The PeopleSoft/JD Edwards merger will not result in any staff cuts in the South African operation, despite a 7% headcount reduction worldwide, says PeopleSoft SA`s MD, Mike Evans.
"We were structured to service the JD Edwards market, and now we`re servicing the PeopleSoft market as well, and in fact I believe there is scope for growth there," says Evans, who headed JD Edwards prior to the merger.
Evans says the rationale behind the merger was not consolidation, but growth and market expansion. Although the JD Edwards brand name is no longer used, no product lines have been discontinued.
The merged group now offers three product lines: PeopleSoft World (an IBM i-Series enterprise offering), PeopleSoft EnterpriseOne (a midrange enterprise solution set) and PeopleSoft Enterprise (a high-end solution for large global enterprises).
In SA, the merger added 20 PeopleSoft customers to the 160 customers serviced by JD Edwards. Evans says with the impetus of additional product lines and cross-selling and up-selling opportunities, PeopleSoft SA is confident it can grow its market share.
No customers were lost during the merger process, despite campaigns by rivals to lure them.
He says the merger, with the associated transfer of intellectual property between the two entities` products, provides the group with the opportunity to go to existing clients with new functionality that could not be offered before.
ERP.com subsidiary Activ8, which was the local PeopleSoft distributor prior to the merger, will continue to be a distributor. The terms of the arrangement have yet to be finalised, but Evans says the companies are in consultation.
Share
