posted on 10/4/2011 1:24:29 PM
Fishbowl Inventory 2012 is the latest version of the supply chain management and inventory control software, available as a QuickBooks add-on or as a standalone application.
For companies that use QuickBooks and want to automate their inventory and supply chain management (SCM) practices, Fishbowl today announced Fishbowl Inventory 2012, touting better access to point-of-sale data and a friendlier user interface.
Fishbowl Inventory 2012 can be deployed as a standalone application for SCM and inventory management, but the majority of customers use the software in tandem with QuickBooks’ general ledger functionality, Fishbowl management said in a briefing.
With Fishbowl Inventory 2012, manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors can track assets across the supply chain by lot number, serial number, expiration date, and related identifiers, said Kendrick Hair, the company’s product manager, in an interview. In addition to the software’s core functionality, which facilitates inventory management, order processing, warehouse operations, bar-coding, and sales and payment processing, the latest version adds capabilities on the customer side of the supply chain. Manufacturers that run retail operations can now access point-of-sale data in the Inventory software through the new SalesPoint module, Hair said. SalesPoint is a sales and payment processing offering that can be operated via touch screen and integrated with the supply chain via Fishbowl’s Inventory software.
Founded in 2001, Fishbowl’s early years were focused mainly on developing functionality for wholesalers and distributors. In 2010, the company made a concerted effort to bulk up its software’s manufacturing capabilities. At the time, manufacturing companies represented 30% of the vendor’s customer base. The 2010 release featured a manufacturing module that added advanced bill of materials capabilities, product configuration tools, and tracking of outsourced items. Now about half of Fishbowl’s customers hail from the manufacturing industry, Hair said.
The average Fishbowl deployment costs $12,000 and covers five or six licensed users, according to CEO David Williams. In total, more than 3,400 companies user the Fishbowl software to manage their inventory and supply chains, he said.
Fishbowl deploys its software primarily on-premises, but this year began offering a hosted option as well. Approximately 5% of Fishbowl’s manufacturing customers have opted for the hosted model, according to Williams. “Manufacturers,” he said, “like to know where their goods are, and this is one of them.” Still, he expects the number of hosted adopters to rise.
Fishbowl is on pace to garner $14.7 million in revenue this year, according to Williams. The company recently bought out its original backer and majority stakeholder, he added, leaving Fishbowl privately funded.