IFS and Volvo Take the Fast Track to Success

IFS and Volvo Take the Fast Track to Success Silverstone, England - At the home of British motor racing, Swedish- based Industrial & Financial Systems (IFS) announces its intention to aid Volvo in it's quest to win the 1999 British Touring Car Championship through sponsorship of the TWR (Tom Wilkinshaw Racing) run Volvo S40 racing team. The partnership of IFS and Volvo marks a celebration of high performance. Volvo already has an enviable track record in BTCC racing and look certain to build on this success during the coming season. IFS, meanwhile, continues to climb through the field of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems providers and currently tops the charts as the fastest-growing ERP vendor in the world. Indeed, IFS has just posted record results for the 1998 financial year during which annual sales increased by 96% from 1997, and IFS advanced th th to 12 place among ERP vendors world-wide compared with 18 place one year ago. Current performance indicates that there is more to come, th as IFS accelerated into 9 place in the worldwide ERP league during the last quarter of 1998. So, what are the factors that have led to this stunning success? Like Volvo S40 Racing, IFS believes in thorough preparation. IFS was the first ERP supplier to acknowledge the changes taking place in the business world by totally rethinking its own software product set. The result was IFS Applications, a suite of software applications, which employs component-based architecture to deliver individually tailored solutions that help customers cope with the uncertainty and complexity of modern business. Nowadays, successful companies need to be agile and responsive to continuously changing demands. IFS Applications, the benchmark component-based business application, frees businesses to cope with change without creating chaos. Because of its component-based architecture, IFS Applications can be incrementally deployed with unprecedented flexibility. Another major benefit of component-based software is that customers are given the freedom to select the solutions they want. Later, as the need arises, new modules or components can simply be added to extend functionality, or to upgrade, with minimal disruption. IFS Applications uses best- practice systems extensively, thereby sparing customers the time and expense involved in extensive customisations. Even though the technology of component-based ERP software architecture is relatively new, IFS is already forging ahead with new developments. The third generation of IFS Applications will soon be released, providing users with enhanced quality, greater functionality, better performance, and improved implementation routines. The position of IFS as the class-leading provider of component-based business solutions will once again be re-affirmed. IFS Fast Track Secures a Rapid start Meanwhile, mindful of customers' demands for rapid ERP system implementation, IFS announce the launch of IFS Fast Track the19th of March, our new accelerated implementation package. With IFS Fast Track , a complete version of IFS Applications can be up and running within as little as eight (8) weeks, an outstandingly short time span. Following a preliminary workshop and feasibility study, the IFS Fast Track package is introduced into the customer's business operations according to a carefully prepared time schedule and implementation methodology. Emphasis is placed on end user training, competence development, and process fitting. As a result, personnel quickly learn to use IFS Applications within their own work environment and under realistic conditions. With IFS Fast Track, IFS has taken the concept of commonality to a new dimension. As both Volvo and IFS can testify, continuous product development is, on its own, not enough to guarantee success. A high level of support is needed wherever you operate. The global presence of IFS - in Eastern and Western Europe, North and South America, Southeast Asia and Japan - enables us to stay at the forefront of world-wide business and technological trends whilst maintaining close relationships with customers at a local level. Gaining the Competitive Edge IFS Applications solutions have been developed for a wide range of industries including automobiles, telecommunications, service management, electronics, forestry and project-oriented environments. Fully compliant with the demands of Year 2000 and the Euro, the performance of IFS Applications can be further enhanced with tactical sub-systems for areas such as competency management, front office, and decision support. These recent developments, along with IFS Fast Track, typify the IFS business philosophy, namely: Increase customers' freedom of action, and you increase their competitive edge. IFS has set the standard by which future ERP systems will be judged. About IFS and IFS Applications Industrial & Financial Systems, IFS AB, develops and supplies IFS Applications, which is a complete Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for business processes in medium-to-large-sized companies. It covers manufacturing, distribution, financials, maintenance management, resource management and engineering. The IFS business concept is to increase the freedom of action and competitiveness of companies by offering standardized business systems based on leading technologies. IFS Applications is one of the first business systems in the market developed entirely using a component-based architecture, which means that it can be readily adapted to the needs of individual customers. The system is equipped to handle the Y2K compliance issues and the introduction of the Euro. IFS is the world's fastest-growing company in the ERP and maintenance software market. The company has 2,000 employees and its products are sold in 32 countries around the world. Some of the more than 1,600 major customers include Volvo, NEC, Akzo Nobel, Caterpillar, Saab, Nikon, Kimball, AlliedSignal, Ericsson, International Paper, Sundstrand Corporation and Rover Group. For additional information, contact: Bjørn A. Windfeldt, Marketing Manager IFS Nordic AB Telephone: +47 66 90 73 00 Mobile:+47 92 40 06 92 Fax: +47 66 90 73 01 E-mail:bjwi@ifs.no IFS' web: http://www.ifsab.com IFS Applications is a trademark of IFS Industrial and Financial Systems. All other referenced company or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/03/10/19990310BIT00160/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/03/10/19990310BIT00160/bit0002.pdf