With the release of :
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
• CRM Online
• and the Connector for AX CRM
Trying out CRM has never been easier.
Want to maximise your sales? Squeeze every last pound of value from your marketing spend? Delight your customers with exemplary customer service? These are claimed benefits made by every vendor of CRM software over the last 15 years. Some succeed, many fail. So what does eBECS do differently, with either new CRM projects or turning around faltering systems, to make sure that your organisation can actually improve your bottom line and quality in your customer relationships?
The answer is based on a whole mixture of skills, experience, and actions. But key to successful CRM projects is a clear focus on the desired benefits, from both the top ("I need excellent management information to help my managers make important and timely decisions") and the bottom ("how will this new environment help me do my own job better every day?"). To meet this spectrum of need, we hold fast-moving CRM workshops at all levels within the organisation to quickly capture and prototype the needs of all of the different roles types. From this, we are able to design a system which invariably starts small and simply, gains immediate user adoption, and grows in small stages to deliver additional benefits and users at each stage.
Of course, it isn't as straightforward as just that, and there are many effective tricks and techniques our CRM team have adopted in our management of successful projects. We'd like the opportunity to work with you and pass these skills over to your own staff. You will soon become self sufficient.
The other major contributor to CRM success is starting with the right tool for the job. With the recent launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, CRM Online, and the Connector for AX CRM, there has never been a better time to look at the Microsoft CRM products. After our workshops, once you know your requirements, we can help you select the most suitable system for your needs now and in the future.
There are three Microsoft CRM products:
o Dynamics AX CRM
o Microsoft Dynamics CRM on premise
o Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
Each has different attributes so your needs will dictate which is the best platform on which to base your CRM system. To read more about product comparison, please see the White Paper on our web site at http://www.ebecs.com/dynamics-crm .
The introduction of CRM Online has made the evaluation and subsequent implementation more straightforward than it has ever been. Hosted in the Cloud by Microsoft, you don't need to worry about IT infrastructure yet still get all the benefits of CRM, Outlook and Office all in one system.
It is a matter of moments to set up a month's Free Trial. If you want us to, we can help you get started within days, and you can test the software against your needs. If it measures up, you can turn that into a paid for subscription currently discounted to £22.75 per user per month. To take advantage of this special offer, please visit our web site at http://www.ebecs.com/30-day-trial and we will arrange everything for you.
In today's challenging conditions, gaining a real competitive edge is vital and it has never been easier or more cost effective to get started. Contact us today on info@ebecs.com and we will help you make the first step.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Monday, 28 March 2011
Microsoft Dynamics AX2012: A First Look at a New Generation of ERP
Recently a team of delegates from each of eBECS' country offices together with a number of eBECS customers attended the Microsoft Dynamics Technical Conference to learn more about the latest generation of Microsoft Dynamics AX: AX2012. As a user of Micrsoft Dynamic AX you will be intered to read below a summary review.
Known previously and unofficially as 'AX6' and scheduled for full release later this year, AX2012 represents a significant advance on AX2009. While AX2009's roots can be traced without difficulty back through AX4 to Axapta 3.0 and earlier, AX2012 represents a step-change away from this traditional structure although the common DNA is clear to see.
The footprint of AX2012 is 140% greater than that of AX2009 with greater emphasis on public sector and services industry activities. The general architecture has developed in several ways from an improved user interface, through an enhanced framework for development to the improved sharing of data between company environments.
From a technical perspective, a great deal of effort has been directed to consolidating the environment. Development tools have been simplified incorporating greater degree of interaction with Visual Studio. The authoring of help text is now simplified and no longer requires a complex set of conversions to translate processes into online help, while deployment of forms to the Enterprise Portal can now be achieved with a single click.
But it is the integration with analytical tools and Microsoft Office that is truly spectacular. AX now appears as a set of ribbon tools in Excel and Word, while it is possible to drag and drop AX fields into Excel and even publish data back from Excel direct into AX.
Across all disciplines, a new Global Address Book takes the approach started in AX2009 but takes this further to reduce much of the address duplication that had been present while enhancing standardisation for maintenance.
Within Finance, Manufacturing and Logistics, the extent of the changes is immediately apparent. Manufacturing now combines discrete, process and, closest to eBECS' heart: Lean. All three methodologies co-exist within a common set of policies that combine pull and push, while Master Planning works in conjunction with them all.
