SAP Taps Aftermarket
’One of our challenges in distribution is covering a broad territory, and this will allow us to be an expert in a specific vertical that has tremendous opportunity,’ Rooney said.
When SAP announced its PartnerEdge Channel Program in May, the German behemoth promised it would be a disciplined program to promote and serve ISVs and resellers plying the SMB market, especially companies with five to 100 employees. Last month, SAP announced one of the first fruits of the new program: a tightly integrated package comprising ERP, e-commerce and inventory management and aimed at small distributors and retailers in the automotive aftermarket.
The packaged solution—with SAP Business One as the foundation and integrated software from ISV partners Praxis Software Solutions and Valogix—represents the shape of things to come from SAP’s channel efforts.
’SAP, Praxis and Valogix have been meeting at least once a week to build an integrated solution specific to the aftermarket industry,’ said Lisa Schneegans, executive vice president of Minneapolis-based Praxis. ’We have rarely seen collaboration and cooperation with partners like I have with the SAP channel organization.’
The companies spent three months creating a technical, sales and marketing plan for a solution that allows customers to place orders over the Internet via Praxis’ Netpoint Commerce, which then sends the sales order to the Business One business management suite. Once the products ship, Valogix Parts Planner recommends proper inventory stocking levels.
’The main mechanism a lot of these companies have to get their products out there is through the Web. Marry that with an integrated system that also provides inventory planning, and I think we have a solution that will dramatically shorten the sales cycle—and that’s as good as cash,’ said Alex Rooney, vice president of Vision33, an SAP Business One partner in Laguna Hills, Calif.
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