Study Reveals 90% of Users Affected by ERP M&A’s Have
Concerns
The majority of enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) users
have been directly affected by heavy merger and
acquisition activity in recent years, causing concerns
for the ongoing desirability and stability of these
products, a study released by ERP vendor IFS North
America reveals.
The study is based on a survey of more than 200
manufacturing and other executives, and the data was
analyzed by Cindy Jutras of analyst firm Mint Jutras,
Boston. The data indicates that the majority of
respondents, 54 percent, say they are running ERP or
other enterprise software from a software vendor that
has been recently acquired. Among respondents with
companies running products affected by M&A activity, 90
percent indicated that they had concerns over negative
effects their business could realize of the products
they were running. Concerns that the enterprise software
product their company is running could be discontinued
by the vendor that acquired it, or the new owner may not
continue to invest in the enterprise software product
going forward, were the most frequently reported
concerns.
Most of these respondents – 31 percent – said they
report they were already running their enterprise
software when their software vendor was acquired, while
23 percent had selected an enterprise software product
after the vendor had been subject to M&A activity.
Acquired products were not necessarily viewed
unfavorably by respondents as a whole, in part because
when a small or struggling software vendor is acquired
by a larger one, it may be viewed as a way for the
vendor’s products to continue into the future. In some
cases, when a vendor acquires enterprise software
products that are complementary or can extend their
current offering, customers may actually benefit.
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"We found this study interesting as it reinforces IFS’s
global acquisition strategy, as well as our devotion to a
single enterprise software product with a solid roadmap for
future development. Our strategy has been to offer a single
product that is our only focus for research and development
efforts.
Our customers can feel secure that there are no other
application platforms that might cause us to divert
resources that would otherwise be used to evolve IFS
Applications to meet their future needs. Our recent and
planned acquisitions are focused and complementary to IFS
Applications, allowing us to better serve our existing
customers and broaden our capabilities and markets. This
makes us a stronger and more attractive vendor to do
business with."
~ Cindy Jaudon,
President and CEO, IFS North America |
A complimentary copy of the study, How M&A Activity Affects
ERP Users, can be downloaded from
http://download.ifsworld.com/Studies.
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IFS
Applications Found “Dominant” in EAM Functionality by
TEC
IFS Applications 7.5 
IFS Applications has been ranked in the dominant zone
for enterprise asset management (EAM) and computerized
maintenance management systems (CMMS) by third-party
analyst group Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC).
According to the report:
“All
functional modules of IFS Applications are located in
the Dominant Zone. IFS
Applications’ strength is due to its smartly designed
and well balanced software and high support level in all
eight modules, compared with other offerings in the
industry —an essential need for businesses of medium or
larger size that manage assets that are not only
critical to their daily operations, but also require
specific and regular maintenance for uptime for their
revenue-producing activities.”
While Technology Evaluation Centers’ report
characterizes IFS Applications as dominant in terms of
EAM functionality, other analysts have also identified
IFS as a leader in market share for EAM. ARC Advisory
Group recently listed IFS as one of the top three
leading EAM vendors globally, as well as number one in
the aerospace and defense industry, number two in the
oil and gas industry and number three in power
generation.
“It is good to see the analyst community recognizing
our strengths in software used to manage complex assets
like physical plants, aircraft and capital equipment,”
IFS North America President and CEO Cindy Jaudon said.
“IFS Applications got its start as a maintenance
solution for the nuclear power industry before growing
into a leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) and
enterprise asset management (EAM) solution provider for
a number of industries. Retaining our leadership role
and meeting the needs of asset-intensive companies will
continue to be a priority for us.”
Download the entire report to see how other IFS
Applications modules stack up against the average of
other solutions on the market!
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Download Free TEC EAM
Report |
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Free White Paper: Customer Perspective on How to
Assure ERP Success
An IFS Customer Gives
Advice on Taking Ownership of Your ERP Project
IFS customer MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust, a part
of CarSound, took eight months to implement IFS
Applications. "During that time we refined our new
business processes – and then we went live," said
Carsound CFO Steve Ragow. "The go-live was a
success, and that I think was due to our very strong
up-front review of our business processes.