The intercompany capabilities of AX2012 represent a step change from what has gone before. Although intercompany can operate only within a common instance, it is now possible to explode demand across companies. Meanwhile, forecasting has been enhanced, to allow something that has been wanted for a long time: the ability to forecast on a low-level BoM item, while forecast scheduling, reduction and consumption are all improved.
Supporting the intercompany capabilities, product master data can be shared across legal entities and critical data can be shared to match. Meanwhile, a new entity, a 'Non-Stocked Part' has been added to support enhanced requisitioning capabilities which include a more flexible approval workflow and the ability to 'punch out' to supplier websites. Mention of suppliers should also include enhanced self-service capabilities which marry-up a new vendor portal and workflow.
Lean is now a fully-integrated part of the SYS later and, while displaying its eBECS origins, has been re-written from the ground up. Gone are purchase kanbans, and Lean Order Schedules, just arrived are Lean Production Flows, a range of new kanban types and 'Throughput Principle' planning, which is similar in concept to the 'Drumbeat' used in AX2009.
Finally, one other highlight within the manufacturing arena is product configuration. An entirely new product configurator has been created, using Microsoft Solver Foundation at its core. This new constraint-based configurator is separate to Product Builder and will supplement it for at least the first release of AX2012. The new configurator uses constraint-based rather than rules-based language and is expected to provide a lower total cost of ownership and better external integration through APIs.
Changes within Finance include an improved framework for organisational models. Legal and operating units are now separated and this links into a new security model. There are better visual tools to manage organisational structures, while these form the basis of financial and accounting structures.
Accounts are now shared by default across companies, while the split between ledger and sub-ledger structures has been enhanced and this goes further into dimension structures where, within certain constraints, all logistical entities can be set as a dimension with a simple code change.
Budgetary control has been developed to encompass many other modules, most specifically purchase and project and although developed with the public sector in mind, it has direct relevance to other industries. Similarly, expense management has been enhanced to incorporate workflow, document scanning and credit card integration. Closing the loop on budget and expense management, the Projects module has received a range of enhancements with the professional services market in mind which integrate more closely to budget control but provide additional capabilities for resource allocation and work breakdown structures.
In conclusion, AX2012 represents a step-change from AX2009, taking Dynamics AX to a higher level of capability, especially with regard to larger and more complex organisations. However, it still retains its capability to support small and medium-sized companies while the common DNA with earlier versions will mean that a transformation to this latest version will be a logical evolution from earlier generations.
.
Known previously and unofficially as 'AX6' and scheduled for full release later this year, AX2012 represents a significant advance on AX2009. While AX2009's roots can be traced without difficulty back through AX4 to Axapta 3.0 and earlier, AX2012 represents a step-change away from this traditional structure although the common DNA is clear to see.
The footprint of AX2012 is 140% greater than that of AX2009 with greater emphasis on public sector and services industry activities. The general architecture has developed in several ways from an improved user interface, through an enhanced framework for development to the improved sharing of data between company environments.
From a technical perspective, a great deal of effort has been directed to consolidating the environment. Development tools have been simplified incorporating greater degree of interaction with Visual Studio. The authoring of help text is now simplified and no longer requires a complex set of conversions to translate processes into online help, while deployment of forms to the Enterprise Portal can now be achieved with a single click.
But it is the integration with analytical tools and Microsoft Office that is truly spectacular. AX now appears as a set of ribbon tools in Excel and Word, while it is possible to drag and drop AX fields into Excel and even publish data back from Excel direct into AX.
Across all disciplines, a new Global Address Book takes the approach started in AX2009 but takes this further to reduce much of the address duplication that had been present while enhancing standardisation for maintenance.
Within Finance, Manufacturing and Logistics, the extent of the changes is immediately apparent. Manufacturing now combines discrete, process and, closest to eBECS' heart: Lean. All three methodologies co-exist within a common set of policies that combine pull and push, while Master Planning works in conjunction with them all.
The intercompany capabilities of AX2012 represent a step change from what has gone before. Although intercompany can operate only within a common instance, it is now possible to explode demand across companies. Meanwhile, forecasting has been enhanced, to allow something that has been wanted for a long time: the ability to forecast on a low-level BoM item, while forecast scheduling, reduction and consumption are all improved.
