Positive Balance of 2004

Steady Growth at ICON

Karlsruhe, 19 January 2005. ICON Gesellschaft für Supply-Chain-Management mbH looks back at another successful and eventfull year. With solutions for Constrained Planning, Capacity Management and Vendor Managed Inventory the Karlsruhe and Santa Clara based company has left a mark in the industry.

ICON has grown steadily since its incorporation in 1992 – despite the stagnation that characterized the SCM market in the last two years. CEO Dr. Kurt Mannchen summarizes ICON’s competitive edge: “Excellent customer service, cost efficiency, fast implementation and reliability for users.”

Most of the advances were realized in the high-tech sector. Existing relationships to its two main customers Hewlett-Packard and Sanmina-SCI were expanded. At the same time ICON’s recognition in the marketplace has vastly improved in the Contract Manufacturing environment with its planning solution. That paved the way for winning new customers like TriGem, a global Contract Manufacturer. Crucial for this development has been the establishment of ICON’s subsidiary in North America.

ICON also improved its standing in the automotive industry. Together with its partner DMR Consulting ICON developed a Capacity Management solution that implements the Demand Capacity Planning Recommendation of Odette. A major topic in the automotive industry remains to be Vendor Managed Inventory. Companies like DCP/Siemens VDO are using ICON-VMI for the integration of their suppliers.

In 2004 ICON engaged heavily with research institutions and associations. It participated in establishing Odette recommendations for Supply Chain Supply Chain Monitoring, Vendor Managed Inventory and Demand Capacity Management and brought its know-how to numerous working groups. In cooperation with other companies and research organizations ICON plays a significant part in “Global Performance Management for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises”, a project of the EU involving many countries and industry sectors. The results of this international project will be presented at the end of 2005.

In 2004 ICON had its first in-house exhibition which was a complete success. At the Collaboration Day in April 2004 more than 100 customers, SCM experts and partners met in Karlsruhe for a lively exchange of ideas and information. Due to the positive feedback ICON will repeat such events on a regular basis. Furthermore, ICON participated in a number of external events with lectures or exhibitions, e.g. at Manufacturing IT, an Italian trade show in Febuary, the German Logistics Congress in October or the Odette Conference in November.

For 2005 CEO Dr. Michael Keppler has a clear message: „ICON stands for solution oriented consulting by competent industry experts."