Systémix finally finds the right modernization solution Background Systémix has been in business for almost 28 years having been established in 1979 with the specific objective of servicing the needs of small and medium size corporations. The company is headquartered in Terrebonne, Québec, Canada. Back in those early days, Systémix was servicing customer requirements on the S/36 platform but they have kept up along the way with the various cycles of enhanced IBM midrange equipment, right up to today's powerful System i. Their ERP application is a highly feature-rich suite including Manufacturing, Orders/Purchasing/Inventory, Payables/Receivables, Costing, Payroll etc. Along the way Systémix has enhanced it's applications with features like internet and email servers, fax servers, barcode and EDI among others. Their Purchasing module supports the integration of suppliers' catalogues too! Also sold and supported by Systémix are a Lumber Management application from Logiciels LMS Inc. and an application from Solutrix that provides a solution for Home Heating and Bulk Plant Petroleum management. Solution Although very simple to use, their software benefits from the total integration of all modules. With a minimum of data entry effort, you get maximum results. But, the downside was that the application was still based on green screens! So, the objective was to compete more efficiently with solutions that had a 'Windows' interface which most people are used to, and indeed expect today. "For years, we've been looking for the right modernization tools and have tried numerous options to improve the look and feel of our applications, including 4GLs like Synon and Adelia, and GUI tools like WebSphere, HATS, BOSaNOVA - you name it! Each time we had great expectations but unfortunately the promises weren't matched by delivery. Only after you've used these products do you realize that you've spent lots of time learning how to use them and they've delivered limited capabilities with a high cost of acquisition and implementation," said Pierre Garant. "Then out of the blue, we found this newlook product from looksoftware that was doing everything we were looking for! And it was doing it easily, efficiently and beautifully – with so little effort because everything is so simple!” Pierre continued. Benefits A couple of weeks after installing newlook, the Systémix team had modernized their complete application with a new ‘Windows’ look and feel. They were very impressed with the capabilities of the looksoftware suite and were pleasantly surprised with the problem-free implementation. This, coupled with the ever reliable IBM System i hardware, was just the platform they'd been looking for. "We are delighted to have found newlook and now be in the position to offer our customers and prospects the benefits of our robust solution combined with a modern, easy-to-use interface”, said Pierre. "And I am also happy to report that looksoftware's service and support are excellent!”