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By Diane Trommer Designed to strengthen the real-time Internet/extranet-based processing channels created between a company's back-end systems for enterprise resource planning and that company's trading partners, SpaceWorks Inc. has released the third generation of OrderManager. Version 3.0 of OrderManager, which automates the supply chain transactions of companies and their trading partners over the Web, includes enhancements such as more-detailed authorization features, order tracking, and part-search capabilities. With updated purchase-authorization procedures, OrderManager 3.0 enables purchasing representatives to do research on desired products and build an order form containing selections that can then be electronically routed to a supervisor for review and approval. It also includes links to UPS and Federal Express Web-based tracking systems, so that trading partners can check the shipping status of electronically submitted orders. A unique option of OrderManager 3.0, according to Dave MacSwain, president and chief executive of SpaceWorks, Rockville, Md., is its "guest" feature, which allows clients to provide temporary e-commerce access to prospective trading partners. This lets potential partners sample the features and functionality of the software without placing orders, he said. In addition, the upgrade features multiparametric searching to enable trading partners to simultaneously search for several classes or types of products according to the individual characteristics of each class. Once matching results are found, they are displayed in one merged result set. For suppliers, the solution offers cross-sell functionality, which enables a seller to link related or complementary products to each other so that when a buyer views a desired product spec sheet, a list of associated products will automatically be displayed. OrderManager operates on the HP-UX, Sun Solaris, and Microsoft NT platforms. Version 3.0 will be available by the end of the quarter.
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