Australia a regional hub?
The US technology company Tectura, the world's largest reseller of Microsoft Business Solutions products, is planning to use Australia as a springboard for an expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. The chief executive of Tectura, Terry Petrzelka, says the company can also expand its Australia operation by 15-20% in the next 12 months, more than three times the average growth rate in the Australia IT sector.
Tectura has arrived in Australia as a result of its recent acquisition of Aston Business Solutions, whose headquarters were in the US but which has offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Tectura was established in September 2001, after a management buyout of a US company called Scitor Corporation. It sells enterprise resource planning products, which are designed to automate business functions such as production, accounting, distribution and human resources. The company specialises in developing products and systems for several industries, including healthcare, process manufacturing and life sciences.
Petrzelka, who visited Australia in October, says Tectura is aiming to become dominant in the mid-market services sector and wants to build a $US500 million business with 2500 team members by 2007. The Aston acquisition has provided an instant presence for Tectura in markets such as Australia. "It really has allowed us to accelerate into Australia," Petrzelka says. "We will be looking to use Australia as a beachhead to go into Asia." The manager of Tectura's Australian operation, Peter Maggs, will play a big role in establishing Tectura's offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Japan. Petrzelka is keen to make further acquisitions in some of these locations.
Maggs and Petrzelka say the new products Tectura will bring will spur the growth of the Australian operation and increase global sales of the Australian company's products for the aged-care industry. Maggs expects to increase his staff from about 45 to perhaps 100 next year.
Story by James Thomson.
