Force 9 Business Solutions Joins Epicor Partners for Growth Program

Specialist Value-Added Reseller Offers Migration Path for MAX ERP Users

Force 9 Business Solutions Ltd has joined the Partners for Growth Program of Epicor Software Corporation, a leading provider of enterprise business software solutions for the global midmarket, as its newest value-added reseller (VAR). Force 9 has one of the largest teams of MAX consultants in the UK; all with at least 10 years experience of helping companies implement and use enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems effectively.

Since SSA Global announced in 2005 that it would no longer be developing the MAX ERP solution, we decided to look at a viable migration option for existing users, said Derek Sanderson, managing director of Force 9 Business Solutions Ltd. As a company, we have an in depth knowledge of the MAX product and in late 2005 we started evaluating a number of possible ERP systems that would offer the community a solid migration path.

Force 9 Business Solutions was formed in 2005 by a group of Independent MAX consultants. Many of the Force 9 team worked directly for MAX International prior to its acquisition by SSA in 2001 including projects for several high profile MAX customers including TRW Steering Systems and Cadbury Trebor Bassett.  According to Sanderson, MAX has approximately 50-60 customers in the UK, most with a turnover of 10-50 million with a further 300-400 customers around the world.

We looked at a considerable number of alternative vendors and products and found that the Epicor Vantage manufacturing solution offered the best fit in terms of functionality and suitability for the MAX user community, Sanderson added. Other important factors were the stability of the vendor, the flexibility provided by the advanced technology used, and the vision and commitment Epicor demonstrated in its Vantage product roadmap.

Force 9 is currently developing Migration tools to help MAX users move across to Vantage and is in discussion with a number of prospective clients.

We are pleased to welcome Force 9 into our partner program, said Harry Mowat, director of channel sales for Epicor in EMEA The team at Force 9 has a comprehensive knowledge of the MAX ERP software which will be invaluable in helping customers transition to Vantage which delivers a true Service-Oriented Architecture suited to manufacturing operations of all types.

Manufacturers around the world rely on Vantage, a complete end-to-end manufacturing system that addresses the core business needs of make-to-order and mixed-mode manufacturers. The modular suite has built-in workflows managing the entire order cycle including Marketing, Sales, Production and Planning, Sourcing and Procurement, Installation and Service, through to financial recognition.