA to match a recent
move by rival supply chain software developer Manhattan
Associates Inc. The Atlanta-based company announced in
May that it would use IBM Corp.’s “IBM Cloud” to host
the infrastructure behind its cloud-based e-commerce
applications. Manhattan, which has been selling cloud-based versions of software such as its transportation management system (TMS) for more than a decade, said the
IBM arrangement would offer improved power, security,
visibility, and flexibility.
Both initiatives are examples of the Platform-as-a-Service
(PaaS) model, under which a host company such as Google
or IBM manages a foundation of networks, servers, and
storage, while charging developers like JDA to launch new
apps on the platform. Other PaaS offerings include Amazon
Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
The model is a good fit for supporting cloud-based omni-channel and supply chain apps, which need to be scalable
and flexible in order to respond to fluctuations in supply
chain demand cycles, according to JDA.
As an indication of the importance JDA places on cloud-based initiatives, the company said it plans to run the
Google Cloud Platform business from a new research and
development unit called JDA Labs, launched in Montreal in
2014 as a rapid-development innovation hub.
Workers assigned to JDA Labs forecast the impact on
supply chains of technology trends ranging from drones
and robots to the Internet of Things, JDA’s chief innovation
officer, Jean-Francois Gagne, said in an interview. They
then build prototypes such as “augmented reality” eyewear
that allows warehouse order pickers to view data tailored
to their task and location in the distribution center, Gagne
said.
One application these researchers will explore is JDA’s
“Flex” platform strategy, the company said. Flex is a tool for
connecting existing cloud-based software and on-premise
solutions with next-generation applications built on the
Google Cloud Platform.
—B.A.
JDA taps Google to host omnichannel software solutions
The Honorable Mario Cordero, chairman of the Federal
Maritime Commission and a pioneer in the Port of Long
Beach’s Green Port Policy, will receive the 2015 Connie
award presented by the Containerization & Intermodal
Institute (CII). In addition, CII will present its Lifetime
Achievement award to Tay Yoshitani, recently retired
CEO of the Port of Seattle, who has also held leadership
positions in the global port industry. … UniCarriers Americas has
selected Denny Palmer, parts analyst and expert for North Coast Lift
Truck in Mentor, Ohio, as its 2015
Dealership Hero. This new cam-
paign honors dealership employ-
ees who go the extra mile. … Penske Logistics has
been honored by Eastman Chemical Co. with a Special
Recognition award for assisting with domestic moves
and supplying additional refrigerated capacity in a
tight market. … Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. has received
Manhattan Associates’ annual Shipper Partner of the
Year award. … James A. Tompkins, founder and CEO of
the consulting company Tompkins International, received
the Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engineering
award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE).
This award recognizes individuals who have contribut-
ed to the welfare of mankind in the field of industrial
engineering. … The Association for Talent Development
honored forklift company The Raymond Corp. with both
an Excellence in Practice award and a citation for its
Course Manager Training and Development Program.
… Systems integrator Conveyor Solutions has been
awarded 2015 Most Valuable Partner Status from the
Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association
(MHEDA). … Ametek Prestolite Power, an industrial
battery charging and fleet management solution pro-
vider, has met the requirements for ISO 9001:2008, a set
of worldwide-accepted standards for quality established
by the International Organization of Standardization.
… Crowley Maritime Corp. has been honored with the
2015 Federal Maritime Commission Chairman’s Earth
Day award in recognition of its companywide environ-
mental stewardship initiatives.
accolades
PALMER
