WITH a new office, new name and new CEO, Velocity Global is ready to take on the world - the ERP world anyway.
The company changed its name from Structured Data Systems to take on the branding of its US parent company, Velocity Group, for whose ERP customers it runs a global support escalation centre.
In addition, Velocity Global moved to new offices in Grafton, Auckland in December to accommodate its growing team and appointed former general manager Chris Morris to the newly created role of chief executive officer.
Morris says the name change reinforces the company’s relationship as part of the privately owned Velocity Group and reflects the team’s commitment and support to local and international customers.
“It is also to show our closer participation in the group,” says Morris.
As the longstanding sole local distributor of Australian mid-range ERP offering Pronto Software, Velocity Global has been running a support centre for the past two years that provides back-up to Pronto agencies, also owned by Velocity Group, in Canada, the US and Mexico. The centre deals with unresolved issues that are escalated from front line support provided by the group’s operations in these countries.
“Since we have been dealing with Pronto since 1995, we can provide a substantial array of skills,” says Morris.
Pronto makes up the company’s core business and it supplies the range directly to end-users, with over 40 local customers.
Structured Data Systems became part of the Velocity Group in December 2000 after the company’s CEO and president Chris McCarrick identified the company as an attractive target during a New Zealand holiday.
In a written statement McCarrick said the growth and contribution of the New Zealand operation is well recognised and valued by the group.
In addition to Pronto, the company also offers engineering services, web and desktop application development and last month appointed its Pronto team manager Ray Burns as chief technical officer to focus on research and development of this side of the business. The company was established in 1988 to develop AS/400 ERP applications, but diversified to meet the needs of clients and reduce risks and still operates an AS/400 division. Morris says that although the ERP space is admittedly not “flying along” the company is faring well and now has a team of 20.
