Systems Ltd. signs app development contract with Government of Pakistan

Government of Pakistan's Bait-ul-Maal awards contract to Systems Ltd.

Business may or may not be slowing up in the US, but software companies certainly seem to be picking up customers in Pakistan at a regular clip. On the heels of several ERP implementations by Aisha Steel, Dow University and others, Systems Ltd. has now announced that the Government of Pakistan’s welfare arm, Bait-ul-Maal, has awarded them an extensive web application development contract.

Over the past 30 years, Systems has been the one constant in the Pakistani software industry. They’ve grown to almost 1,000 people globally and continue to innovate in interesting areas. Lots of intriguing pieces of industry lore are associated with this company and its founder, Aezaz Hussain. Their subsidiaries include Anivista, an animation company, VisionNET USA, a BPO practice in Pakistan, the core Systems Ltd. software development company and of course, their Asian operations also undertaken through a subsidiary.

Oracle gaining market share in Pakistan with International Industries and Wi-tribe wins

Oracle's booth at GITEX

It’s not just SAP that’s rockin’ the house as far as the local market goes. Oracle is making waves too. Two significant deals were closed by Oracle recently, Wi-tribe, the third largest WiMAX service provider in Pakistan, and International Industries, a conglomerate. Previously, Oracle’s Peoplesoft solution has been adopted by several educational institutions in the country, including Dow University in Karachi. It’s pretty obvious that local ERP installs are an increasingly booming business in Pakistan.

Here are details on the Wi-tribe deal:

IBM Pakistan launches Lotus Workforce and Talent Solutions

SAP integration being implemented via the Portlet factory

IBM, as you might have noticed, have continued to invest heavily in the Pakistani market and broaden their  software offerings.  Most recently they announced the Pakistan launch of Lotus Workforce and Talent solutions, an extension to IBM’s ERP and HRM offerings. The application is a web based tool implemented in J2EE that will allow companies to more effectively manage their workforce, while also integrating with existing enterprise solutions, such as SAP’s.

More on Lotus Workforce and Talent solutions can be found on the IBM website. The Daily Times carries a story about the Pakistan launch. Take a look after the fold.

Siemens Pakistan’s SAP business going great guns

Siemens has been doing numerous SAP implementations in Pakistan over the years. The very first implementation at Packages Ltd. was started back in 2003. In the intervening 5 years, even though other services firms have been deploying SAP solutions also, Siemens has gone to the very top of the list in terms of number of succesfully deployed SAP installations in Pakistan. It was no surprise, then, to learn about their newest win at Aisha Steel.

Siemens will be implementing financial, supply chain and project management modules for Aisha. There was no word on when the deployment is expected to be complete, but these projects normally end up taking a while so we would imagine the Siemens team will be staying busy for the next year or so. No deal-size details were disclosed, but SAP implementations 5 years ago were running in the $3M range, inclusive of professional services and training. We would expect that this implementation would be in the $5M range. More on the deal after the fold.

Dow University in Karachi implements Peoplesoft

The Daily Times reports that the Dow University in Karachi has implemented an Oracle/PeopleSoft Enterprise Campus Solution. This includes a student portal, access for professors and administration. Some of the more often used features include self-service workflows like registering for classes, checking scores and so on. For more information on this ERP system, you can look at this PDF at the Oracle website: PeopleSoft Campus Solution.

The only question we have is why the Dow University felt it necessary to purchase this system (for Rs. 45M!) from Oracle/Peoplesoft? There are far less expensive options available from local companies. And the University’s own IT dept and students could have implemebted a perfectly accetable solution.

Chinese Auto company, Plum Qingqi, chooses Pakistani ERP software

AutoPlus ERP Software, developed by Pakistan-based Acrologix, is being implemented by Chinese auto-manufacturer, Qingqi. This ERP software was developed under a PSEB (Pakistan Software Export Board) program that seeks to promote the use of locally developed software in a variety of different industries. As the first step, five verticals were chosen for which low-cost ERP and other automation solutions were developed. Acrologix is taking the lead in the Auto sector and hopes to win additional installs. The five initial verticals covered by the program include Automotive, Garments, Textiles, Surgical Instrument Manufacturing and Agriculture.