Supporting the intercompany capabilities, product master data can be shared across legal entities and critical data can be shared to match. Meanwhile, a new entity, a 'Non-Stocked Part' has been added to support enhanced requisitioning capabilities which include a more flexible approval workflow and the ability to 'punch out' to supplier websites. Mention of suppliers should also include enhanced self-service capabilities which marry-up a new vendor portal and workflow.
Lean is now a fully-integrated part of the SYS later and, while displaying its eBECS origins, has been re-written from the ground up. Gone are purchase kanbans, and Lean Order Schedules, just arrived are Lean Production Flows, a range of new kanban types and 'Throughput Principle' planning, which is similar in concept to the 'Drumbeat' used in AX2009.
Finally, one other highlight within the manufacturing arena is product configuration. An entirely new product configurator has been created, using Microsoft Solver Foundation at its core. This new constraint-based configurator is separate to Product Builder and will supplement it for at least the first release of AX2012. The new configurator uses constraint-based rather than rules-based language and is expected to provide a lower total cost of ownership and better external integration through APIs.
Changes within Finance include an improved framework for organisational models. Legal and operating units are now separated and this links into a new security model. There are better visual tools to manage organisational structures, while these form the basis of financial and accounting structures.
Accounts are now shared by default across companies, while the split between ledger and sub-ledger structures has been enhanced and this goes further into dimension structures where, within certain constraints, all logistical entities can be set as a dimension with a simple code change.
Budgetary control has been developed to encompass many other modules, most specifically purchase and project and although developed with the public sector in mind, it has direct relevance to other industries. Similarly, expense management has been enhanced to incorporate workflow, document scanning and credit card integration. Closing the loop on budget and expense management, the Projects module has received a range of enhancements with the professional services market in mind which integrate more closely to budget control but provide additional capabilities for resource allocation and work breakdown structures.
In conclusion, AX2012 represents a step-change from AX2009, taking Dynamics AX to a higher level of capability, especially with regard to larger and more complex organisations. However, it still retains its capability to support small and medium-sized companies while the common DNA with earlier versions will mean that a transformation to this latest version will be a logical evolution from earlier generations.
.
Monday, 7 February 2011
Lean ERP - Talley Group Microsoft Dynamics user featured in industry article
Please see attached recent article published in Works Management focusing on eBECS Microsoft Dynamics Customer Talley Group.
Lean manufacturing projects usually start well but then stall, as project teams falter after the low-hanging fruit. Brian Tinham examines what it takes to drive lean the extra mile
- please see http://www.worksmanagement.co.uk/magazine/Default.aspx for a download of the magazine.
Lean manufacturing projects usually start well but then stall, as project teams falter after the low-hanging fruit. Brian Tinham examines what it takes to drive lean the extra mile
- please see http://www.worksmanagement.co.uk/magazine/Default.aspx for a download of the magazine.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Virtual Convergence – Now Available via CustomerSource! Featuring a number of eBECS Customers
Convergence is a great in-person opportunity to gather information and network with leaders and influencers from your region. With so much to offer, it’s tough to take it all in, so Microsoft have launched Virtual Convergence to help extend your learning possibilities. This online tool hosts recordings of the keynote, as well as all of the general sessions and breakout sessions, so that you can capitalize on all the learning available at Convergence.
To begin your virtual experience, click here. You’ll be routed through CustomerSource, so you must log in to be authenticated.
eBECS and our Customer's Featured in the following 5 sessions that can be viewed in the virtual experience.
Keynote Session featuring Kirill Tatarinov
eBECS Customer Bradley Yorke-Biggs, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, Director of Strategy, IT and Governmental Affairs.
Session details:- Whether seasoned veteran or first time Convergence attendee, you are at the heart of this story. It's an exciting time to be part of Microsoft Dynamics as a new chapter is written on the path we share together. This chapter starts with our opening keynote session. You'll hear from Microsoft Dynamics's visionary speaker, experience unparalleled innovation, and meet some of the coolest customers on the planet. We welcome you to join Kirill Tatarinov, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions as he unveils a compelling vision that will take us together into today and beyond tomorrow.
