Press
Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2005
Forecast Pro Unlimited Version 4.4 Simplifies
Large-Scale and Collaborative Forecasting
New Release Improves Forecasting Methodology, Reporting and Ease of Use
Belmont, MAJune 30, 2005Business Forecast Systems,
Inc. (BFS) announced today the availability of Forecast Pro Unlimited
Version 4.4, a new release of the popular Forecast Pro Unlimited
software package. Forecast Pro Unlimited is used internationally
by businesses of all sizes to forecast product sales, revenues,
demand for services and other important variables. Forecast Pro
Unlimited can be used as a stand-alone solution or integrated with
production planning, supply chain management, inventory control
or other planning systems. The new release of Forecast Pro Unlimited
sports an enhanced user interface, improves upon the product’s
award-winning forecasting methodology, and allows greater flexibility
in report design.
Forecast Pro Unlimited Version 4.4 is a state-of-the-art statistical
forecasting package that uses artificial intelligence and powerful
methodology to yield unsurpassed forecasting accuracy. In expert
selection mode, Forecast Pro Unlimited uses a rule-based expert
system and proprietary statistical algorithms to analyze data, select
appropriate forecasting techniques and create forecasts, allowing
users with little or no forecasting experience to use the program
effectively. Forecast Pro Unlimited supports a collaborative forecasting
environment where colleagues may work together to develop a final
forecast. The product’s override facility allows for judgmental
adjustments to be easily made and documented.
Forecast Pro Unlimited includes a wide variety of forecasting techniques
to accommodate all types of business data. Methods include exponential
smoothing, Box-Jenkins (ARIMA), Croston’s intermittent demand,
low volume models, event models (for forecasting promotions or business
interruptions) and multiple-level (hierarchical) models. The program
also provides a portfolio of supporting features including graphical
displays of forecasts, on-screen adjustments, multiple forecast
overrides, model descriptions and statistics, and customized reports.
"All of the improvements in Forecast Pro Unlimited Version
4.4 were customer-driven" said Business Forecast Systems Vice
President Eric Stellwagen. “We surveyed our users to find
out what they want to see in the product and then incorporated the
most frequently requested enhancements.”
Among the many improvements included in Forecast Pro Unlimited Version
4.4 are:
- an enhanced forecast override facility. The forecast override
view now supports a numeric view of the historical data and allows
users to define overrides as a function of past data. The data navigator
sports new color-coded icons enabling users to quickly spot all
modified items.
- a time-saving “manual override” mode. The new
manual override mode allows users to make all forecasts adjustments
and then reconcile the product hierarchy once, rather than reconciling
the hierarchy after each change. This feature saves considerable
time when working with large complex hierarchies
- improved expert selection logic. The best keeps getting
better. The logic behind Forecast Pro Unlimited’s “expert
selection” mode—which can automatically choose the most
appropriate forecasting model for some or all of the items being
forecasted—has been improved.
- more comprehensive input and output. Data input and output
capabilities have been expanded, including the ability to include/omit
group totals, output the fitted values and read formulas in Excel.
Forecast Pro Unlimited 4.4 runs on all Windows and NT platforms.
Minimum requirements include 32 megabytes of RAM, and 15 megabytes
of available hard drive space. The list price is $4,995. More information
is available by visiting www.forecastpro.com or by calling Business
Forecast Systems at (617) 484-5050.
About Business Forecast Systems
Founded in 1986, Business Forecast Systems, Inc. (BFS), is the maker
of Forecast Pro, the leading software solution for business forecasting,
and is a premier provider of forecasting education. With more than
25,000 users worldwide, Forecast Pro helps thousands of companies
improve planning, cut inventory costs and decrease stockouts by
improving the accuracy of their forecasts. More than 3,000 forecasting
professionals have attended BFS forecasting education events, including
the annual Forecasting Summit, which is recognized as the premier
conference for business forecasting professionals. For more information
about Forecast Pro, visit www.forecastpro.com
Contact Information:
Holly Stanton
Marketing Director
Business Forecast Systems, Inc.
Phone: (617) 484-5050
Fax: (617) 484-9219
email: hstanton@forecastpro.com
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