Ten new technology jobs are to be generated on the back of Aspera Solutions securing seven ERP contracts worth more than €2 million in Ireland and the UK in the last quarter.
These new client wins represent a trebling of growth in new business in this period. It follows Aspera’s launch of a UK sales and customer service operation in Solihull earlier this year.
The new UK customers include food processors Wyke Farms and Troy Foods, and manufacturers HTA Precision and Permastore.
Irish market growth
Growth in its Irish market has been particularly pronounced in this quarter, with new clients including One51 plc, Smithstown Light Engineering and AgriHealth.
Technical innovation is helping to grow market penetration in the new mid-market ERP segment, where solutions such as Epicor and Ross ERP are coming into their own in the recession.
Mid-sized companies, and food producers in particular, are seeking the productivity, efficiency and traceability advantages of enterprise resource planning (ERP), which are now available at a much lower total cost of ownership.
Other new ERP applications driving the market include Web 2.0 for the enterprise, and mobile integration to devices, including iPhones and Blackberrys.
“We plan to consolidate our investment in the UK and Ireland over the coming 12 months, with a significant UK acquisition in the pipeline,” explained Lonan Byrne, Aspera managing director.
“We know that recession creates uncertainty, but we believe that we are ideally positioned to develop strongly based on the growing demand for our technology and experience.
“There was definitely a dip in purchase decisions during 2008, but our recent experience clearly shows ERP budgets being unshackled and that good companies are continuing to make strategic investments in their businesses.”
Eye on improvement
Alan Walsh, chief financial officer, One 51 plc, commented on the solution provided by Aspera: “Our requirement was to improve business integration within our Environmental Services Division.
“We selected Epicor 9 ERP from Aspera Solutions for its rich functionality, web-service architecture and strong service support, which enable us to meet our objectives.
“The first sites went live within four months, on time and budget, giving us the confidence to further roll out the system within the division,” said Walsh.
By John Kennedy
Photo: (Left to right) Philip Larragy, sales & marketing manager, and Lonan Byrne, managing director, Aspera Solutions.
