IBS EXPANDS MULTI-NATIONAL AND VERTICAL MARKET CAPABILITIES WITH FOUR IMPORTANT ACQUISITIONS IN 2005

IBS has continued to build its multi-national and vertical market capabilities by completing the acquisition of four international supply chain software companies in 2005 alone. The acquisitions are part of IBS global strategy to deliver ERP and supply chain management solutions to international companies in key vertical markets.

By using IBS international network in 40 countries, these acquisitions give us the opportunity to further expand our significant presence in key vertical markets where the largest ERP suppliers have struggled to establish themselves, says Magnus Wastenson, IBS Chief Executive Officer.

The first acquisition of 2005 was Australia-based TMS, which established IBS as the international leader in the market for supply chain software for the publishing and consumer electronics industry. The company also has offices in Singapore and the UK as well as a distribution network in the US, Netherlands and South Africa. TMS publishing solution, Bookmaster, is already used by more than 80 publishers in 16 countries and is the most widely used publishing ERP in the world. TMS customers include major publishers such as Penguin, Pearson, HarperCollins, McGraw-Hill, Macmillan, Elsevier and Harvard University Press, as well as international consumer electronic distributors including Hagemeyer, Pioneer, Makita and Sanyo.

The next acquisition was of another Australian-based company with additional offices in the UK, Netherlands and Thailand, IDS Enterprise Systems. IDS is an international leader in supply chain software solutions for the automotive industry and its three products, IDSe42, MotoV8 and CatSmart, complement IBS current offering to create a world leading solution for both importers and dealers in the automotive business. IDS has a 22 year history of providing world class solutions to many of the largest Automotive companies including Porsche, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

More recently, IBS has acquired logistics and warehouse management software companies Quatro Information Systems in Spain and Albatech Informatica in Italy. These acquisitions increase IBS market share throughout the Iberian and Southern Europe regions and creates a strong market presence in the whole of Europe. Quatro has a strong position in the market with many large customers such as Alliance Unichem, Novartis, Hilti, Grundfos, Cockburns, Madeira Wine, Danone, Ferrero Rocher and Honda.

Magnus Wastenson concludes, IBS is a fast growing and ambitious company that is well positioned to capitalise on the lack of real, off-the-shelf vertical market capabilities from our competitors. Our acquisition strategy is focused on adding companies that increase our global presence and add vertical-specific functionality to our range of ERP and supply chain software products and services. These key acquisitions further position IBS as a leader in the UK ERP and supply chain software markets with added capabilities for multi-national implementations.