Baan signs 105 new deals in North America and 50 in Latin America for 1H2002, broadening its base in electronics, automotive, aerospace/defense, and industrial equipment industries
August 23, 2002 - Despite weak IT spending, Baan - the leading enterprise application provider for industrial companies and part of Invensys plc - secured 105 new business agreements in North America and 50 in Latin America for its iBaan suite of Internet-enabled solutions for the first half of 2002.
Fueled by recent strategic announcements including iBaan for Product Lifecycle Management, iBaan for Supply Chain Management, and iBaan for Customer Relationship Management, Baan continues to grow its enterprise software business in North and Latin Americas since coming under the Invensys banner in 2000. The Baan family of enterprise software products and solutions enables companies to streamline manufacturing processes, and improve their reporting, planning and customer relationship management.
"Baan returned to profitability six months ahead of schedule after its acquisition by Invensys in August 2000," said Leo Quinn, chief operating officer, Invensys Production Management Division. "Baan's first half business results for the Americas -- in a challenging business environment -- demonstrate the success that Baan is enjoying as part of Invensys. Baan is central to the strategy of the production management division and integration efforts are proceeding between Baan solutions and those of our other business units. "
In February of this year, Invensys announced its new strategic direction and Baan was positioned as a key component of the newly formed Production Management Division. Since then, Invensys has been integrating its three principle software companies - Baan, Wonderware and Avantis, under the leadership of Laurens van der Tang, the president of Baan, and Joe Cowan, who is chief operating officer of the combined organization. This closer integration will accelerate the development of real-time supply chain solutions that extend all the way to the shop-floor and provide manufacturers with everything they need for everyday decision-making and execution.
"We are pleased by market response across North and Latin America to Baan's new strategy and to our family of products and solutions," said Susan Heystee, president of Baan Americas. "Customers are turning to Baan for competitive tools that enable them to capture high performance results, improve operations and move with agility through today's complex business environment."
"We've been able to succeed by helping customers assess their overall enterprise software needs and then working with them to implement the specific solutions that address their most pressing needs," she explained. "By providing tools that can help our customers achieve a rapid return on their IT investment, we are helping them remain competitive and position themselves for growth as the economy rebounds."
Reflecting its market momentum and sustained high customer satisfaction, Baan's strategic solutions generated strong sales in the first half. Among new and existing North American customers signing agreements during the period were: Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P), AirLiance Materials, Flexible Steel Lacing Company, International Truck and Engine, Roberson Transportation Inc., Werner Company, Actiontec Electronics, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Advanced Fiber, Dalsa, StonCore, APL Limited, Kmart Corp, Corporate Express, and Vector.
"As an existing Baan customer, Sonoco is excited with the addition of the new sales point and e-configuration enterprise solution," said Bernie Campbell, Sonoco vice president and chief information officer. "It will help streamline our order entry process by allowing us to record our customers' requirements, configure orders and integrate order entry into the Baan ERP system for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness." Sonoco, founded in 1899, is a $2.6 billion manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with approximately 300 operations in 32 countries serving customers in some 85 nations.
Out of the results for the first half, more than 25 agreements were in the supply chain management area. "Supply chain solutions alone hit a five-year record for sales, a significant accomplishment given the current market conditions," said Gregg Monastiero, VP Sales, Strategic Solutions, Baan Americas. "This success is due to Baan's expansion of product offerings and the extension or integration into both Baan products and best of breed products in the market."
In Latin/Central America, companies that chose Baan were Servicios en Tuertos y Terminales, S.A. de C.D in Mexico, J. Macdeo in Brazil, and LaEuropea in Mexico. La Europea--a leader in wine, liquor and ultramarines distribution with a network of 20 stores and an aggressive plan for expansion--selected the iBaan Enterprise solution to help it manage strategic financial and logistics needs within its group companies and stores.
The iBaan suite of Internet-enabled solutions combines proven Baan technology with new developments that enable customers to take significant steps towards seamlessly integrating systems and processes. It provides end-users with personalized and easy-to-use information, and empowers businesses to collaborate with their customers and suppliers over the Internet.
About Baan:
Baan helps industrial enterprises optimize their enterprise performance strategies and compete in the knowledge-driven 'networked economy', with its ever-increasing demands for information, integration, and collaboration. Through its open and powerful iBaan suite of Internet-enabled solutions, Baan is ideally placed to support organizations in the manufacturing, logistics, services, and engineering industries as they move towards tighter integration of their complex processes, closer collaboration throughout their value chain, and greater accessibility of cross-enterprise transactional and analytical information. Baan has more than 15,000 customer sites worldwide and is part of the Production Management division of Invensys PLC. For more information, please visit http://www.baan.com
About Invensys plc:
Invensys plc, the international production technology and energy management group, specializes in helping companies to improve efficiency, performance and profitability. With close to 76,000 employees, Invensys is headquartered in London, England.
Our Production Management businesses work closely with customers in order to drive up performance of their production assets and maximize the return on investments in product technologies. The division includes Foxboro, Wonderware, Triconex, APV, Eurotherm and Baan and it addresses the oil, gas and chemicals; food beverage and personal healthcare; and discrete and hybrid manufacturing sectors.
Our Energy Management businesses actively work with clients involved in both the supply and consumption of energy and water, developing systems using innovative technologies that improve the management of energy and water costs and the reliability and security of power supplies. The division includes Energy Solutions, Metering Systems, Home, Appliance and Climate Controls and Powerware and focuses on markets connected with power and energy infrastructure and commercial and residential buildings.
We also serve the specialized rail, windpower and power components markets through Westinghouse Rail Systems, Hansen Transmissions and Lambda respectively. For more information, visit: http://www.invensys.com
For more information, please contact:
Baan Benelux
Carolijn Peelen
Communicatie/PR Manager
Tel: 0342 477 525
Email: cpeelen@baan.nl
Brodeur Worldwide
Anja Verheij
Tel: 020 346 20 00
Email: averheij@nl.brodeur.com
pressroom@baan.nl
Tel: 0342 477 539