The supply chain software categories of supply chain network planning and inventory optimization tools are enjoying fairly strong growth. A variety of supply chain and logistics-related dynamics, such as virtualization, offshoring, and increasingly complex networks, are driving demand for both types of software tools.

Supply chain software provider LogicTools said this week it has released a new solution that integrated these two application areas, allowing users to move the data from one module to the other very easily. In most cases today, inventory optimization and network design solutions are run independently; integration of these applications can provide many companies with additional benefits in managing their supply chains.

For example, users could leverage data they have collected and used for inventory positioning, and then pipe that data easily into the network planning module to use for analyzing optimal product flows.

The product, called Supply Chain Analyst, includes several modules across network design, inventory planning and replenishment planning capabilities. A nice extra is that there is a related module for safety stock optimization that runs as a “composite” application that is certified with SAP’s NetWeaver integration framework…