Infor helps companies implement sustainability programs

Infor on December 12 announced "Going Green," an initiative to help organizations implement green and sustainability programs through the use of enterprise software. Infor is educating customers on how its software can help them achieve their green and sustainability goals, such as reducing energy consumption through Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), decreasing carbon footprint through Supply Chain Management (SCM) and using Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to minimize landfill waste and the environmental impact of product manufacturing. Infor has launched a Web site, www.infor.com/goinggreen, dedicated to "going green," which includes white papers, Webinars, podcasts and product information.

Organizations are implementing green programs for a number of factors, such as the need to decrease waste and improve asset utilization, maintain compliance with government regulations and reduce energy and materials costs. There is also a growing demand from consumers for products created and distributed in harmony with the precepts of environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Enterprise software can help organizations address both of these concerns.

"The common thread for organizations that are going green is the need to meet sustainability objectives and drive a return-on-investment," said Melissa Puls, senior director of solutions marketing for Infor. "These objectives aren't mutually exclusive. Infor is focusing its efforts to help customers achieve both."

Infor EAM is an example of how enterprise software can help organizations implement and maintain green programs. Infor EAM helps organizations drive efficiencies in asset utilization, leading to improved performance and reduced energy consumption. Through Infor EAM, organizations can track the energy consumption of individual assets to identify underperforming equipment and take corrective action that results in cost-savings and energy conservation. Through preventive maintenance programs, Infor EAM helps organizations keep assets in optimal condition, extending their life and reducing waste. Organizations such as Bentley College are turning to Infor EAM to help implement, monitor and measure their green initiatives.

"Bentley College is contributing to the research and dialogue on climate change and good environmental policy," said Kerri Roche, assistant director of Sustainability and Energy for Bentley College in Waltham, Mass., an Infor EAM customer. "As such, we are committed to being proactive about reducing the impact of our own campus facilities on the environment. We look forward to working with Infor to utilize IT as a tool to help us work toward the goal of becoming climate neutral in our operations."

As globalization continues to drive longer and more complex supply chains, organizations are striving to minimize the carbon impact of their distribution activities while simultaneously improving their service levels and total cost to supply. Infor SCM software helps organizations implement supply chain optimization processes that reduce their carbon footprint and maximize cost efficiencies in areas such as supply chain design, planning and execution, and warehouse management. Infor SCM allows customers to model and optimize transportation networks to reduce fuel usage and carbon emissions. Using forecasting tools, organizations can predict customer demand to minimize excess inventory, reducing the waste associated with manufacturing, distributing and stocking unneeded products.

Infor PLM provides visibility into the environmental impact of products, such as landfill content and hazardous material exposure, which are relevant to government regulations like the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive and the Clean Water Act. Infor PLM helps manage this throughout the production lifecycle, enabling manufacturers to maintain socially responsible supplier networks. Interactive feedback throughout the product lifecycle helps minimize compliance exposure and can enhance products by allowing manufacturers to design green considerations into materials and manufacturing processes. Additionally, Infor PLM can help reduce non-value added material content or dematerialization, which improves the carbon footprint of the manufacturer.

Infor's other products that help customers go green include Infor ERP and Infor Performance Management (PM). Among other benefits, Infor ERP helps organizations integrate and optimize manufacturing processes, resulting in reduced energy consumption and less material waste. Infor PM enables organizations to develop and model green strategies, align the strategies with the necessary resources, and then monitor key performance indicators to support continued success and compliance.

Infor will also continue to work closely with customers, industry groups and academic institutions to identify best practices and processes that enable them to "go green," a collaboration which is already resulting in new features and functionality in its software. For more information, visit www.infor.com/goinggreen.