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Follow UsMINNEASPOLIS: SoftBrands has announced that it will be teaming with product
teams at SAP AG, the world's leading provider of business software solutions, to
provide small-and-midsize manufacturers with a highly competitive and
comprehensive management solution.
At the National Manufacturing Week event held Feb. 23-26 in Chicago, the two
companies unveiled plans to integrate Fourth Shift, SoftBrands leading
manufacturing software, into the SAP Business One product suite, in order to
provide significant manufacturing functionality for the small-and-midsize market
sector.
SoftBrands and SAP intend to offer an affordable, competitive and functionally
powerful solution for small-and-midsize manufacturers to replace dated legacy
systems and manual processes. Once complete, the integration of Fourth Shift
Manufacturing Edition with SAP Business One will incorporate a proven
manufacturing solution with sophisticated lean enterprise automation
capabilities that provide manufacturers who are implementing pull-based
production systems with next-generation software to enhance their lean
manufacturing methods.
SoftBrands will support manufacturers in key worldwide markets, including the
United States, Europe, China, Asia Pacific and India. Twenty-first century
manufacturing is a global ecosystem of producers, suppliers and customers in
which everyone is working in increasingly lean environments around the world,
said Randy Tofteland, President and Chief Operating Officer of SoftBrands, Inc.
Fourth Shift is a proven web-based manufacturing management solution that
delivers measurable operational results, worldwide. Fourth Shift has broad
functionality and extensive capabilities; it facilitates critical business
functions including manufacturing, operations, financials, and customer and
supplier relationship management.
"The strength of our Fourth Shift product is in meeting today's demands
of small-and-midsize manufacturers in key markets like America, China, Europe
and India, where we do business by supporting both traditional push-based
producers and the emerging lean generation of manufacturers. This relationship
will create a powerful solution for thousands of small-and-midsize
manufacturers.
Potential customers of both companies stand to gain from Fourth Shift s
functionality and SoftBrands successful record of short implementation time,
rapid return on investment (ROI) and value for money performance coupled with
SAP's experience, strength of resources and global presence," he added.
The Fourth Shift product line will still be available as a separate system
and will continue to be developed. The relationship with SAP is beginning at a
great time, said Tofteland. This is because the planned integration coincides
with a major new release of Fourth Shift inspired by many of our customers. It
incorporates the single largest number of customer requests for enhanced
functionality in more than 20 years of our company's history.
SoftBrands, Inc., a global leader in providing manufacturing solutions for
small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) worldwide is currently focused on the
hospitality and manufacturing industries. With more than 5,000 customers
in over 60 countries now actively using its manufacturing (Fourth ShiftÃ’,
evolutionÔ, DemandStreamÔ) and hospitality products. SoftBrands has
established a worldwide infrastructure for distribution, development and support
of enterprise software. The company, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
has over 500 employees with branch offices in Europe, Asia, Australia, the
Middle East and Africa. (Additional information at