AX Main Session - Business & Microsoft Dynamics AX: Today, Tomorrow, Together
eBECS Customer Bradley Yorke-Biggs, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, Director of Strategy, IT and Governmental Affairs and,
eBECS Customer Jan Dragosz Allgood plc, I.T. Manager
Session details:- Aligning IT with business is crucial for the success of your Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation and success of your organization. Hear what cutting-edge solutions are available to support your business now and in the near future. We'll spotlight how customers added value to their business by extending the Microsoft Dynamics AX footprint. And most of all, learn how business and IT made this happen together.
Microsoft Dynamics AX for Manufacturing
eBECS Customer Tyrone White, The Talley Group Ltd, Manufacturing Manager.
Session details:- Join this session to learn about the manufacturing area of Microsoft Dynamics AX now and in the future. Discover how Microsoft Dynamics AX can be leveraged across multiple verticals like food and beverage, life sciences, chemicals and industrial manufacturing. We'll take a deep dive into some of the functionality that has been added to the recently released Lean manufacturing and Process Industries for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. You'll also be hearing from customers that are utilizing the unique industry capabilities to improve their business.
Human Capital Management in Microsoft Dynamics AX
Louisa Allison eBECS HR Manager
Session details:- Having sound human resource practices focused on recruiting, retaining, and developing talent is critical for your organisation's health. The Human Capital Management (HCM) solution for Microsoft Dynamics AX provides you with the ability to manage your operational and strategic processes in alignment with your organisational goals. Join us as we demonstrate the capabilities of the Human Capital Management solution to enable you to more effectively manage your processes.
Data Management & Archiving in Microsoft Dynamics AX
eBECS Customer Navid Ahsan JJ Food Service Limited, Software Engineer
Session details:- Learn about our latest offering, Microsoft Intelligent Data Management Framework for Microsoft Dynamics AX. With the future provision of intelligently managing data layouts from both a SQL and business perspective, we'll discuss the framework that allows for purging and archiving data, leading to lower total cost of ownership and higher efficiency. We'll analyze and discuss the opportunities, so that you can plan your implementation of this powerful framework.
To begin your virtual experience, click here. You’ll be routed through CustomerSource, so you must log in to be authenticated.
eBECS and our Customer's Featured in the following 5 sessions that can be viewed in the virtual experience.
Keynote Session featuring Kirill Tatarinov
eBECS Customer Bradley Yorke-Biggs, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, Director of Strategy, IT and Governmental Affairs.
Session details:- Whether seasoned veteran or first time Convergence attendee, you are at the heart of this story. It's an exciting time to be part of Microsoft Dynamics as a new chapter is written on the path we share together. This chapter starts with our opening keynote session. You'll hear from Microsoft Dynamics's visionary speaker, experience unparalleled innovation, and meet some of the coolest customers on the planet. We welcome you to join Kirill Tatarinov, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions as he unveils a compelling vision that will take us together into today and beyond tomorrow.
AX Main Session - Business & Microsoft Dynamics AX: Today, Tomorrow, Together
eBECS Customer Bradley Yorke-Biggs, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, Director of Strategy, IT and Governmental Affairs and,
eBECS Customer Jan Dragosz Allgood plc, I.T. Manager
Session details:- Aligning IT with business is crucial for the success of your Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation and success of your organization. Hear what cutting-edge solutions are available to support your business now and in the near future. We'll spotlight how customers added value to their business by extending the Microsoft Dynamics AX footprint. And most of all, learn how business and IT made this happen together.
Microsoft Dynamics AX for Manufacturing
eBECS Customer Tyrone White, The Talley Group Ltd, Manufacturing Manager.
Session details:- Join this session to learn about the manufacturing area of Microsoft Dynamics AX now and in the future. Discover how Microsoft Dynamics AX can be leveraged across multiple verticals like food and beverage, life sciences, chemicals and industrial manufacturing. We'll take a deep dive into some of the functionality that has been added to the recently released Lean manufacturing and Process Industries for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. You'll also be hearing from customers that are utilizing the unique industry capabilities to improve their business.
Human Capital Management in Microsoft Dynamics AX
Louisa Allison eBECS HR Manager
Session details:- Having sound human resource practices focused on recruiting, retaining, and developing talent is critical for your organisation's health. The Human Capital Management (HCM) solution for Microsoft Dynamics AX provides you with the ability to manage your operational and strategic processes in alignment with your organisational goals. Join us as we demonstrate the capabilities of the Human Capital Management solution to enable you to more effectively manage your processes.
