Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based ARI Network Services Inc has recorded a non-cash charge related to industry specific applications used in its network system in its fiscal fourth quarter ended July 31. The amount of the charge is estimated at $7.7m. The company said that the charge was a consequence of a management decision to move from MS-DOS to Microsoft Corp’s Windows as the principal operating system for customer use of the industry-specific applications on its personal computers. The company also intends to make modifications to its proprietary mainframe network system to integrate Unix servers and client-server architecture for some electronic commerce applications. ARI says the move reduces its operating expenses and preserves its investment in the core network system. At the same it belives the move will reduce costs for future client application development and support. ARI provides electronic commerce services to the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in several distribution channels in, or close, to agribusiness. ARI’s network services enable customers to do business with one another electronically, computer-to-computer.
