Standardisation Drives Collaboration

Added: (Thu Mar 21 2002)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Scala’s global customers are building a foundation for future business by standardising on fewer IT systems

21 March 2002: During Scala’s Corporate Client Council (CCC) – a bi-annual meeting with major global customers, where the first in 2002 took place in Lisbon, Portugal, on 7-8 March – Jan Palmquist, Scala’s Senior Vice President of Operations, outlined the drivers that Scala’s customers see for collaboration and integration.

Palmquist comments: “We continue to see how companies standardise, using as few systems as possible on a standard platform to build a foundation for successful collaboration. Suppliers are gradually becoming strategic partners instead of just a product vendor and customers are more proactively interested in the vendor’s future, focus and development to ensure that the product can support their long-term strategies for growth.” He continues: “Our customers tell us that their business processes need to be based on an open architecture so that it is easy to distribute data internally, as well as externally, between applications. They are increasingly finding that their customers and partners want to connect to their businesses electronically and by laying a standard back office foundation it becomes easier to build the collaborative network.”

These trends were endorsed by customers who attended the CCC.

“We feel that standardising on as few solutions as possible helps us to focus on business management issues rather than technology,” says André Chofardet, responsible for International BMISystems at Groupe Fournier, the international pharmaceutical corporation. “Standardising on Scala's collaborative ERP solution makes sense because our Group, whose IS strategy is similar to many of Scala's CCC members, has to face both geographical and cultural differences in our subsidiaries, as well as other systems such as SAP that address corporate and large-size units issues. I feel Scala has the right future strategy because their ‘niche’ market strategy allows Scala to meet the needs of motivated companies, offering alternative and collaborative solutions.”

Kenneth Arnessson, ERP Systems Manager for ITT Flygt, a global pump manufacturer comments: “It feels right to be able to integrate standard functionality with each other and Scala gives us the possibility to have standard global solutions which are talking to each other and to other modules. From what I heard during the CCC Scala is on the right track as long as their timing and costs are on target as well. We often seem to need solutions a year before a vendor can provide them and the main challenge for us today is to have a standard package, configured in the same way, with the same database, accessed through a WAN or the Internet for our business units world wide. And all this at a cost that also our smallest units can accept.”

Kirsi Lopperi, Business Systems Manager for Partek Cargotec, the world’s leading supplier of load handling equipment for vehicles, says: “We feel that standardising on as few solutions as possible helps us to improve our business processes. People can concentrate on the essential in their work - serving customers in the best way possible - instead of having to use a lot of solutions that don't work together. This is both cost-saving and time-saving. And the work becomes more rewarding. On a corporate level this also, of course, gives us improved business control and efficiency. Using Scala's collaborative ERP solution makes sense because it makes it possible to combine several different software products. We supply mobile logistical solutions throughout the world and this is definitely needed for our business.”

Albert Cheung from Atlas Copco Compressors, the compressors business area of global industrial group, says: “Scala now looks ambitious, better organised than before, and they are really concerned about their customers' needs. The major trends we currently see are: being able to access Scala remotely via the Internet and exchange data with customers and suppliers.”

Bob Nicoson, Scala’s Chief Resource Officer and speaker at the CCC meeting comments: “We’re still facing tough economic times. Companies need to use their existing expenditure to get maximum return on investment. By standardising on a product like Scala businesses can take advantage not only of the product’s low total cost of ownership but also its global functionality and its integration capabilities.” He concludes: “Integration and collaboration are key component of a winning strategy for the future and we continue to deliver both existing and new collaborative ERP software and services that are right for the needs of global businesses both today and in the future.”

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Notes to Editors

About Scala Business Solutions

Scala Business Solutions creates collaborative ERP software –
integrating Internet technology and traditional ERP functionality – to make global business simple. With Scala, global companies can fully integrate all their ERP systems anywhere in the world, whether in a subsidiary, division or headquarters, and extending to their partners and suppliers. Scala’s collaborative ERP software makes it possible for global companies to meet the requirements for advanced e-business as well as use a standard ERP product for managing traditional business processes. This enables them to gain measurable benefits from trading electronically, building a private exchange or global portal, or optimising the supply chain.

From offices in Europe, North America and the Far East, and through its network of partners and dealers, Scala delivers software and services that are available in over 30 languages in more than 100 countries.

Scala is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol: SCALA). 2001 revenue was USD 70.6 million.

Visit Scala’s website at www.scala.net for press information including press releases, information for investors, and company and product information.

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