Singer, the market leader in home appliances, motorcycles and sewing machines, has selected IFS to provide an integrated business solution for its operations in Sri Lanka and Thailand. The combined contracts are valued at US$1.9 million.
Through a comprehensive hire purchase offering, Singer maintains a dominant position as both a retail and direct sales supplier of home appliances, motorcycles and sewing machines. Singer will deploy a solution from IFS comprising applications for financials, distribution, sales and marketing, human resources, service management and business performance. Singer aims to replace a number of disparate systems built over the years with an integrated solution covering all aspects of its business. This will enable Singer to better meet its growth and performance objectives.
President of IFS Asia Pacific, Mark Rabjohns, said: "Singer is a long-established brand and the definite market leader for consumer durables and motorcycles, as well as a household name for sewing machines globally. We are pleased with Singer`s choice of IFS and are confident that Singer can quickly reap the benefits of IFS Applications and maintain its market- leading position."
Hemaka Amarasuriya, chairman of Singer Sri Lanka, said the company felt the need to prepare for the future without being complacent about its current market-leading position. "After a thorough evaluation of the available solutions in the market, we chose IFS since we felt IFS could offer us the best value proposition to meet our objectives. With IFS, we will have one single view of our customers wherever or whenever they come into contact with us - either at the retail shops or at the service outlets - which will enable us to serve them better and thus strengthen our market position," he said.
"What we are looking for is faster payback from the solution, and with its strong local presence, IFS is in a position to ensure success for us," added Amarasuriya.
The decision to choose IFS Applications comes after a comprehensive evaluation of a number of solution providers, which spanned across three countries in the region - Sri Lanka, Thailand and India. While Singer Sri Lanka will implement IFS Applications initially, the other Singer operations in the region will also roll-out IFS Applications during the first phase of the project, which is aimed at creating a unified information backbone across the region.
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Celebrating over 150 years of innovative and successful operations, Singer is a global retailer of not just sewing products, but a wide range of consumer products for the home. Singer remains the leading manufacturer and marketer of sewing machines worldwide, and is one of the most widely recognised and established brands in the world.
Singer`s distribution network spans over 150 countries, including developed, developing and emerging economies. This network consists of over 1 300 retail stores operated by the company and its affiliates, approximately 58 200 outlets operated by independent dealers and mass merchants, and over 12 000 direct sales agents.
IFS and IFS Applications
IFS develops and supplies component-based business applications for medium and large enterprises and organisations. IFS Applications, which can be implemented step by step, is based on Web and portal technology. The solution offers 60+ enterprise application components used in manufacturing, supply chain management, customer relationship management, service provision, financials, product development, maintenance and human resource administration. IFS offers customers an easier, more open alternative.
IFS is a leading global business applications supplier with sales in 45 countries and more than 350 000 users worldwide. The company is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange (XSSE: IFS).
In Asia Pacific, IFS has offices in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It is represented via a distributor in Taiwan.
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