June 16, 1998 New Products Chesapeake Strategic Advisor Chesapeake Decision Sciences (Cambridge, Mass.; www.chesapeake.com), a subsidiary of Aspen Technology thanks to a recent merger deal, has launched Chesapeake Strategic Advisor (CSA), a software solution that optimizes the supply chain at a strategic level, and can be driven by a company's most basic financial goals. CSA links to a company's existing ERP system and financial planning environment, uses its existing data and takes into account such operational resource constraints as production and inventory capacity, distribution costs, customer service performance, and targets to evaluate planning options. The software combines expert systems, optimization, communications, and graphics software in an intuitive interface. CSA's Configuration Advisor feature creates a fully customized strategic planning model that captures the dynamics among the decision options facing executive planners. During the initial configuration, Chesapeake's consultants lead senior planners though a series of question-and-answer sessions which identify the key features of the firm's operational planning environment. CSA then generates the mathematical and logical structures of the model. Other features include a Scenario Manager and Financial Statement Driver. The Manufacturing Report © Copyright 1997, 1998 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. E-mail Editorial Dept: tmr-editorial@lionhrtpub.com Lionheart Publishing, Inc. 2555 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 299, Atlanta, GA 30339 USA Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969 E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com Web Design by Premier Web Designs E-mail: lionwebmaster@preweb.com