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The Evolution of Innovation

PFW’s Vision

PFW Password - Fall 2005 As an organization developing software, PFW Systems Corporation is dedicated to change and continuous improvement. Our objectives are clear: we are committed to developing software and providing services and technology that respond to the needs of our customers. It is our responsibility to create products that advance our customers’ ability to manage their businesses efficiently and profitably. PFW's development of PFW IntelliDealer illustrates our role and our dedication to these objectives as well as our fundamental belief that change should be evolutionary to minimize unnecessary disruption of our customers’ ongoing business activities.

IntelliDealer is the next generation of PFW’s Dealership Management System. It represents a profound, yet evolutionary, progression of our software. IntelliDealer is built on the vision, experience, and firm foundations of a product that has been continually improved for more than 27 years. IntelliDealer incorporates the latest iSeries i5 technology, LANSA for the Web and the universal web client with current concepts of dealership management and distribution.

PFW presented the prototype for IntelliDealer to attendees at the 2001 PFW Dealership Management Conference that was held in Victoria, British Columbia. Based on the enthusiastic response that was received for the concept, plans were developed to launch the project and commit the necessary staff resources to ensure that a timely development schedule could be achieved.

Considering the sophistication of the PFW “classic” product and our desire to add new features and capabilities as we developed the various IntelliDealer modules, we understood that the project would require a minimum of five years to complete in its first generation. Based on the experience of others in the industry, we also knew that we could not abandon our existing software product to focus all resources on IntelliDealer development.

To ease the migration process and keep our customers current with required features and capabilities, we embarked on a strategy that would continue PFW’s “classic green screen” software product and permit customers to operate in both modes (classic and IntelliDealer) at the same time. This theme of “gentle migration” would permit PFW’s customers to move to IntelliDealer when their schedule and needs dictated that change was appropriate and consistent with the requirements of their enterprise. As is the case with most situations where change is involved, there is typically a healthy debate over the merits of “the new” vs. “the old” (and familiar) way. In the early stages of IntelliDealer development, much of the debate centered on “green screen” vs. “web client” and the relative speed of transactions using either technology.

While we appreciate that some users may have a preference for green screen data input and its perceived advantages, we also know that, on balance, the web client allows us to present information in a way that is not possible on a 24x80-character screen. We also know that IntelliDealer screens and the web interface are much more familiar to those staff members who have recently entered the work force. Familiarity with the web interface permits these staff members to quickly learn and become productive in the dealership environment.

It is also clear that web clients will continue to be developed and improved. New “smart clients” are beginning to emerge to make more efficient use of keystrokes and mouse clicks in a transaction-processing environment. Combined with advances in computing performance and our own interface design, we anticipate that the web interface will rival and, perhaps, even surpass green screen input for data entry.

Over the next several years, PFW expects that the majority of our users will migrate to IntelliDealer to take advantage of the new features and capabilities that are only possible and available in the web client environment. At the same time, we will continue to investigate ways to eliminate any dependence on the IBM 5250 environment that is required to provide green screen capability. Elimination of the 5250 requirement will bring significant cost savings to our customers when they purchase a new iSeries and i5/OS.

While the transition to IntelliDealer is taking place, PFW’s strategy will be to continue to provide access to our “classic” version of the Dealership Management System for as long as it makes good business sense to do so and for as long as technology economically permits. While we have some control over the former, we must anticipate and be prepared for a time when IBM makes a determination regarding the future of green screen technology on the iSeries. As has been the case before, PFW will be prepared.

Robert E. Morton
President & CEO
PFW Systems Corporation