Ragow's Three Key Ideas on ERP Success:
1. The mandate has to come from the top. Senior management must
drive the enterprise application vendor and selection process.
2. Learn the product inside and out, backwards and forwards. Too
many companies miss out on the real benefits of their enterprise
software because they do not know how to operate the tool beyond the
bare minimum required by the day-to-day activities of line managers.
3. Absorb what you can and then move on. Implementing an
enterprise application in phases to meet your needs in priority
order is a smart thing to do.
Continue reading this white paper to learn more
today!
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Direct Link to
Free White Paper |
Podcast: IFS Study Says ERP Vendor Consolidation has
Affected the Majority
In this month’s episode of the IFS Radio
Network podcast series, discussion of a study r eleased
this month by IFS North America that reveals the majority of enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) users have been directly affected by the heavy
merger and acquisition activity among ERP vendors. According to Analyst
Cindy Jutras of Mint Jutras, this is causing concerns for the ongoing
desirability and stability of ERP products these respondents are using
to run their business.
The study, mentioned in the first article
found above, is based on a survey of more than 200 manufacturing and
other executives, and the data was analyzed by Jutras. A majority - 54
percent - of respondents say they are running ERP or other enterprise
software from a software vendor that has been recently acquired. Among
respondents running products affected by M&A activity, 90 percent
indicated that they had concerns over negative effects their business
could realize due to the products they were running. Concerns that the
enterprise software product their company is running could be
discontinued by the vendor that acquired it, or the new owner may not
continue to invest in the enterprise software product going forward,
were the most frequently reported concerns.
"People run products and
have loyalty to a product – in fact loyalty to a product is
more likely to occur than loyalty to the company that owns
or develops the product. So the number one concern is that
the product may be discontinued, forcing them to switch
products. So if they chose that (ERP product) specifically
because they thought it was the best one to run their
company, then they are not going to take it lightly having
to switch to another product. And then the next highest
concern – and I am not surprised by this at all – is that
they are worried that the product they are running won’t be
enhanced. Many times companies will say ‘we’re not going to
sunset your product.’ But what they don’t say is ‘we’re not
going to do anything to that product except to fix bugs or
do any type of regulatory fixes."
~ Cindy Jutras, Analyst, Mint Jutras |
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Missed Selecting ERP for Power
Generation Webcast? Download it Today!
 What
industry and macroeconomic trends will affect the type of enterprise
software your power generation needs in the year to come? What are the
specific characteristics and capabilities you will need to look for in
selecting enterprise software like enterprise resource planning (ERP)
and enterprise asset management (EAM)?
Two experts share insights that will be invaluable to anyone
contemplating an investment in enterprise software in the energy sector.
Jill Feblowitz, Vice President for Utilities and Oil and Gas for IDC
shares remarks driven by IDC research. Patrick Zirnhelt, Director of
Sales for Asset Intensive Industry for IFS North America, shares
observations gathered through intimate involvement in enterprise
software projects.
Download last month's webcast free today!
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Welcome New Oil & Gas Services Customer - MicroSeismic,
Inc
MicroSeismic, Inc., a Houston, Texas-based geophysical services
company serving the oil and gas industry, has selected IFS Applications
as its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system of record.
MicroSeismic deploys people, proprietary technology and equipment to
monitor subsurface conditions during hydraulic fracturing processes to
help oil and gas well operators to stay in zone in order to maximize
recovery and maximize estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) by helping
operators have a better understanding of their fracture programs.
Microseismic has licensed a broad suite of IFS Applications
functionality including IFS Business Performance, IFS Service
Management, IFS Project Management, IFS Document Management, IFS Supply
Chain, and IFS Sales & Marketing.
According to MicroSeismic CFO, Ronald Mogel, the company has been
experiencing rapid growth that caused it to outstrip the capabilities of
its existing business information technology infrastructure.
Microseismic retained an outside selection consultant to evaluate a
number of ERP products for overall functional fit.
