The Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Northeast Wisconsin (Pepsi NEW) recently selected looksoftware after evaluating modernization alternatives for 18 months. The main feature cited by the IT manager was the brief learning curve.

"The speed with which I got to learn to use the software amazed me, and the concept of dynamically transferring from green screen to GUI, in no time at all, made a big impression on me," said Steve Jones, IT manager said. "I looked long and hard at the alternatives, and they all had too much of a learning curve," he said.

Pepsi NEW's small IT team has spent the previous 25 years building RPG-based systems which serve its core business needs very well, except for integration with newer technologies and desktop applications like Outlook, which is preferred by many users. Steve will utilize looksoftware's recently announced snap to quickly integrate his core applications with the business user's preferred Outlook front-end.

"I knew what I had to get done, and I was also well aware of the limited resources to get me there," said Jones. "So, with those two key constraints in mind, looksoftware rose to the top after only a week of evaluation. The strongest impression I've had with looksoftware is that I applied it to some real old RPGII code right out of the box, and with a little tweaking, it's given me a new look right off the bat, which is quite amazing! This is going to work for us and get us to where we want to be," said Jones, who had been searching for a reuse-based approach which could easily integrate with new technologies.

So, Pepsi NEW is well on its way to a wholly modernized suite of in-house applications, which Steve is hoping will stand the test of time for another 25 years-a safe bet given looksoftware's support for SOA and Web services, the company said.

About Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co, Wisconsin

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Northeast Wisconsin (Pepsi NEW) is a Pepsi distributor that is turning its challenges into results. Pepsi NEW is an independently owned Pepsi distribution franchise located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Its 90 employees distribute over 300 products to more than 2,500 customers throughout a multi-county territory in Northeast Wisconsin.

About looksoftware

looksoftware, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, is an Advanced IBM Partner and Microsoft Certified Business Partner, providing easy-to-use, powerful tools to Web-enable, reuse, extend and integrate core applications. looksoftware is a member of the IBM Developer Roadmap and the Midrange Alliance Program. With over 2,000 customers in 45 countries, looksoftware's products are distributed via a global network of 120 resellers and ISV partners. For more information, contact looksoftware in Australia at + 61 3 9535 4444 or looksoftware in the USA at 678 494 5465, or visit its Web site, www.looksoftware.com.