A decade after its founding in Karlsruhe,
Germany. Industrial Application Software GmbH (IAS) looks
to be hitting its stride. The German software house boasts
a range of cost-effective, functional and flexible software
for enterprises active in the food, machine-building, chemical
and textile industries. These solutions are winning over customers
not only in the domestic market, but also in Turkey an the
USA. Within the next five years, IAS expects to grow fivefold.
Late last year, the Karlsruhe-based enterprise changed its
name from IAS Unternehmensberatung GmbH to Industrial Application
Software GmbH (IAS). The change reflects its transition from
a consulting company into a ERP software specialist. The strategy
is paying off: IAS posted turnover of USD 6,5 million and
its payroll exceeded 100 last year.
The man behind the successful firm is founder Hakan Karabiber,
a university-educated industrial engineer. "Our goal
from the beginning was to develop integrated computer solutions
regardless of the branch", explains Mr. Karabiber, who
serves as the company´s managing director.
Since then, IAS has carried out more than 170 projects, creating
more than 4,500 users. The flexibility of its solutions means
that they can accommodate anywhere between 10 and 300 users
per company. IAS´s software delivers results regardless of
the hardware or operating system. The Karlsruhe-based software
house features four modular core products: IAS Finance, IAS
Production, Planning and Control System (PPC), IAS Logistics
and IAS Maintenance. Drawing on its roots as a consulting
company, IAS provides comprehensive computer consulting and
training in order to minimise Implementation time.
Mr. Karabiber, a native of Turkey, instrumented IAS´s first
foray into foreign markets in late 1993, aggressively seeking
new projects at Turkish textile mills. This activity has brought
the company a windfall of new business. Since then, activities
in Turkey have become a cornerstone of the computer software
house´s strategy. In fact, only 40 of its 100 employees work
at its Karlsruhe headquarters. By using software developers
in Turkey to develop as much as 90% of the software solutions,
IAS is able to keep costs extremely competitive. These cost
savings are already playing a role in the potentially huge
American market. Mr. Karabiber sees now as the time to take
a bigger stake in the market. "We are looking to both
acquisitions and organic growth to bolster our position. This
will help us capitalise on the euro and European integration."
Still, from a financial standpoint, expansion requires 'deep
pockets'. In the last few years, IAS has built up its cash
reserves in order to finance most of these activities in house.
At the same time, he believes the time is ripe to bring new
products into its programme to complement its four core products.
"We want to be single-source system provider."
Competence in a range of fields and a entrepreneurial-approach
to management habe resulted in large gains at IAS
