IBM and Infor have introduced an integrated hardware and software offering designed to improve the profitability and responsiveness of manufacturers.
The new offering is based on IBM’s POWER7 family of systems and the IBM i operating system and comes with the support of Infor’s ERP LX, ERP XA and ERP System21 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.
The integrated system is the second set of industry-specific workload-optimized systems delivered by IBM and Infor.
IBM Sales & Distribution Global Alliance Executive Charles Germano said manufacturing is a process and each step can dramatically affect profitability.
Germano said, "Gaining more visibility into processes and optimizing each step efficiently is crucial for any company wanting to compete globally.
"By offering an integrated hardware and software solution that is already tuned to the specific tasks of manufacturers, we are simplifying the IT environment to make this transformation possible."
The new Infor Manufacturing Solution Built with IBM Power Systems package includes three years of premium support, implementation and migration services, and customisable software and service options such as Infor CRM for System i and cloud-based data recovery services, said IBM.
Customers can choose either IBM Power 720 Express or IBM Power 740 Express servers as the base of their high-performance IT environment with the IBM i operating system, which integrates key middleware such as IBM DB2 database software, the company said.
Infor System i vice-president and general manager Jack Bullock said, "Partnering with IBM to deliver this integrated solution to help manufacturers achieve greater profitability and improved business decision making is the latest innovation that Infor is bringing to our IBM i-based customers."
