On a recent trip to Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam, we found that powerful, industry-enabled ERP in Asia is gaining momentum very quickly. Preparing for the move away from legacy ERP systems, many companies in the region are ready to welcome end-to-end ERP solutions that fit with their strategy and ways of working, especially if they are affordable and can be deployed efficiently. Our partners in East and Southeast Asia are getting ready to meet rapidly increasing demand for ERP technology from Microsoft Dynamics and To-Increase.
To-Increase has been active in Asia for many years, working with our partners to bring ERP solutions to customers in the manufacturing, construction, professional services, food processing and other industries. My colleagues and I have traveled to various countries in Asia frequently, demoing solutions and learning from customers’ real-life experiences. But during this last trip I found that not just our own visibility and engagement in the region is intensifying, but the awareness and interest in ERP is also rapidly increasing.
Partner Collaboration to Satisfy ERP Industry Needs
On the first leg of this journey, I visited Japan, meeting with several prominent To-Increase partners in Tokyo. Together, we reviewed our plans and strategies for industry-optimized ERP in Japan, and workshopped ideas for taking our ERP solutions to market. We developed a long list of tactical steps and shared initiatives to create an even stronger reception for ERP in Japan and other countries in East and Southeast Asia. During these meetings, I was also able to see the localized Japanese versions of To-Increase Enterprise Asset Management and Asset Service Management for the first time. I was impressed by how elegantly the localizers had brought these software tools into a very different language environment, fully maintaining the intuitiveness and ease-of-use of the user interfaces.
Next, we flew to Singapore, where we had similar meetings with a large To-Increase partner for Southeast Asia. Like some other To-Increase partners, this one had recently experienced a growth spurt and was in the middle of transforming its ERP and business consultancy to reach prospective customers more effectively. I’m confident that the joint go-to-market plan we finalized for To-Increase ERP in that partner’s region of Asia will generate strong returns over the next few years.
Showcasing High-Value, Low-Risk ERP in Vietnam
Finally, we made our way to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where we also had some time to enjoy the vibrant urban atmosphere, take in a few spectacular sights, and eat exquisite, inexpensive local cuisine to our hearts’ content. The main event for us there was a one-week technology workshop facilitated by Microsoft Vietnam and SAGlobal, one of the leading Microsoft Dynamics ERP providers in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Close to 20 companies from throughout Vietnam had sent teams to attend the entire event, and others participated in segments of it.
Paul van Eijk, Senior Pre-Sales Consultant, seen above in a solution demo, and I had been invited to present about To-Increase’s industry ERP solutions as well as our Business Integration Solutions and business process management with RapidValue. We shared some customer stories—Lotus F1 Team was a favorite—and explained how To-Increase builds on Microsoft Dynamics to deliver end-to-end solutions. People were excited to hear about our current and planned apps, and the conversations about IT mega trends and ERP developments were very lively. We also had a number of individual meetings with companies with more in-depth demos and discussions about our portfolio.
As we heard from many participants of the workshop, ERP in Southeast Asia is not known for its flexibility, agility, low cost of ownership, or ease of use. Many companies run on high-maintenance, costly legacy systems. The idea of a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution that fits the way people and processes work, meets industry-specific needs, and generates efficiency and process improvements soon after a smooth deployment was as welcome for these businesses as it was unheard of.
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