ILS and Component Control To Release Bridge For Parts Management Between Systems

ILS and Component Control plan to release a product on April 28 that is designed to integrate workflow between ILS’s marketplace and Component Control’s Quantum ERP customers. ILS Bridge for Quantum allows the ERP users to automatically list inventory on ILS and manage the request for proposal (RFQ) process in an integrated manner. It will eliminate the “swivel chair” process of manually entering quotes received via phone, email, fax or ILS.

The new automated and integrated process provides two key advantages to the manual RFQ process. After entering parts into Quantum, they appear in ILS within moments, which can bring the parts sales process forward, says Jason Buhro, senior director, products and technology, CAMP Systems. Because the listed inventory is coming out of a verified ERP system, it is listed as such on ILS, so ILS buyers know that “this is real inventory, available on a shelf, opposed to inventory that is listed speculatively,” he says.

While this won’t eliminate “ghost inventory,” ILS users will be able to see which parts come out of an ERP system so they can be confident those are real parts.

ILS and Component Control started working on a way to integrate the RFQ process between their systems a few years ago, but when CAMP Systems started acquiring ILS from Boeing, the process was put on hold. This project, ILS Bridge, resumed after the acquisition and is the first of several joint development activities planned, says Daniel Tautges, Component Control senior VP sales and marketing.

Quantum is one of the largest ERPs used by ILS customers, other than home grown ones, and “we have many users who have been asking for this for years,” says Jeff Jerge, ILS VP sales and marketing.

While this product has been in development for a while, “Now more than ever, with people being spread out or looking at cost savings [due to the COVID-19 pandemic], we’re excited to be launching during this time because it brings so much efficiency,” says Jerge.

The companies haven’t disclosed the pricing for ILS Bridge but say it will be free for the first 90 days and then available via a subscription.

ILS Bridge is included in Quantum 12.2, which includes new mobile functionality, business intelligence and analytics enhancements centralized administration for workstations and more.

About 1,000 companies use both ILS and Quantum. ILS and Continuum Applied Technology, also a CAMP company, expect to release an integrated tool for those two systems in the third quarter.