Data Management & Archiving in Microsoft Dynamics AX
eBECS Customer Navid Ahsan JJ Food Service Limited, Software Engineer
Session details:- Learn about our latest offering, Microsoft Intelligent Data Management Framework for Microsoft Dynamics AX. With the future provision of intelligently managing data layouts from both a SQL and business perspective, we'll discuss the framework that allows for purging and archiving data, leading to lower total cost of ownership and higher efficiency. We'll analyze and discuss the opportunities, so that you can plan your implementation of this powerful framework.
Thanks, Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference 2011
2011 - From - MSDN Blogs > Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX > Thanks, Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference 2011
DAX_GPM 24 Jan 2011 7:54 AM Comments 0
As a closing note for the awesome week that was the Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference 2011, we wanted to say thanks.
To our customers and partners. We build a product based on your feedback and input. Your feedback last week reflects that we are on track for delivering our most innovative release. We thank you for the commitment and effort in coming to Seattle to see what we have been working on. Thanks for the energy and excitement your feedback has provided.
When we started our planning for the event we wanted to hold it in Redmond so that we could get as many of the R&D team involved to talk and mingle. Our channel has grown so much and the expectations for this coming release meant that not everyone who would have liked to attend was able to. We were certainly amazed at the response and thanks for you commitment as customers and partners to a product we love.
We have had a lot of questions about the content and presentations. It will take some weeks to package up the recordings and presentations which will line up with the availability of the Community Tech Preview (CTP) release that we’ll be making available to TAP/Private Beta/Metro program participants. In the closing email we will sent to all participants this week, we will provide additional timelines and instructions for those that are not in these programs.
Now is the time to take the learning from last week and make plans. For customers and prospective customers knowing that you have maintenance that covers you for the new release when it is available means that you can continue with your projects, plan new projects with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 and make some smart investments to take advantage of the upgrade when it is available. For partners you can make plans on readiness and prepare your vertical solutions to be ready when the product is launched.
From the R&D team we want to thank all of the customers and partners for coming to Seattle. The enthusiasm, feedback, energy you provided last week gives us the continued momentum to build the product that can help your business.
Thanks for being part of something great.
Cheers
The Dynamics AX Technical Conference Team.
DAX_GPM 24 Jan 2011 7:54 AM Comments 0
As a closing note for the awesome week that was the Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference 2011, we wanted to say thanks.
To our customers and partners. We build a product based on your feedback and input. Your feedback last week reflects that we are on track for delivering our most innovative release. We thank you for the commitment and effort in coming to Seattle to see what we have been working on. Thanks for the energy and excitement your feedback has provided.
When we started our planning for the event we wanted to hold it in Redmond so that we could get as many of the R&D team involved to talk and mingle. Our channel has grown so much and the expectations for this coming release meant that not everyone who would have liked to attend was able to. We were certainly amazed at the response and thanks for you commitment as customers and partners to a product we love.
We have had a lot of questions about the content and presentations. It will take some weeks to package up the recordings and presentations which will line up with the availability of the Community Tech Preview (CTP) release that we’ll be making available to TAP/Private Beta/Metro program participants. In the closing email we will sent to all participants this week, we will provide additional timelines and instructions for those that are not in these programs.
Now is the time to take the learning from last week and make plans. For customers and prospective customers knowing that you have maintenance that covers you for the new release when it is available means that you can continue with your projects, plan new projects with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 and make some smart investments to take advantage of the upgrade when it is available. For partners you can make plans on readiness and prepare your vertical solutions to be ready when the product is launched.
From the R&D team we want to thank all of the customers and partners for coming to Seattle. The enthusiasm, feedback, energy you provided last week gives us the continued momentum to build the product that can help your business.
Thanks for being part of something great.
Cheers
The Dynamics AX Technical Conference Team.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Driving the Generational Shift in ERP - Microsoft Dynamics ERP "The Edge" Blog - Community Home - Microsoft Dynamics Community
Driving the Generational Shift in ERP - Microsoft Dynamics ERP "The Edge" Blog - Community Home - Microsoft Dynamics Community
Guy Weismantel
Guy Weismantel
1-18-2011 8:30 AM
As we open the Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference today in Redmond with over 1000 partners and customers, there's a lot at stake for companies contemplating new applications to power their businesses. Faced with limited budgets, tight resources, tighter margins, and ruthless competition, organizations everywhere are looking for a way not only to stay ahead of the competition, but in some cases, to stay relevant in their markets.
