Karlsruhe, 25.10.2023 – A medium-sized character, a high proportion of mechanical and plant engineering companies – what sounds like a description of the German market at first glance actually also applies to the structure of the Italian economic area. The demand for high-performance ERP software is correspondingly high there too, in order to process business processes quickly and efficiently in practice and drive forward digitalization initiatives. Against this backdrop, Asseco Solutions is expanding its business activities in Italy as part of its ongoing internationalization strategy. The Karlsruhe-based company has now joined forces with Milan-based IT specialist ThinkOpen to address the Italian-speaking part of the country in a tailored manner. Since mid-July, the latter has been responsible for customer acquisition and project implementation in the target region as a channel partner.
“The efficient coverage of business processes in mechanical and plant engineering is one of our core competencies – the Italian market is a good fit for us and our solution,” explains Ralf Bachthaler, CEO of Asseco Solutions. “We have been serving the German-speaking part of Italy in particular very successfully for years with direct sales through our regional subsidiary headquartered in Bolzano. We want to build on this solid foundation and scale up further in the Italian-speaking part of the country in future with the help of a sales partner. To achieve the best possible impact, we have teamed up with a ‘local hero’ who knows the needs of local companies and is optimally networked in the local market. Our aim is to establish APplus as ‘the’ ERP solution for medium-sized mechanical engineering companies in Italy too. In ThinkOpen, we believe we have found the ideal partner to realize this successfully.”
Tailored market approach
Specifically, the main focus of ThinkOpen’s sales activities will initially be on mechanical and plant engineering in the Italian-speaking regions. However, other core sectors of Asseco Solutions, such as vehicle construction, hybrid and series production and the plastics industry, are also among the sales targets. In order to address the market in the best possible way, the Italian IT specialist with its almost 160 employees has set up its own business unit for the ERP business. As a channel partner, this unit is responsible for sales activities and the implementation of APplus projects in the target regions. In addition to the newly created ERP field, the portfolio of the established IT consulting company also includes key areas such as cybersecurity consulting and services, software development training via the in-house academy and the personnel leasing of trained IT experts on a project basis. The corresponding cross-divisional sales teams also offer ideal conditions for cross-selling campaigns in the ERP area.
Support digitization
“Italy is traditionally an ERP market, but even today older solutions from local manufacturers are still widespread,” adds Francesco Arciello, CEO of the ThinkOpen Group. “These are often AS400-based systems that are hardly being developed any further and fewer and fewer employees are familiar with their handling. Added to this is the lack of user-friendliness. Many of these old systems do not even have a graphical user interface, but are green screen-based. This is of course no longer up to date. With its powerful range of functions and high level of ergonomics, we therefore believe that APplus is exactly what the market needs. This allows us to provide Italian companies with the best possible support in optimizing and digitalizing their business processes. We are looking forward to the digital ERP future with APplus and a strong partnership with Asseco Solutions.”
