WATERLOO, Ontario, Feb. 5, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Descartes Systems Group, a global on-demand software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solutions provider, announced that, after a successful pilot project, it has formed an alliance with the Information & Telecommunication System Group of Hitachi Ltd. to promote and use Descartes' Global Logistics Network(tm) with its group companies of manufacturers and logistics service providers.
Descartes' Visibility solution helps improve logistics efficiency by enabling companies to see potential order failures before they happen. The solution provides line-item-level visibility across multiple modes of transportation by connecting trading partners, enabling them to share data (such as purchase order, advanced shipment notices, and shipment status messages), and monitoring the order process. Overall, the solution helps reduce shipment variability and costs associated with obsolete inventories.
Descartes' Visibility solution leverages the power of the Descartes Global Logistics Network (GLN) to provide the connectivity necessary to gain line-item visibility. Over 6,000 connected companies use the Descartes GLN to better manage logistics processes.
A multi-national enterprise, the supply chain of the Hitachi group is very complex in terms of products, modes and players. After a successful pilot in November 2007, Hitachi selected Descartes' Visibility solution as one of the important components in its total industrial solution spectrum, to provide supply chain visibility especially on key milestones, to help reduce inventory safety stock by better collaboration among partners, and to improve service levels by measuring quantitative key performance indicators on system and logistics performance.
"We believe that Descartes' Visibility solution enables organizations to proactively manage shipments and improve the efficiency of the shipment management process," said Kenji Yasuda, Director at the Information & Telecommunication Systems of Hitachi Ltd. "The flexibility of Descartes' Visibility solution allows companies to monitor components of a purchase order along the supply chain. This is very important to companies who have de-assembly and re-assembly activities in the logistics process and sometimes even ship different components of a purchase order from different places and times. We can also customize the list of milestones to trace and alert on these items when there is exception."
"Our focus is to help our customers standardize business process and improve the efficiency of the shipment management process," said Dejin Liu, Director of Asia Operation of Descartes. "With the flexibility in connectivity of our GLN, we can quickly bring trading partners into a single information portal with minimal effort from our customers. Our customers are then able to maximize the result of collaboration by using various functions provided by Descartes' Visibility solution, such as track and trace, reporting, alert and comment for better information and visibility of incoming and outgoing deliveries. We empower our customers to have better control over their inventories ultimately improving customer service and efficiencies."
About the Information & Telecommunication Systems of Hitachi Ltd.
The Information & Telecommunication Systems segment is active in a wide range of areas, from hardware such as communications infrastructure, hard disk drives and other storage products, to the provision of systems integration services based on these products and consulting services. The Hitachi Group leverages these IT capabilities to create new value for people everywhere. For more information visit their web site http://www.hitachi.com/IR-e/business/segment/info/index.html.
About Hitachi Ltd. Hitachi Ltd, (NYSE:HIT) (TSE:6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 384,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2006 (ended March 2007) consolidated revenues totaled 10,247 billion yen ($86.8 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information visit their web site at www.hitachi.com
About Descartes
Descartes (TSX:DSG) (Nasdaq:DSGX), a leading provider of software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solutions, is delivering results across the globe today for organizations that operate logistics-intensive businesses. Descartes' logistics management solutions combine a multi-modal network, the Descartes Global Logistics Network, with component-based 'nano' sized applications to provide messaging services between logistics trading partners, shipment management services to help manage third party carriers and private fleet management services for organizations of all sizes. These solutions and services help Descartes' customers reduce administrative costs, billing cycles, fleet size, contract carrier costs, and mileage driven and improve pick up and delivery reliability. Our hosted, transactional and packaged solutions deliver repeatable, measurable results and fast time-to-value. Descartes customers include an estimated 1,600 ground carriers and more than 90 airlines, 30 ocean carriers, 900 freight forwarders and third-party providers of logistics services, and hundreds of manufacturers, retailers, distributors, private fleet owners and regulatory agencies. The company has more than 300 employees and is based in Waterloo, Ontario, with operations in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Washington DC, Derby, London, Tokyo, Stockholm, Shanghai, Singapore and Melbourne. For more information, visit www.descartes.com.
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This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements") that relate to Descartes' solution offering and potential benefits derived therefrom; Hitachi's deployment of the solution; and other matters. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the factors and assumptions discussed in the section entitled, "Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results" in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities commissions across Canada. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.