Simulator to model environmental impact of business decisions

Business software specialist Lanner will today launch a new version of its flagship Witness software suite, designed to help firms simulate and analyse how corporate decisions will affect the environment.

The so-called business process simulation software traditionally allows firms to model the costs and benefits of a decision on the bottom line and other financial metrics before they take it.

However, the updated version of Lanner's Witness software extends the functionality to cover a wider range of environmental metrics, including carbon emissions and electricity, oil, water, gas and even steam use.

The US-based software developer said the predicted environmental impacts of the decision can be cross-referenced against the wider impact on business performance to strike the optimum balance between operational performance, cost and environmental responsibility.

David Jones, chief executive of Lanner, said the functionality had been developed in response to direct demands from businesses.

"Organisations such as Ford, 3M, BAE, Nationwide, GSK and GazProm must all balance concern for the environment with the realities of business," he said. " As a result, the simulation software they use must track and optimise their use of the world's scarce resources. Witness now offers the ability to explicitly address these issues as never before."