RiverOne Inc., a provider of supply-chain software and services for the electronics industry, announced this week a new version of its Interactive software that's based on the Microsoft .Net environment and Web services.

Interactive 6.0 is designed to help companies better manage the activities among business partners to whom they outsource work, says Peter West, VP of marketing at RiverOne. The new version is easier to configure than the previous version and includes enhancements in the four areas: any-to-any connectivity, business process coordination, program-based control, and exception management.

Version 6 is built on Microsoft .Net technology with Web services, which can speed up application connectivity between companies, says West. The software's business integration layer allows companies to leverage their existing connectivity systems, he says. Additionally, Interactive 6.0 comes with Web user interface capabilities that can be configured to work with companies' existing terminology, protocols, and systems.

Since Interactive 6.0 is an inter-enterprise supply chain control system, it is intended for heterogeneous IT environments, multi-level organizations, and multiple partners sharing supply chain processes. "We focus on the electronics industry and supply chain manufacturing, which includes [electronics manufacturing services] companies. That's very specific and different from conventional supply chain companies such as consumer packaged goods and retail," says West. "We created a system between the parties that connects them to [existing] ERP so they can monitor everything happening outside their four walls."

Entrisphere Inc., which develops products for telecommunications carriers, is currently seeking an innovative supply chain model and has chosen to deploy RiverOne's Interactive software in mid-December. The company will be using Interactive to drive its end-to-end supply-chain model, connecting everyone from customers down to component suppliers.

"We want to maximize performance to the customer. As we have tried to do business without a supply chain solution, we have been drawn into significant inventories throughout the supply chain. Inventory ties up cash from across the company. From a liability perspective, we can reduce this by deploying RiverOne," says Dennis Young, VP of operations at Entrisphere .

"Using RiverOne we can also get real time web-based Interactive connectivity between all members of the supply chain."

The Interactive hosted service costs between $10,000 and $35,000 per month, depending on the scope of each deployment, according to West. Version 6 will be generally available in the first quarter of 2005, as either hosted or licensed software.