NORFOLK, Va., Jan. 21, 2003 ¯ OpenMFG, the only company using open source software to bring full-featured enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications to small manufacturers, today welcomed the first ten members of the Open Partners Program, a revolutionary new approach to developing and marketing enterprise software through the channel.
The Open Partners Program offers resellers access to a huge market: the 300,000 small to mid-sized U.S. manufacturers who have long needed new ERP software to increase visibility across the supply chain, enhance their cash flow management, and provide real-time decision-making. OpenMFG gives its partners the keys to this market with a full-featured but affordable product, and a license that gives partners the ability to customize and extend the product to meet customer needs.
“OpenMFG is committed to the success of its partners,†said OpenMFG President and CEO Ned Lilly. “We know that there are a lot of options for ERP resellers, and we want to do everything in our power to make OpenMFG the platform of choice for companies servicing small manufacturers and distributors.â€
Options for Partners
Partners can choose from three levels of participation:
· Referral partner: introduces OpenMFG to prospects for a commission.
· Consultant: certified on implementing OpenMFG solutions, but does not resell software.
· Value-added reseller (VAR): resells and implements OpenMFG software for a commission plus ongoing service revenues. The program includes a defined territory, sales and implementation training, qualified customer leads, and targeted sales and marketing support.
More information is available at www.openmfg.com/partnerprograms.php.
Texum Technology, an OpenMFG VAR partner based in Long Beach, Calif., has deep expertise in networking and open source technologies such as Linux, and services a broad base of businesses in manufacturing, health care, and finance. They saw that their manufacturing customers could benefit from a true ERP system, but like many smaller companies, these manufacturers had a hard time seeing the value of many leading midrange ERP systems. “OpenMFG’s product fits the needs of many of our customers ‘out of the box’ – and their open approach to licensing ensures that we can develop cost-effective customized solutions for customers with more demanding requirements,†said Asem Abusir, Texum president and CEO.
Texum is working with another OpenMFG partner, Compuall Inc. of Fountain Valley, Calif, to implement OpenMFG for many of its customers. For many years, Compuall marketed its own ERP solution – add-ons to the Real World accounting system, a product purchased several years ago by Great Plains Software, and now being discontinued by Great Plains’ new owner, Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS). Compuall remains a Microsoft VAR, but president James Clark sees OpenMFG filling an important niche: “Many smaller manufacturers can’t afford the higher-end offerings from MBS.†Moreover, he notes, “the open architecture of OpenMFG allows VARs to keep their options open, and avoid being locked in to the strategy of any one software vendor.â€
About OpenMFG
OpenMFG, LLC, develops enterprise software tailored to the needs and budgets of small, entrepreneurial manufacturing companies. OpenMFG products give companies visibility into costs, supply chains, processes, inventory and financial operations with a lower cost of ownership than competing enterprise resource planning (ERP) products. For more information, visit the company Web site at www.openmfg.com.
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Link: http://www.openmfg.com
