QAD Offers Link To ERP Systems

QAD Inc., a maker of manufacturing, distribution, and financial software applications, is shipping QAD/Connects A2A, a new enterprise application integration product designed to connect QAD products with enterprise resource planning and legacy systems from other vendors.

In addition to integrators to ERP systems, the new product includes automated message management, logging, and error recovery between applications, and customizable Extensible Markup Language-based connectors. QAD is billing this as less expensive and faster than having consulting firms develop and install enterprise application integration connectors between their QAD products and their ERP systems. Joe Taylor, manager of application support for global heavy-equipment manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand, which recently began deployment of QAD's new EAI tools, says A2A will be used in more than 20 locations worldwide to integrate its factory-floor applications--QAD Mfg/Pro versions 8.5f, 8.6d, and 8.6e--with its Oracle ERP applications. Says Taylor, "We wanted to have a robust connection from our operations systems to our corporate systems and chose QAD for the job because of the complexity of the integration."