Walker International Inc has launched two new software packages for System/370-based mainframes and DB2 or SQL/DS relational database management system environments. The key features of the Inventory Management system include material definition, on-line enquiries, multiple stock room locations, and inventory movement transaction monitoring. Other facilities provided by the new software include inter-stockroom transfers, pricing and standard costing, inventory requesting, automatic generation of renewals, and integration with MBA/GL, Walker’s accounting software. Walker Asset Management software is aimed at organisations with large investments in fixed or leased assets. Like Inventory Management, it integrates with the company’s Management, Budgeting, Accounting, and General Ledger packages, and it also provides on-line and historical information. The software has a fixed asset key which is up to 50 characters long and can be divided into 12 segments. Up to six books can be devoted to each asset, and once an asset is entered into the system, it is available for all active books. The software provides retrospective processing and forecasting facilities, and Walker says that since methods of depreciation vary between assets and accounting periods, the software has user-defined periods such as 53-week years. As always, costs depend on configuration, but they are likely to fall between UKP40,000 and UKP120,000. Walker International believes that the new software packages are particularly applicable to the bodies like the National Health Service or local education bodies which are under pressure to become more cost-effective. It is also targeting the software at companies that were previously state-owned, and it has announced that National Power has placed an order worth UKP800,000. Walker will supply its DB2 Purchasing Management, Accounts Payable Management, Inventory Management and the Productivity Tools set. Touche Ross, the large London-based accountancy firm about to subsume Spicer & Oppenheimer, is taking Walker’s Management, Budgeting, Accounting and General Ledger software in an UKP200,000 order. The packages will run on a 4381 running under MVS with CICS and the Adabas relational database management system. The system is scheduled to go live in April 1991 and will be accessed by 1,000 users.
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