IBS expands to Russia

IBS AB (XSSE IBS B), International Business Systems, has signed a business partner agreement with the Russian IT-support company Cinimex Informatica. Cinimex will sell and provide installation, training and helpdesk services for IBS Enterprise software, ASW, and IBS Integrator on the Russian market. Cinimex Informatica is located in Moscow and is an IBM business partner with an extensive experience and have certified engineers on the IBM iSeries platform.

Rapid expansion of Russian ERP-market
The Russian ERP-market is estimated to grow about 30 percent year. Market research company IDC estimates that the market will expand from 13,000 systems in 2001 to 50,000 in 2007. According to IDC, especially small and medium sized companies will soon begin utilizing Enterprise Resource Planning systems. There are some international companies in the market already, but considering the market size and growth, the prospects are promising. The challenge for systems providers is to offer sector-specific solutions.

- In Russia, it is essential to find a strong local partner. The Russians demand local references to support their decision-making. Additionally, the support services must be in Russian and as close to the customer as possible, says Olof Agervald, Business Analysis Director at IBS.

- There is a demand for IBSs supply chain management software in Russia. Logistics and delivery are a rapidly expanding business, says Andrei Sykoulev, Business Development Director of Cinimex Informatica.

The first Russian installation
IBS Enterprise software has been translated and is now available in Russian. The main goal is to serve IBSs customers operating in Russia. The first Russian installation, for the Finnish customer Helkama Forste, has started and is expected to go live in the beginning of 2005. The software has also been modified to meet the Russian legislation.

- We added customs number monitoring and necessary documents in Russian to the Sales and materials management system. Financial solutions require various reporting features, for example for accounting for value added taxes and Russian corporate income taxes, continues Olof Agervald.