However, with the advent of new business models, new ways to deploy software, and more rapid decision cycles, it's clear that a prettier user interface on top of the same old antiquated infrastructure will no longer do. Not when it's imperative that *this* purchase set up your company to not only weather the current economic storm, but to come out stronger. Companies today do not have the time or interest to send dozens of employees to multi-week trainings; they do not have the resources in their IT departments to maintain a multitude of outdated, unsupported applications and continue to patch them together; and with the pace of change often coming at light speed, they cannot add value and serve the broader organization if their system doesn't reflect the options, alternatives, and reality of how they go to market with their products and services today.
It's into this breach where we step with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 (formerly code-named Microsoft Dynamics AX "6") and that's what we'll talk about in detail during the next three days in Redmond. As we'll be showing our attendees, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 represents a generational shift in ERP technology; one that empowers your people to anticipate and embrace change. The product represents a new way of thinking about ERP, about how companies deploy applications throughout their organization, how they manage their core business processes, and about how they rapidly deliver value that propels the organization forward.
While today is not the launch of the product into the marketplace, it's the first chance we'll have to share some of this fantastic technology with our attendees that we believe is emblematic of this generational shift. Focusing on the core developer needs of pervasive interoperability, unified modeling, and a model-driven, layered architecture, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 will have a tremendous productivity impact on our customers' and partners' organizations.
To that end, we're excited to feature several of our partners and customers prominently both in last week's press release, as well as during our keynote presentation today. Attendees will hear some of the leading ISV's in the market talk about how the generational shift of the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 architecture is helping them deliver more value to their customers, and from some of our customers who will talk about the impact this product will have on their productivity in the coming months and years as well.
It promises to be an exciting conference--it promises to be an exciting product! We're enthusiastic about getting the conversation started, and we look forward to you joining us on the journey.
Friday, 14 January 2011
Microsoft Dynamics AX: The Chosen One Among Microsoft Dynamics ERP Equals? – Part 1
Part 1 of An interesting series of articles from The Technology Evaluation Centre evaluating Microsoft Dynamics AX.
http://blog.technologyevaluation.com/blog/2010/08/09/microsoft-dynamics-ax-the-chosen-one-among-microsoft-dynamics-erp-equals-%e2%80%93-part-1/
http://blog.technologyevaluation.com/blog/2010/08/09/microsoft-dynamics-ax-the-chosen-one-among-microsoft-dynamics-erp-equals-%e2%80%93-part-1/
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Gartner Magic Quadrant for ERP for Product-Centric Midmarket Companies, December 2010 : AX as a leader for 2nd year running!
For the second year running, Microsoft Dynamics AX is positioned as a Leader in the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant for ERP for Product-Centric Midmarket Companies!
You can access the full details of the report here,
You can access the full details of the report here,
What A Difference A Year Makes For Auto Industry
by Dee-Ann Durbin and Jeff Karoub, Associated Press Writers
DETROIT (AP) — The sunny yellow Ford C-Max minivan that greets visitors at this year's Detroit auto show says it all. After taking a pounding during the recession, the U.S. auto industry is full of optimism, and a strong mix of new products will greet buyers as they return to dealerships.
"Looking around at what's at the show, we've never been happier," said Mike Jackson, the CEO of AutoNation Inc., the nation's largest auto retailer. "We can tell a gradual recovery is under way."
The show, which opens to the public Jan. 15 and is one of the biggest in the U.S., has long echoed the mood of the industry. When sport utility vehicles were booming, car companies had elaborate displays, such as the indoor waterfall that cascaded past Jeep vehicles. When the recession hit and General Motors and Chrysler tumbled into bankruptcy, cars were spread haphazardly on bare carpet and attendance fell.
This year, there are signs of a resurgent industry. Car companies are expecting to sell at least 1.5 million more cars in the U.S. this year than they did last year, bringing total sales to 13 million or more. GM and Ford, newly lean and profitable, have multiple-story displays, with big screens and interactive exhibits. Toyota, on the mend from a series of safety recalls last year, shows some bravado with its "swagger wagon," a tricked-out Sienna minivan lined with wood floors and a gumball machine. Porsche, the luxury carmaker, is back at the show after a three-year absence, sensing a U.S. recovery.