“The comprehensive, integrated approach we saw in IFS Applications
was very attractive, and this was enhanced by the fact that IFS would be
handling the implementation,” Mogel said. “Additionally, the fact that
IFS Document Management has the ability to keep our documents within the
IFS Applications database seemed fairly unique and potentially less
problematic than purchasing and integrating a third party document
management product. Finally, the IFS implementation program seemed to be
the most scalable, allowing a multi-phased implementation and multiple
successful go-lives at smaller intervals. This ability to manage change
incrementally is exactly what we need due to very limited staff at our
company.”
“With its project-based business model, MicroSeismic is exactly the
type of oil and gas services company that really ought to be
implementing IFS Applications,” IFS North America Director for Energy
and Asset Management Patrick Zirnhelt said. “They have proprietary
technology and skilled people deployed in the field in a distributed
environment. The ability to sustain those people and assets in an
optimal way requires an integrated enterprise application designed for
oil and gas services and dynamic business.”
"We
anticipate that IFS Applications will assist us by providing
reliable, timely business information that will enable us to
focus resources where we can deliver the greatest result to
our clients and our shareholders."
~ MicroSeismic CFO Ronald Mogel |
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Events: Meet IFS This
Winter
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Upcoming Events |
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POWER-GEN International 2011
December 13-15, 2011 in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Visit IFS at Booth #5635
Stop by for your chance to win an
iPad2!
 Recently
celebrating 20 years of serving the power industry, POWER-GEN
International is the industry leader in providing comprehensive coverage
of trends, technologies and issues facing the generation sector. As the
need to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively becomes
increasingly important, no other event bridges challenges with solutions
like POWER-GEN International. Each year, more than 1,200 companies from
all sectors of the industry exhibit, with more than 18,000 attendees.
Register today! |
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APICS Innovation Conference
February 3, 2012 in
Ontario, Canada
IFS is excited to be a part of the APICS
Innovation Conference. Technology, globalization and environmental
issues constantly reshape the business environment. APICS is your guide
to best practices. Ontario Grand Valley, award-winning regional chapter
of the APICS family, invites you to be a part of our second annual
regional conference! |
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Free Web-Based Tool
Simplifies CMMS/EAM Evaluation Process
Are you
looking for a CMMS or EAM solution but don't know where
to begin? Try the
Plant Services
CMMS/EAM Software Review tool, an industry-unique, web-based
tool that simplifies the software evaluation process.
David Berger, principal of
Western Management Consultants and a well-known
authority on CMMS and EAM, has teamed up with
Paul Studebaker,
Editor-in-Chief of Plant Services magazine, to create
this sophisticated comparison tool.
Compare with 3 levels of complexity & up to 360 distinct data
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Weight software attributes that are most critical to you business.
View
objective side-by-side comparison of multiple solutions at once.
No other
web-based program offers superior analytical capabilities than this CMMS
evaluation program. Try it now and save valuable time!
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Free Eval
Tool |
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Meet the IFS Team
Each month the IFS customer newsletter
will feature an IFS employee.
This month's spotlight is on:
Kevin
Curtis
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Training Coordinator
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"I have been working for IFS for 18 years, and I work as the
training coordinator in the Tucson, Arizona office.
The thing I like best about working at IFS is the international
dimension. I get to know people from so many different cultures
and that really fascinates me.
On a
personal note, I have been married for 22 years and have four
boys ranging from 11 to 16 years old - which includes a set of
twins.
I enjoy
hunting, fishing and running in obstacle races/mud runs.
Recently I ran in two 5k races
Warrior Dash and
Rugged Maniac."
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 IFS
President & CEO Cindy Jaudon Named
Finalist - Stevie® Awards for Women
 Jaudon’s
ability to ensure IFS’s customer
satisfaction levels remain high over
the long term has been of critical
importance and hasn’t gone
unnoticed. She has successfully led
her team to raise the satisfaction
level of IFS’s North American
customer base and has kept that
satisfaction consistently high
compared to those using competing
software suites. In fact, IFS’s
customer satisfaction numbers have
increased for the fourth straight
year. January’s IFS customer
satisfaction survey found that 98
percent of customers were more than
satisfied with IFS. This is truly
impressive when you consider the
nature of enterprise resource
planning software.
Read More. |
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