Planning Sciences Inc, the US arm of Planning Sciences Plc, has announced the first fruit of its alliance with Dun & Bradstreet subsidiary, Sales Technologies Inc. The product, Medallion Business Intelligence Systems, is a territory management system, aimed at the pharmaceutical industry. It is based on Wimbledon-based Planning Sciences’ Epic executive information system, an applications development and delivery tool, which was licensed to Sales Technologies some three or four months ago. Atlanta-based Sales Technologies, a market intelligence company that collects statistical data about the pharmaceutical industry, used its own and Planning Sciences’ software developers to create the new system. Medallion collects and integrates data from various sources, ranging from corporate planning and control systems to sales-people on the road, using portables. The information is collected centrally, and processed to provide statistical data on market trends and the like. Targeted at regional and field sales managers for use as a decision-support tool, it runs on Unix boxes as well as any MS-DOS personal computer with an 80386 processor upwards. Available now, it is being marketed solely by Sales Technologies in those countries where it has operations, namely the US, UK and Germany. No pricing was given as the software is provided as one element of a multi-million dollar information provision deal, although royalties are payable to Planning Sciences. Other business intelligence systems, based on Epic technology, are to be released by Sales Technologies sometime in 1993. Planning Sciences, however, is keeping its options open too. While Epic traditionally was sold purely as an executive information system to end-users, at prices ranging from about UKP20,000 to UKP30,000, Planning Sciences is now intent on developing similar licensing agreements with players in other vertical markets. The UKP3m-a-year company is also expanding further into the US. As well as its Waltham, Massachusetts offices opened last year, operations are also to be established in Denver, San Francisco and Atlanta, with New York and Los Angeles sites planned for the end of 1992. Eager to tap in on the massive US market, it is keen likewise to build on its existing network of independent distributors, which cover Washington, Tampa, Houston, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis and the large Canadian cities at the present moment.
