Aspen Technology Forms Strategic Planning Practice

Aspen Technology, Inc. has formed a Strategic Planning Practice within the AspenTech Supply Chain Division. The Strategic Planning Practice brings AspenTech's supply chain modeling knowledge into the boardroom and attempts to give financial planning executives the tools to improve and accelerate their strategic decision-making processes. The Strategic Planning Practice implements solutions using the Aspen Strategic Analyzer (ASA) software. The Strategic Planning Practice assisted NOVA Chemicals Corporation, a public commodity chemicals producer in Canada, in realizing additional value from its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system by using ERP data for making high-value decisions.

"Thanks to the dynamic ASA software links into NOVA Chemicals' SAP ERP system, we are achieving a significant speed advantage in evaluating options," said John Wheeler, NOVA Chemicals' CIO. "ASA is an excellent example of leveraging our investment in ERP."

The Strategic Planning Practice brings model-based optimization to an area of decision-making traditionally dominated by spreadsheet-based analysis. With the ASA software, the Strategic Planning Practice can configure a supply chain model of its customer's enterprise in weeks. The software links production and distribution tradeoffs to financial metrics such as earnings per share (EPS) and return on assets (ROA). Using the configured software, Operations and Finance executives can collaborate and resolve conflicts among competing operational decisions using financial metrics. It provides packaged functionality for merger and acquisition optimization, capacity rationalization, and market strategy development.

For more information, visit www.aspentech.com.