Ixchange has again come through for its resellers and has signed Unihold as a ProfitAbility value-added reseller (VAR). The deal is part of Ixchange`s stated policy of moving from a direct sales company to a channel-oriented organisation.
Johan Buys, director of Ixchange`s business management solutions division, Ability, says that Ixchange is a software publisher involved with developing and marketing its products. In the past, it has relied on direct sales and support, but has reached the level of market penetration where business partners are attracted to its products, and are becoming a necessity to continue the growth of the company. "The majority of ProfitAbility sales will be delivered through the channel by the end of 2000", he states.
Unihold`s GM for ERP, Sheldon Quarmby, says a key factor in the company`s adoption of ProfitAbility is Ixchange`s high profile as a multi-tier supply chain management solution in the local market with an infrastructure to support its products. "It is also aimed at the mid-market, where Unihold has shown its strength. Another factor is the add-on benefit of customisation to customer requirements."
Buys says Ixchange considered various companies as partners, but the Unihold skills complimenting the ProfitAbility and Ability suite, including Visual Basic and SQL Server expertise, made it a clear choice. "Sales people must be able to sell knowing they have the technical expertise to back them up, and Unihold can provide this," he adds. "Unihold also has a strong geographical presence in SA as well as internationally, which can expand the base of ProfitAbility considerably."
Unihold has over eighty Microsoft developers that are keen to take on the task of designing add-ons and customising ProfitAbility. Quarmby adds that the company plans to integrate a business planner it has developed into the product as soon as possible.
"Ixchange plans to broaden the VAR strength by appointing between six and eight business partners in 1999," says Buys. More appointments will be made next year as the company completes its move away from direct sales".
Share
Ability
Ixchange`s Ability suite of software is the leading suite of business management solutions for medium sized companies in the areas of retail, distribution and services. This software suite is made up of the AccountAbility back-office financial control system, SaleAbility retail management system, VizAbility strategic inventory management system and ProfitAbility customer order fulfilment system. These applications are all integrated into the Ability suite and run on Microsoft platforms.
Ixchange
Ixchange is a South African listed company focused on leading the international mid-range customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain optimisation software markets. The company has entrenched its leadership position in the front-office with its HEAT and GoldMine products, while its ABILITY suite of applications has emerged in South Africa as the market-leading back-office suite for medium sized implementations in the services, distribution and retail sectors. Ixchange is focused on the international market with offices in Swindon (UK), Colorado Springs (US), Los Angeles (US), Sydney (Australia), Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.