Preactor sees APS interest and investment surge in 2010

The Preactor Group, a leading provider of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) solutions for over 18 years, has announced an exceptional set of trading figures for 2010 including the addition of over 300 new international customers.

In a year marked by hesitant growth in the manufacturing software sector, Preactor has seen net software sales rise by more than 50% over 2009, itself a record year. Total Revenue has increased by more than 30% over 2009.

Perhaps uniquely in this sector, Preactor’s growth has been consistent quarter on quarter, year on year, averaging 20% per year since 1994. This not only shows the growing interest in planning and scheduling as a discipline, but also in Preactor’s own extensive family of solutions as well as demonstrating the solidity of the company itself.

While the new customer profile has not significantly changed, there has been a noticeable shift in emphasis with an increasing number of larger multinational/multi-site companies turning to Preactor to provide an enterprise-wide solution. Typically such companies implement Preactor at a pilot site then deploy it across the group once the benefits have been proven. Examples of this approach include Eurocopter (Aerospace), Technip (Oil Sector Equipment), Areva (Power generation), and Cofel (Furniture).

Europe has again been Preactor’s most active market with the company reporting overall growth of 66% in the Eurozone territory which takes the total number of European accounts including the UK to over 2800. France and the Netherlands have been particularly successful with Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic also showing strong growth. New customers include industry leaders such as Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd (Automotive), Martell (Cognac – Food and Beverage), and Pepsico International (Quaker Oats - Food and Beverage).

Sales in North America increased by 53% over 2009 with 2010 also seeing the opening of the company’s US subsidiary in Dallas, Texas. South America has grown by 64% and now has more than 200+ customers active in Brazil and Argentina alone. Recent customer wins by sector include Gerdau and Arcelormittal (Metals); Aché and Laboratorios Raffo (Pharmaceuticals); Unicasa (Furniture); and Brasfrigo (Food and Beverage).

The Middle East and Asia has also seen good market penetration with the recent addition of recognised industry leaders such as TE Connectivity formerly Tyco Electronics (Mould and Die Making),Sterlite Technologies (Power & Telecoms) and Sanitarium (Food and Beverage). South Africa remains a strong market for Preactor and in terms of market penetration compared to manufacturing GDP is second only to the UK. Other parts of Africa are expected to become more active in the future.

“In summary I can say that I am very enthusiastic with growth of the APS market and our position within it”, concludes Mike Novels. “While elements of economic uncertainty remain across many markets Q1 figures suggest that the growth is continuing with a 15% further increase in net revenues. The challenge now is to maintain this in the remainder of 2011 and beyond. With the strength of our product and global partner network, I believe Preactor is best placed to succeed.”