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FORGE Settlements 5.0 Delivers Best In Class Integrated End-to-end Processing
December 1, 2008
Boston, MA [December 1, 2008] With the release of FORGE Settlements 5.0, Blacksmith Applications is helping foodservice manufacturers manage promotion reimbursements with a fully integrated transaction process that dramatically reduces labor and enables a streamlined method for recapturing unearned trade dollars. The streamlined claim settlement process represents a 'Best In Class' approach within the industry relative to cycle time and automation.
Deepa Kunnath, one of the primary architects of the functionality, has been leading the effort at Blacksmith to deliver the 'dream process solution'. "All of the manufacturers in the foodservice industry are striving to eliminate process steps, shorten cycle times and insure their funding levels are consistent with the operator deviated pricing agreements they have in the market. With FORGE 5.0, we are able to import claims at the item-level, validate them against the parameters of the contracts, auto match against open deductions, process the request for a check or credit and store the deviations for future recollection. Importantly, our customers are able to execute this on a daily basis with very little manual intervention. The value for our customers is tremendous - this insures that the reimbursement for deviated pricing is correct and also provides a facility for effectively recapturing direct trade and sheltered income funds against national account and bid volumes. It really is a huge win from a financial perspective that is very difficult to realize with ordinary tools."
According to Mark Saunders, another of Blacksmith's settlement experts, the advanced features in 5.0 are merely the next natural step in an evolution that will continue into the future. "We have been focused on delivering a more efficient process and the simplification of recollection since we started the company in 2000. While this release certainly establishes a new standard in the industry, we have a pipeline of opportunities we are working on that will really take the foundation of FORGE 5.0 to even greater levels of return on investment for our customers."
About Blacksmith Applications
Blacksmith Applications provides software solutions and strategic consulting to empower clients to manage their trade incentives more profitably. Blacksmith specializes in solving the unique needs of foodservice manufacturers, while also meeting client's needs for CPG and other lines of business.
FORGE Trade supports distributor pricing, trade program and operator contract management, including profitability evaluation and approval routing prior to deal approval. FORGE Settlements offers tools for claim validation, deduction resolution, and settlement processing. FORGE Analytics offers robust enterprise reporting for managing across the transactions involved.
Blacksmith solutions enable profitable decision-making, provide visibility into promotion performance and offer flexible configuration of process controls.
For more information, visit www.blacksmithapps.com.
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