YEAR-END REPORT JANUARY–DECEMBER 2011
Strong license sales
The financial year 2011 saw us executing well in our target markets, as reflected in license sales which grew, adjusted for currency, by 13 percent for the full year and by 26 percent in quarter four. For 2012, we expect yet another year with strong organic growth in license revenue and an improved EBIT.
Beijer Electronics goes live with IFS Applications and IFS Enterprise Explorer
High-tech manufacturer Beijer Electronics is live with IFS Applications 7.5 at its Industrial Data Communications and Swedish HMI divisions. The solution includes IFS Enterprise Explorer, an innovative user interface developed to improve user experience.
Today, especially our young users expect a competent and modern interface like IFS Enterprise Explorer and usability was therefore an important factor for us when selecting business applications and one of the reasons for selecting IFS Applications. By implementing the IFS Enterprise Explorer interface, we are promoting user productivity by providing an intuitive tool for easy navigation through our business data, said Joakim Stolt, IT Manager at Beijer Electronics.
Mansfield Group selects IFS 360 Scheduling
The Mansfield Group, one of the UK’s largest dedicated vehicle recovery and breakdown operators, has selected IFS 360 Scheduling’s Dynamic Scheduling Engine (DSE) to support them in meeting their demanding 20 and 30 minute response time emergency breakdown calls.
We have been looking at scheduling systems over recent months and IFS 360 Scheduling’s DSE kept coming up as the leader in the field. From our initial meeting on November 2nd, it was very clear that their background in emergency services meant that they immediately understood our business demands and response time needs, plus their can-do attitude was very refreshing, said Darrell Mansfield, Chairman of The Mansfield Group.
IFS Applications 8 pre-launched in Barcelona
On November 7, a preview of IFS Applications 8 was presented at the AC Hotel Barcelona Forum. The event was held next door to the Gartner Symposium and many of IFS's key customers, analysts and media contacts were present. Guest speaker at the event was Gartner Research Director Christian Hestermann who spoke of the future of ERP with special emphasis on the pace-layering concept and its impact on companies' IT strategy. IFS CEO Alastair Sorbie presented IFS's strategic direction and IFS CTO Dan Matthews gave an introduction to IFS's product strategy. The audience consisted of specially invited decision makers, industry influencers and members of the press. The total number of participants at the event was 48 people.
IFS Cindy Jaudon named finalist—8th annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business
IFS North America President and CEO Cindy Jaudon has been named a finalist in the Stevie Awards, which will be broadcast live on the Business TalkRadio network on November 11, 2011.
I am quite humbled and flattered to be a finalist for the 8th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business. The ability to work and collaborate closely with customers has been one of IFS’s main strengths over the years, so this is a very fitting award nomination for IFS. It wouldn’t be possible without the support of everyone within IFS who continues to provide outstanding service to our customers, IFS North America President and CEO Cindy Jaudon said.
Supra optimizes supply chain management and measures customer satisfaction with IFS Applications
IFS announces that Supra, the heating equipment manufacturer, has expanded its use of IFS Applications™ to meet the demands of the market.
We have become much more efficient. It used to take us a week to fulfill an order received during the busy season; now we can deliver within three or four days. This was made possible by the deployment of IFS Collaborative Supply Chain which optimizes communications with our logistics service provider. Now the provider is informed immediately of ongoing operations and this makes our delivery lead times much more reliable, said Eric Storme, Information Systems Director at Supra.
Stadium live with retail solution from IFS
Stadium, a leading Scandinavian sport retailer, is live with the latest version of IFS Applications. The solution provides Stadium with a modern retail industry solution that supports the company’s critical business processes.
During the last 11 years, IFS has always been open for discussions about how the solution can best support our business. We are pleased to be up and running on the latest version of IFS Applications, in which much of our collaborative efforts are reflected. The solution also gives us a solid platform for future growth, said Stefan Maxeby, IT Manager at Stadium.
IFS secures new contracts with Three Gorges Group
IFS, the global enterprise applications company, has signed an agreement with China Yangtze Power Corporation (CYPC) concerning the implementation of IFS Applications at two new mega-hydropower stations on the Jinsha River, China. CYPC also owns Three Gorges, the largest hydropower plant in the world. IFS was selected in competition with SAP and Oracle. One of the deciding factors for CYPC was IFS’s proven track record within enterprise asset management both in China and globally.
Our goal has been to invest in the latest technology to support our ambition to become the leading light within hydroelectric power generation. In IFS Applications, we have found a system that can keep pace with our long-term growth strategy while ensuring multi-plant support, work safety, efficiency and user-friendliness,” said Zhang Cheng, President of CYPC.
IFS Receives Frost & Sullivan Global Customer Value Enhancement Award
IFS has been awarded the prestigious Customer Value Enhancement Award in the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) segment. The award recognizes IFS’s tireless efforts in enhancing customer value and providing a standardized EAM solution with unique capabilities.
IFS, through its EAM solutions, has completely transformed the way the end users operate. The company has clearly demonstrated its products’ value by helping customers minimize asset life cycle costs while improving plant productivity, ultimately enhancing end user experience, said Vinay Pujari, Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan.
ERP systems can hamper productivity and business agility, global IFS study says
A global study carried out by IDC on behalf of IFS reveals that less than a third of companies find their enterprise applications intuitive and easy to use. The study examined the importance of usability and flexibility in enterprise applications among companies in the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Benelux, Scandinavia and India.
The study proves what we at IFS have known for many years: usability and agility are vital for companies in terms of productivity. IFS will therefore continue to focus on usability and user experience as these will be areas of key importance going forward, IFS CTO Dan Matthews said.