Mountain View, California-based Ask Group Inc’s latest manufacturing software has a smart front end: the AS/400-based Ask Knowledgebase Manufacturing software includes an ordering system that eliminates the need for parts numbers. Meanwhile Ask has also secured four agreements with companies for its Ask Ingres Intelligent Database software. The manufacturing product, which integrates technology from the company’s existing AS/400 SIM manufacturing database, has been designed to rely on specifications and definitions of products rather than part numbers. According to Richard Berka, UK Territorial manager for Ask Group, the software will help to reduce the delivery time for manufacturers. The software, which is planned to be available within two months, is aimed at make-to-order, make-to-stock and assemble-to-order manufacturers. It works with existing AS/400 SIM modules, enabling users to incorporate features including Electronic Data Interchange and bar-coding. It costs from $72,000 for an eight-user system to $806,000 for 260 users. The company has also signed several deals with its Ingres Intelligent Database, which has been available since 1989 in core form. Coda Ltd, Ross Systems Inc, Lawson Associates Inc and Computron Technologies Corp. Coda Ltd of Harrogate, which sells financial accounting software, is to include the Intelligent Database as part of its Open Accounting System. Computron will be integrating the product with its workflow, financial and accounting software. Ross Systems Inc has agreed with Ask to write a runtime interface between the database and its own range of client-server products, and Lawson will link up its personnel, distribution and client-server accounting suites with the Ask product.