Buyers are returning to a market with more choices in size, style and fueling than ever, including electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt and plug-in hybrids such as the upcoming C-Max, which can carry up to seven people.
"Throw away your conceptions of which brands to consider," said James Bell, an analyst with Kelley Blue Book. "You're going to come into a whole different world now."
At the Detroit show, visitors are treated to the Hyundai Veloster, a $17,000 sports car that gets 40 miles per gallon (17.01 kpl), and the Prius V, a hybrid wagon from Toyota. Both go on sale later this year. There are new products in every segment, from the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact to the sleeker, more sophisticated Honda Civic small car to the luxuriously restyled Chrysler 300 sedan.
The Detroit auto show is home to some legendary media stunts to introduce cars. In 2008, cowboys drove a herd of cattle down the streets of Detroit to introduce the new Dodge Ram pickup. The year before, Chrysler introduced the Aspen sport utility vehicle in a blizzard of fake snow. But the spectacles disappeared along with U.S. sales.
This year, some of the showmanship was back, albeit on a more modest scale. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat entertained a mass of media troops at Mercedes-Benz's 125th anniversary presentation with her hit "Bubbly." On Tuesday, auto supplier ZF Friedrichshafen had a tall blonde model in a silvery cat suit prowling the floor.
Volkswagen went country for the introduction of its revamped, made-in-the-USA Passat midsize sedan. In a film made for the show, stirring, Western strings and harmonica strains played as two cowboys on horseback surrounded by red canyons filled the screen. One said, "They gonna settle here," but then cautioned, "they've said that before." The other drawled, "This time ... I think it's for real," and the cowboys came upon VW's gleaming Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant, where the Passat is being built.
Bell said automakers were chastened by the downturn and are being smarter about how they display their cars and how much they spend.
"We'll get back to the swagger and theatrics, but not quite yet," he said.
Ford, for example, has its biggest-ever auto show display. At 71,000 square feet (6,600 square meters), it's 40 percent bigger than last year's space in Detroit.
But it doesn't aim for glitz as much as teaching people about its upcoming electric and hybrid offerings. At its heart is an auto show first, a 208-foot (63-meter) test track for its electric vehicles that show-goers will be able to ride in alongside a professional driver. The oval track was created by a bridge-building firm, according to Dave Tillapaugh, Ford's global auto show manager.
"We get people engaged initially with a bit of theater," he said, then give them "a lot more substance than they expected."
Previewing Next Week's Dynamics AX Technical Conference! - Microsoft Dynamics ERP "The Edge" Blog - Community Home - Microsoft Dynamics Community
We're happy to welcome in one of our star Solution Architecht's, Lachlan Cash onto The Edge! Here Lachlan gives us a preview of what to expect at next week's sold out AX Technical Conference.
Only one week to go before we kick off the first, sold-out Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference 2011 in Redmond, Washington. When we started the planning for the event our desire was to give our partners a look at the upcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics AX so they can start to prepare their customer solutions. It's been amazing to see the response for this next release! I wish we hadn’t had to turn people away, but it's a fantastic indicator of the enthusiasm people have for the future when they are making the investment in this economic climate to travel and attend this event, take the knowledge back and grow their business around Microsoft Dynamics AX.
The Microsoft Dynamics Research &Development team has prepared some great content for this event covering 65 sessions, 20 chalk and talks, hands on labs and instructor led labs. Over three days we will explore the innovations as they will appeal to three different roles in the organization: developer, infrastructure consultant and functional consultant.
Let’s look at the developer. Innovation for this role starts with the unique model-driven, layered architecture. Developers attending the conference will be able to experience this in a number of ways. We have architecture sessions that will go into the philosophy behind the evolution of the architecture, the frameworks and concepts of the models. This will then expand into tooling sessions to show developers how we have evolved the application development lifecycle leveraging Visual Studio 2010 and the Visual Studio Team System to manage source code control and testing. What is unique is that we are exposing the same rich meta data in Visual Studio that MorphX developers have always had and continue to have. This allows existing developers to expand the types of solutions they are able to provide to customers.
