| May 1, 2009
Fujitsu buys slice of regional SAP market
Fujitsu has bought the Australian and South-East Asian operations of Sydney-based consulting group Supply Chain Consulting (SCC www.supplychain-consulting.com), which specialises in the provision of enterprise-level solutions. The deal does not include the Viewlocity supply chain products operation, which will be retained by long-term SCC investors Roger Allen and Macquarie Group, along with CEO Tony Carr.
SCC was set up in 1998 and made a big move on the SAP marketplace in 2003 when it acquired the SAP division of Adacel. The company now employs more than 400 people and has operations in 12 countries.
Rod Vawdrey, CEO of Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand, said the acquisition extends the company's investments in the SAP segment and will allow it to deliver solutions in new geographies. "Fujitsu's SAP consultants within Australia and New Zealand will be supplemented by offshore capabilities in the Philippines, providing additional global benefits to customers with offices, facilities, and services located throughout Asia," Vawdrey explained. www.fujitsu.com.au
iCash invests in Korean ATM tech
Australian company iCash Payment Systems has acquired the ATM assets and business of South Korean company Taenam AMC. The deal was negotiated by iCash's Korean subsidiary NeoICP. The assets have been sold into a new company, WIZ Mechatronics, in which Taenam AMC holds a 51 per cent stake.
James Manny, executive chairman of iCash, explained that the acquired assets include intellectual property rights and patents, manufacturing moulds, technology documentation, test instruments, and trade rights. "Cash dispensing units are the most critical part of ATM manufacture and design, and the acquisition of WIZ is a logical fit with iCash's existing vertically integrated business model," Manny said. "It is in line with our long-term strategy to deliver cost-effective product supremacy by streamlining efficiencies from the manufacturer to the card-user." www.icashpayments.com.au
Agri-tech licensed to South America
Australian company Computronics Holdings has licensed the intellectual property of its Farmscan Canlink 4500 spray control system to South American machinery manufacturer Stara S/A Industria De Implementos Agricolas. The deal is valued at $US1.1 million. Stara will use the technology to manufacture and install variable rate control and spray control systems into existing agricultural machinery lines, explained Freeman Wylie, chief executive of Computronics.
"While some of the funds raised through this deal will go back into R&D, it has also provided an opportunity to put cash into other areas of the business and to explore other growth opportunities," Wylie added. www.computronics.com.au
Peoplebank clear to source labour
ICT recruiter Peoplebank Australia has entered an On-Hire Labour Agreement with the Australian Government, giving it the ability to source, secure, and on-hire overseas contractors meeting 457 visa requirements. "The agreement helps us attract quality candidates as they aren't being hired by an employer for one project, but by Peoplebank, which will actively seek out ongoing projects for them, while making them available to business for short or fixed terms," said Peter Acheson, COO of Peoplebank. www.peoplebank.com.au
Cooper Sydney invests in SaaS
Financial technology consultancy Cooper Sydney has shown its belief in the appeal of software-as-a-service to the financial sector by investing in Saasu, a company that provides online accounting systems for SMBs. "Lean, growing businesses, especially mobile ones, need the information advantages Saasu brings in online payroll, online invoicing, online inventory, lite CRM, and activity management all in one simple-to-use Web site accessible anywhere anytime," said Peter Cooper, founder of Cooper Sydney. www.coopersydney.com
IntraPower tightens focus on SaaS
Corporate telecommunications and SaaS provider IntraPower has sold a platinum licence to National Voice and Data -- one of its channel partners -- for $A1.5 million. The deal provides NVD with access to a group of small corporate customers and allows IntraPower to focus on the provision of SaaS to Australian SMBs, claimed Greg Kennish, managing director of IntraPower.
"The proceeds of this agreement will be used to convert an existing significant SaaS sales pipeline which delivers higher margins in a growing market," Kennish claimed. "We need to be clear on where we sell direct and where we sell through our channel. We must avoid any channel conflict that has caused so many other companies to fail in these efforts." www.intrapower.com.au
Cockies to get fast track to NBN
The Australian Government will fast-track the provision of the national broadband network to regional Australia, according to Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy.
"We are moving to immediately improve the competitive market in regional Australia and are fast-tracking a $A250 million investment in backbone fibre optics transmission links," Conroy claimed.
To back up his assertions Conroy released a "stakeholder consultation paper". "We want to work closely with all stakeholders and move quickly to make these investments," he said.
Conroy further announced that the government had established the NBN Company, is embarking on an executive search to identify a suitable CEO, and intends to introduce the first round of NBN legislation in the winter sitting of Parliament. www.dbcde.gov.au
Bank offers e-commerce tools
Commonwealth Bank of Australia has launched into e‑commerce with the eVolve transactional services platform for business owners. The offering will allow SMBs to develop, integrate and manage an online shop-front, including online payment facilities, said Symon Brewis-Weston, Commonwealth Bank's executive general manager for local business banking.
"For small businesses, online selling can not only enhance their business capability but also be a cost-effective solution, given the self-service nature of online shopping," Brewis-Weston added. www.commbank.com.au
PayPal aims to win developers
Online payments company PayPal is trying to lift its profile in the e-commerce marketplace by launching a certified development and partner program to recruit developers and solution providers. The program is being accompanied by a range of tools and resources for users in the non-profit sector.
"We identified a gap in the market and designed this program to help more organisations tap into the Internet's revenue-building capacity, while also helping to build new markets for PayPal," explained Glenn Lim, global head of PayPal alliances and vertical markets, who was in Australia for the launch of the program. www.paypal.com.au
* Lan 1 has been appointed a distributor for US firewall company Palo Alto Networks. The products will be handled by Lan 1's IP security business. www.lan1.com.au
* NSC Group has been appointed a reseller of access solutions from RAD Data Networks. www.nsc.net.au
* US company Stonefield Software has appointed Sage Business Solutions a distributor of its database reporting software in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. www.sagebusiness.com.au
* GateProtect, a German manufacturer of unified threat management appliances will be on the lookout for Australian partners when it exhibits at CeBit in Sydney this month (www.cebit.com.au). The company plans to launch its products here before the end of the year, said Dennis Monner, CEO of GateProtect. www.gateprotect.com/uk
* Ansearch, the Australian search specialist that has morphed into a full service digital media company, has changed its name to Webfirm. Its ASX code will change to WFM on May 4. www.webfirm.com
* Broadband services provider Internode has launched its NodeMobile Data 3G wireless broadband data service. The service is built on the Optus 3G wireless broadband network. www.internode.on.net
* Security software developer Kaspersky Lab is to sell its products through the 120 Officeworks retail outlets in Australia. www.kasperskyanz.com.au
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