NCS Launches Mobile
Applications developed with the Microsoft .NET Compact
Framework
~Dean Foods to Pilot New
Application~
HAUPPAUGE, NY (Sept. 16)--Numeric
Computer Systems, Inc. (NCS), the leading developer of
applications supporting the “Order to Cash” process for Direct
Store Delivery (DSD), announced the upcoming release of their
eXpress Route product developed with the Microsoft .NET Compact
Framework.
"eXpress Route provides a valuable solution to the DSD
industry," said David Rasmussen, lead product manager for
.NET mobile developer technologies in the Developer
Platform and Evangelism Division at Microsoft Corp. "Microsoft
is excited that NCS is offering its customers this unique, new
mobile solution to take advantage of the next generation of
mobile devices with the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework."
In today’s competitive retail environment, direct store
delivery personnel need visibility to a range of customer
information such as inventory, sales history and product details
to carry out their work quickly and efficiently. eXpress Route
allows a route salesperson to easily handle all elements of
route distribution such as order entry, invoicing, messaging,
collections, returns, inventory control, and DEX.
Mr. Art Fino, CIO of Dean Foods, the largest dairy distributor
in the US, a $10 billion company, says, “We envision that
eXpress Route will create added value for our customers while,
in turn, making it easier to do business with us. As our
reporting capability increases, we intend to offer key
information to our business partners by delivering systems rich
in functionality. We also expect to achieve benefits in our
operations by enhancing the delivery process including: faster,
more efficient delivery of products to the marketplace, better
visibility to incremental sales opportunities, streamlined
inventory management, and, a more efficient route
settlement/financial close process.”
The eXpress Route solution represents a significant technology
upgrade for Dean Foods. They will be migrating to a standard;
open platform for route/distribution management application
which they believe will provide long term business benefits for
Dean Foods and its customers.
"NCS is an early adopter of the Microsoft .NET Compact
Framework. We developed our mobile applications with Microsoft
.NET because it provided a flexible and consistent development
environment and great XML support. The .NET Compact Framework is
a subset of the .NET Framework that is designed to run on smart
devices, providing support for managed code and XML Web
services. The application will run on
all Microsoft supported platforms. The extensive use of XML
includes host-mobile data exchanges, configuration settings,
business rules, printout specifications and screen
specifications. Customization of printouts and screens can be
accomplished without programming. The system can be configured
to align to current business processes not the other way
around. The client can make these changes easily with internal
resources, allowing the enterprise to drive cost out of the IT
budget" says Robert J Hochberg, President of
NCS.
Dean Foods expects to dramatically lower IT and business
operations expenditures while improving customer relationships
through the implementation of eXpess Route. eXpress Route is
part of a suite of products developed by NCS with Microsoft .NET
including eXpress Sales Force and eXpress Merchandiser.
About NCS Inc.
NCS is a leading supplier of Order to Cash systems to the DSD
Marketplace. NCS solutions automate the sales and delivery
processes for businesses with a mobile workforce. The complete
solution includes: software, hardware, implementation,
integration, training, service, and support. NCS specializes in
delivery/route accounting, wireless, and sales solutions for the
vertical markets including, dairy, frozen food, beverage, baked
goods, and snacks.
NCS, a
member of expedium, is based in Hauppauge, New York with
corporate offices in Los Angeles, Sydney, Auckland and San Juan.
Contact NCS at 1-800-321-7822.
Other product and service names mentioned
herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Download a copy of the
.NET Case Study
(197K .pdf)