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Commodity
 Management

 A
 ComTech
 Advisory
 Whitepaper

In
  addition
  to
  its
  innovative
  products,
  Generation
  10’s
  unique
  business
  model
  is
  also
  a
  differentiator.
  The

company
 provides
 flexible
 software
 solutions
 and
 services
 via
 agile
 delivery
 methods,
 using
 commercial
 structures

that
  include
  the
  use
  of
  the
  software
  with
  continuous
  upgrades
  –
  including
  customized
  upgrades.
  G10
  positions

it self
 as
 the
 customers’
 technology
 and
 analytics
 partner
 largely
 due
 to
 its
 team
 of
 data
 analysts,
 all
 of
 whom
 have

hands-­‐on
  experience
  with
  commodities.
  The
  team
  regularly
  meets
  with
  customers
  at
  their
  own
  facilities
  to
  better

understand
 their
 strategies
 and
 ensure
 they’re
 able
 to
 extract
 the
 maximum
 value
 from
 their
 data.
 Functionality
 is

delivered
  rapidly
  and
  seamlessly
  via
  the
  G10
  Framework,
  eliminating
  any
  temptation
  to
  resort
  to
  Excel

spreadsheets,
 and
 upgrades
 are
 delivered
 continuously
 via
 the
 cloud.

Generation
 10
 essentially
 delivers
 on
 each
 of
 the
 criteria
 for
 delivering
 agility
 and
 flexibility
 as
 follows:

o
o
o
o

o

Products
 are
 built
 with
 the
 right
 tools
 and
 technologies
 on
 the
 right
 architecture,

It
  has
  a
  user
  interface
  that
  is
  graphical,
  intuitive
  and
  capable
  of
  being
  truly
  configured
  by
  end
  users

without
 the
 need
 for
 programming
 assistance,

It
 is
 able
 to
 store
 and
 manage
 multiple
 types
 of
 data
 and
 can
 easily
 analyze
 the
 data
 to
 identify
 trends
 and

extract
 useful
 intelligence,

It
 has
 the
 capability
 to
 be
 deployed
 rapidly
 and
 in
 a
 manner
 that
 allows
 for
 continuous
 customer
 feedback

on
 which
 the
 vendor
 is
 able
 to
 act
 rapidly,
 delivering
 enhancements
 efficiently
 and
 without
 the
 need
 for

long
 testing
 and
 implementation
 cycles,

It
 designs
 and
 structures
 the
 commercial
 terms
 of
 each
 deal
 to
 encourage
 and
 support
 such
 flexibility.

Today,
  Generation
  10’s
  clients
  are
  trading
  cotton,
  coffee,
  cocoa
  and
  sugar
  using
  the
  G10
  Commodity
  Manager,

which
  is
  helping
  them
  to
  optimize
  their
  supply
  chains
  and
  better
  control
  all
  types
  of
  risk
  (market,
  credit,

operational
 and
 liquidity)
 in
 real
 time.
 Notable
 clients
 using
 the
 G10
 Framework
 and
 d3
 Analytics
 include
 the
 US

Department
  of
  Agriculture
  (USDA)
  and
  marine
  insurance
  specialists
  Rekerdres
  &
  Sons
  Insurance
  Agency.

Generation
 10
 has
 given
 USDA
 the
 analytical
 tools
 it
 needs
 to
 identify
 long-­‐term
 trends
 in
 performance
 and
 also
 to

be
 proactive
 in
 addressing
 potential
 problems
 before
 they
 escalate
 –
 often
 before
 they
 even
 occur.
 Meanwhile,

Rekerdres
  &
  Sons
  uses
  Generation
  10’s
  solutions
  to
  coordinate
  highly
  complex
  processes
  and
  documentation

from
  a
  variety
  of
  stakeholders,
  operating
  on
  different
  systems
  from
  all
  over
  the
  world.
  “Generation
  10
  has
  helped

usher
 our
 company
 into
 the
 age
 when
 data
 works
 for
 us,
 rather
 than
 us
 having
 to
 work
 for
 the
 data.
 The
 more
 the

system
  can
  anticipate
  what
  I
  need
  and
  give
  it
  to
  me
  without
  my
  having
  to
  spend
  time
  looking
  for
  it
  and
  modifying

it,
 the
 greater
 my
 efficiency
 is
 going
 to
 be,”
 says
 Mr.
 Brett
 Anderhub,
 VP
 at
 Rekerdres
 &
 Sons.

Agility,
 Flexibility
 and
 User
 Engagement

For
 Generation
 10,
 it’s
 not
 just
 about
 delivering
 software
 that
 does
 what
 it’s
 supposed
 to
 do,
 but
 making
 sure
 that

it
  keeps
  on
  delivering
  as
  it
  is
  supposed
  to,
  as
  well.
  By
  building
  agility
  and
  flexibility
  into
  both
  the
  software
  and
  the

business
 model,
 the
 company
 aims
 to
 ensure
 user
 engagement
 with
 the
 software
 as
 well.
 Its
 focus
 is
 strongly
 on

user
  job
  satisfaction
  and
  ensuring
  continued
  long-­‐term
  usefulness
  of
  the
  software.
  “If
  you
  can’t
  get
  a
  user
  to

engage,
 you’re
 not
 providing
 them
 with
 the
 collaborative
 tools
 they
 need
 to
 be
 the
 best
 at
 their
 job,”
 Williamson

says.
  “If
  they
  aren’t
  collaborating
  on
  a
  unified
  platform,
  it’s
  going
  to
  be
  difficult
  to
  measure
  performance,
  monitor

activity
  and
  provide
  the
  real-­‐time
  business
  analytics
  they
  need
  to
  get
  an
  edge
  on
  the
  competition.
  That
  edge

comes
 in
 the
 form
 of
 intelligence,
 efficiency
 and
 risk
 control.”

In
 retooling
 its
 product
 portfolio,
 Generation
 10
 used
 its
 extensive
 experience
 in
 the
 complex
 world
 of
 cotton
 to

develop
  a
  truly
  multi-­‐commodity
  platform
  designed
  for
  optimization
  and
  transparency.
  It
  focuses
  on
  business

logic,
 user
 engagement
 and
 “exceptions
 to
 the
 rule,”
 thus
 delivering
 the
 agility
 required
 by
 businesses
 today,
 in
 an

environment
  where
  data
  is
  becoming
  one
  of
  the
  most
  valuable
  assets
  a
  company
  can
  possess.
  They
  have
  created

a
 suite
 of
 software
 for
 a
 broader
 commodities
 world
 that
 appears
 to
 deliver
 on
 the
 premise
 that
 CTRM
 software

needs
 to
 be
 about
 real-­‐time
 analytics
 and
 providing
 users
 with
 the
 tools
 that
 they
 need,
 not
 just
 to
 manage
 and

report
  end-­‐to-­‐end
  transactions,
  but
  also
  to
  help
  identify
  favorable
  trading
  opportunities,
  address
  operational

risks,
  effectively
  manage
  and
  optimize
  supply
  chains,
  ensure
  compliance
  with
  regulations
  and
  provide
  trading

intelligence.

©
 Commodity
 Technology
 Advisory
 LLC,
 2014

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