Making Business Steps Flow

Popkin Software and E2open llc have rolled out software targeted to enable enterprises to more easily model and manage their business processes.

Popkin, a New York-based software tools and services company, last week introduced Version 9.1 of its System Architect tool set, which includes support for the BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) standard.

System Architect is used to design business process models and enterprise architectures. BPMN simplifies the modeling of complex business processes. It is the first standard business modeling notation developed for implementation, architecture and technology for building Web services, according to Popkin.

In addition to expanding business process modeling support, System Architect 9.1 offers a richer graphical and modeling environment for business process modeling. It features the capability for users to navigate through Open Group Architecture Framework Version 7, a methodology that details the development of systems architecture.

Separately, E2open, of Redwood City, Calif., announced the general availability of its MCPM (Multi-Company Process Management) software, for managing multitier, intercompany processes. This software enables companies to develop and deploy buy-side and sell-side data and processes that combine multicompany workflows and an integration platform—delivered as a set of Web services.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, the San Jose, Calif., joint venture of Hitachi Ltd. and IBM, is using MCPM in two of its factories, with about 70 suppliers. By next month, it plans to go live with another five factories and 100 additional suppliers.

"The basic area we are using [MCPM] is in collaborating with suppliers, with respect to supply and demand," said Ranga Jayaraman, vice president of IT. "We started out with a single-pass approach—we communicate, [suppliers] respond—and moved on to a more sophisticated iteration [where communication] takes place over a couple of rounds and being able to deal with a couple of different arrangements with suppliers."