The South African branch of Infor, the German enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendor, has dropped the Epicor product range (previously Platinum Software).
Infor says it will not resell any products in future, but will focus on its core product range. Infor acted as reseller for the range for the past two years.
"It was a tough decision, but it had to be done," says Infor SA MD Jurgen Laakman. Epicor provides ERP, customer relationship management and business intelligence tools, and operates in the same market space as JD Edwards, targeting the mid-market.
Support for Epicor sites, which number in the thirties according to Infor, will be handled by Insys, a consulting company and previously Infor partner in the Epicor business. Laakman believes Insys has sufficient knowledge of the product range that customers will not have "major support problems".
Infor AG listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange in May, and says it is finally time for its big move. Announcements regarding international acquisitions are expected to follow within weeks, and Infor locally says it will start a branding campaign in October. SA is currently the only branch office outside of Europe and a single fledgling office in Chicago.
Laakman does not foresee trouble for the local ERP market, and believes substantial business is to be made in SA. The differentiator, he says, is in the quality of the Infor product.
It is not known who will take over the reselling of Epicor products.
The move will not mean a loss of jobs at the local Infor office.
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