SAP and Workbench to Streamline Finance and Project Accounting Processes for Small Enterprises
Auckland, New Zealand — SAP Australia and New Zealand today announced details of a new partnership with New Zealand’s project accounting software specialist, Workbench International. Workbench offers comprehensive cost management applications for project based industries including Construction and Professional Services. The Workbench application is integrated with SAP’s software solution for small enterprises, SAP Business One.
Workbench International Limited was founded in New Zealand by Clive Gardner and Nigel Whiteman in 1984. The company provides a software package for project accounting that extends finance and client service into operations; enabling project managers to directly access management systems for the administration of budgets, timesheets, client billing and procurement and the management of client contracts. Real-time integration with the finance function enables improvements in client service, enhanced insight into the status of projects and greater management accountability.
“Workbench has a large client base throughout the Asia Pacific and UK regions, including recent successes with eight SAP Business One sites implemented in Australia and New Zealand. The combined applications provide full integration between finance and project accounting processes and personnel,” said Clive Gardner, Director, Workbench International. “We already offer tight integration with SAP Business One. Today’s announcement extends the relationship between the two companies and provides the platform for future co-development that will deliver an even stronger offering to market.”
“Pacific Hydro implemented Workbench as part of our SAP Business One implementation, it supports project management activities for operational and financial staff – generating a positive outcome for everyone,” said Colin Bell, Manager, System Development & Business Improvement, Pacific Hydro. “Workbench deals with the practical issues that are important to project managers including real-time reporting and contract management capability. It also provides a single source of reliable project cost information. Workbench will be a key management tool in our clean-energy hydro construction project in Chile, as well as the myriad of other Greenfield projects we have under development. The integrated SAP Business One and Workbench functionality means that the finance systems will underpin the day-to-day project activities that make our business successful.”
Workbench will work with accredited partners within the SAP partner community in Australia and New Zealand to market the integrated solution to existing SAP Business One users and prospects in the construction and professional services industries. Workbench will also establish an office in Australia (Melbourne) in early 2006 to work with non-accredited partners and to develop a distributed sales network. Leverage Technologies (Sydney based) and Acumen Alliance (Melbourne) are currently accredited to sell and implement Workbench in Australia.
“SAP is pioneering a collaborative and value based approach to its relationships with channel partners, which acknowledges that a small number of highly successful partnerships will generate more value than a large number of disengaged and conflicting resellers,” said Alex Morcom, SMB Manager, SAP New Zealand. “This approach enables us to select best of breed providers, such as Workbench, to fill gaps in our portfolio and ensure that customers benefit. Finally, SAP facilitates collaboration between its partners to help achieve mutually beneficial goals.”
Workbench will market its technology as WorkbenchSBO, to SAP’s global network of partners via the Channel Partner Solutions Network, an Internet based portal that provides a ‘marketplace’ for the SAP ecosystem to preview new applications for small and mid-size enterprises that have been developed and certified to integrate with SAP software.
