2007 Mercury Awards winner Advanta Software, specialist software solutions provider to the Logistics, 3rd Party Logistics (3PL) and Fuel Distribution markets, has won a national iAward for its unique logistics software ATLAS 3PL.
The iAwards are presented by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), the Australian Financial Review and the CSIRO ICT Centre, and recognise the best Australian information and communications technology (ICT) innovations each year.
The collaborative efforts of Advanta Software and its client Markitforce swept all before them in the eLogistics category of the national iAwards, which were created by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) to recognise innovation in technology.
“It’s an exciting time for Australian innovation,” says AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Ian Birks.
“Advanta Software and Markitforce are an outstanding example of innovation and this award acknowledges their contribution to the industry and Australia.”
The iAward winners were announced at a Gala Dinner in the Crown Casino, Melbourne on May 28.
The judging panel comprised high-profile representatives from academia, government, associations, the private sector and media.
The award will see the two organisations compete against innovators from the entire Asia-Pacific region in Indonesia later this year.
Advanta, together with its client, specialist 3PL provider Markitforce, were the joint winners of the NSW State iAward in the eLogistics category and competed in a second round of judging to secure the national title.
Robert Kery, Advanta Software’s managing director says Advanta was thrilled to receive the award especially as it gave recognition to the eLogistics area, which has been the major focus of Advanta’s R&D for the past 5 years.
Kery also praises dedicated team of managers who led the development and Advanta’s client, Markitforce who had partnered with Advanta in this project.
“Markitforce are equally deserving of this win as they are truly pioneers who have demonstrated their willingness to invest in new technologies to enhance the services they offer their clients,” Kery says.
The winning entry detailed the application of Advanta’s ATLAS eLogistics suite by Markitforce to manage the distribution of sales, merchandising, point-of-sale (POS) and promotional material for its clients who include blue chip companies like Kellogg’s, Colgate, Palmolive, Sony, Lion-Nathan and Subaru.
In choosing a system, Markitforce considered scalability and the capacity for handling the high volume / fast turn-around demands that characterise Point of Sale campaigns, where promotional material has to be shipped rapidly to multiple locations.
Markitforce now offers its clients a Software-as-a-Service application it calls MarkitEzy which is powered by Advanta Software’s ATLAS eZorder technology.
“What was so special about the Advanta entry was the seamless integration between the many components comprising the end to end solution,” says Steve Nelson, sales director Advanta Software.
“We didn’t attempt to develop a specific ‘breakthrough’ technology; instead Advanta Software introduced innovations to the ATLAS package by integrating many emerging technologies which a provide genuine business advantage.”
“While some of these functions exist in stand-alone products it is the seamless integration of these components in a single suite that makes ATLAS unique in the 3PL marketplace.”
Advanta’s entry cited several examples including the real-time visibility of stock movements from initial order to final delivery; a client services portal enabling the 3PL’s clients to view their own virtual website for ordering and the provision of RF scanning for pick and dispatch accuracy in the warehouses and finally a business intelligence suite for KPI reporting.
ATLAS is continually enhanced with additional modules and features added in response to customer needs. Recently Advanta has added pallet recording, real-time track and trace for proof of delivery, a business intelligence dashboard for the 3PL industry and SMS messaging for relaying shipping advice to clients.
Advanta was previously recognised for excellence in 3PL software by the Global Institute of Logistics (NY, USA) and in December last year won the prestigious Mercury Awards from Logistics Magazine in Australia.
However the iAward win is indeed special according to Robert Kery who says as an IT solutions provider to the Logistics market the company spans two disciplines.
“This recognition by the ICT industry is especially pleasing and we are grateful to the AIIA for organising these awards,” Kery enthuses.
“The Australian ICT industry is indeed well placed with all the finalists showcasing excellent technologies that compete on the world stage.”
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