Secondly let’s look at the infrastructure consultant. As Microsoft servers continue to evolve to give a customer expanded capabilities to meet their changing business needs, Microsoft Dynamics AX benefits from pre-built interoperability. Take for example the work we have done around Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services. Customers benefit from the expanded access of information across the organization. With Microsoft Dynamics AX, we continue to innovate on this platform so that infrastructure consultants can easily plan technology investments and build their roadmap. Attendees can expect a number of sessions exploring how we leverage Microsoft technology to expand the reach of ERP to more people in the organization.
Thirdly functional consultants working with developers will see how pre-built adaptability in the application models allows industry and vertical solutions to be built quicker and better. Functional consultants will get insight into the innovation from an application point of view across Financials, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Services, and Human Resources. We’ve been listening to our existing customers, and those looking to switch to Dynamics, understanding where they want to take their businesses and incorporating that feedback into the product.
Most of the functional sessions will be covered from the developer’s perspective as well. While we are adding new functionality we understand that the channel builds vertical solutions and tailors the application to their customers’ needs. We have been focusing on helping developers write better code and less code and this is reflected in how we have been improving the application models.
It will be a busy three days but an exciting time to catch up with customers and partners and spend some time talking about the ground-breaking innovations in Microsoft Dynamics AX. Yes it will be cold and rainy, but at least in Seattle, you know what you can depend on: rainy weather and fantastic software!
Re-Blogged from Microsoft Dynamics ERP "The Edge" Blog
Only one week to go before we kick off the first, sold-out Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference 2011 in Redmond, Washington. When we started the planning for the event our desire was to give our partners a look at the upcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics AX so they can start to prepare their customer solutions. It's been amazing to see the response for this next release! I wish we hadn’t had to turn people away, but it's a fantastic indicator of the enthusiasm people have for the future when they are making the investment in this economic climate to travel and attend this event, take the knowledge back and grow their business around Microsoft Dynamics AX.
The Microsoft Dynamics Research &Development team has prepared some great content for this event covering 65 sessions, 20 chalk and talks, hands on labs and instructor led labs. Over three days we will explore the innovations as they will appeal to three different roles in the organization: developer, infrastructure consultant and functional consultant.
Let’s look at the developer. Innovation for this role starts with the unique model-driven, layered architecture. Developers attending the conference will be able to experience this in a number of ways. We have architecture sessions that will go into the philosophy behind the evolution of the architecture, the frameworks and concepts of the models. This will then expand into tooling sessions to show developers how we have evolved the application development lifecycle leveraging Visual Studio 2010 and the Visual Studio Team System to manage source code control and testing. What is unique is that we are exposing the same rich meta data in Visual Studio that MorphX developers have always had and continue to have. This allows existing developers to expand the types of solutions they are able to provide to customers.
Secondly let’s look at the infrastructure consultant. As Microsoft servers continue to evolve to give a customer expanded capabilities to meet their changing business needs, Microsoft Dynamics AX benefits from pre-built interoperability. Take for example the work we have done around Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services. Customers benefit from the expanded access of information across the organization. With Microsoft Dynamics AX, we continue to innovate on this platform so that infrastructure consultants can easily plan technology investments and build their roadmap. Attendees can expect a number of sessions exploring how we leverage Microsoft technology to expand the reach of ERP to more people in the organization.
Thirdly functional consultants working with developers will see how pre-built adaptability in the application models allows industry and vertical solutions to be built quicker and better. Functional consultants will get insight into the innovation from an application point of view across Financials, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Services, and Human Resources. We’ve been listening to our existing customers, and those looking to switch to Dynamics, understanding where they want to take their businesses and incorporating that feedback into the product.
Most of the functional sessions will be covered from the developer’s perspective as well. While we are adding new functionality we understand that the channel builds vertical solutions and tailors the application to their customers’ needs. We have been focusing on helping developers write better code and less code and this is reflected in how we have been improving the application models.
It will be a busy three days but an exciting time to catch up with customers and partners and spend some time talking about the ground-breaking innovations in Microsoft Dynamics AX. Yes it will be cold and rainy, but at least in Seattle, you know what you can depend on: rainy weather and fantastic software!
Re-Blogged from Microsoft Dynamics ERP "The Edge" Blog
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