A recovering world economy, New Zealand’s free-trade agreement with China and an existing partner all combined to convince iQ4bis the time was right to move in to China.

And as if to prove the soundness of the move, the company made its first sale even before the office’s official opening, to Chinese manufacturer Yesstar.

Auckland-based IQ4bis’ Asia-Pacific general manager, Asj Smith, says there’s a sense that the stars are aligned for the company to expand in to China, a market of more than a billion people.

“It’s a very exciting time for the business,” he says.

The new China office is being headed by Shanghai-born Frank Wang, a 10-year veteran of iQ4bis in New Zealand whose willingness to return to his home-town meant the company could get up-and-running quickly.

“Frank’s expertise gives us a springboard into China because he can train new people who come on board and support our partner, Tectura,” says Smith.

This has cut months out of the set-up time for the new office.

“We’ve got traction straightaway rather than having to find the right person and getting them up to speed, which can take four to six months in this space.”

New Zealand’s free trade agreement with China has also helped reduce the number of bureaucratic hurdles iQ4bis needed to negotiate.

“The free-trade agreement made it very easy for us to get set up,” says Smith.

Tectura, iQ4bis’ partner in China and 11 other Asian countries, takes care of sales, while iQ4bis provides pre-sales consulting and technical support.

“Tectura is a global company and one of Microsoft’s top-line partners. In China, it has five sales-people who will be actively selling our technology to its customers.”

Three hundred of Tectura’s Shanghai-region customers run Microsoft Dynamics CRM – Dynamics works well with iQ4bis as it’s built on a Microsoft platform.

“We’re there to enable the partner to sell for us.

As a software company, that’s what our strategy is,” Smith says.

“We’ve got relationships with all Tectura’s country managers in north and south Asia, so it makes sense for us to support those partners.

“If we get that working well, then they will put more resources into supporting our technology.”

Tectura has about 2,000 Dynamics customers throughout Asia. However, iQ4bis’ suite of analytics tools works with any ERP system and, for users of non-Microsoft systems, Tectura will sell direct.

The company has also set up shop in Hong Kong Plaza, in central Shanghai, along a cluster of other businesses, including New Zealand firm Rakon.

IQ4bis watched business die away in late 2008, soon after making its first Asian foray, but Smith says the signs are now positive for renewed market growth.

He expects China to account for about 20 percent of iQ4bis’ Asia-Pacific sales this year, rising to half the region’s total next year, and up to threequarters in 2012.

“Asian companies need business intelligence software to do business and we see an enormous amount of opportunity.”





Asj Smith            
General Manager- APAC
iQ4bis Management Software Limited
+64 9 366 2635
Visit our website www.iQ4bis.com







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