New Version of Infor M3 Provides CAT Dealers with a Long-Term Platform for Managing Growth, Handling Complexity and Boosting Profitability
www.infor.com , a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, has announced the availability of Infor M3 Equipment for CAT dealers. This enhanced version of Infor M3 for Equipment delivers new functionality specifically for CAT Dealers that includes quotations, life cycle management, shipment, servicing, preventative maintenance, warranty, cores, rental, inventory and control, counter operations, finance, overhaul and final disposal. The solution comes complete with an extensive set of interfaces that cover common interactions enabling efficient and unified communication with Caterpillar. Infor Equipment is a comprehensive suite of software solutions designed specifically for medium to large complex organisations that have physical inventories and assets to manage, as well as a mix of sales, rental and service processes.
Infor has been investing in product development for the Equipment industry for over 10 years and in the past two years has accelerated and focused its investment to meet the specific requirements identified by the Caterpillar Dealer community. The Infor Caterpillar Dealer Advisory Council , which is led by dealers, has focused on identifying a set of common practices and processes for the community. Through deep cooperation with this council and the formation of the Caterpillar Global Program Office, Infor has incorporated processes and configurations specific to the CAT community, with the aim of increasing the speed of implementation while reducing risk and disruption.
Through the collaboration and commitment between Infor and ICDAC, the solution also has a new user-friendly interface that is unique to the needs of these dealers. Other enhancements include new dealer sharing capabilities to allow Dealers to identify excess inventory and then share details with the CAT Dealer network via a standard interface, which is part of a package of 75 standard CAT interfaces that have been verified in conjunction with Caterpillar. In addition, a new set of functions manage the CAT part marketing programs including setup, processing and claims. These capabilities help CAT Dealers operate more efficiently and profitably in an increasingly competitive market.
“We put a huge amount of time, energy and resources into developing this solution. And, we really dedicated our teams to better understand what problems CAT dealers were facing, in order to create the technology they needed to overcome current and future business challenges,” said Andreas Hellstrom, senior program director, Infor Caterpillar Center of Excellence at Infor. “Working in conjunction with the Infor Caterpillar Dealer Advisory Council, we were able to design this new release with the functionality, integration and ease-of-use the industry needs. We listened to what exactly was wanted in the marketplace, and were able to build this solution accordingly.”
In December, Infor and CAT held a three-day validation event in Stockholm to give dealers a first-hand look at the new solution and the progress. "The new Rental Counter solution looks like it has been designed to support the standard process precisely – everything you need is on one screen," said Robert Barrows, rental business unit coordinator, Wagner Equipment Company.