Motor trade group chooses Axapta system for versatility

12.30pm - by ADAM GIFFORD

The Motor Trade Association last week went live with a $500,000 Axapta financials, distribution and customer relationship management system from Microsoft Business Solutions, chosen because it could be quickly customised to handle the association's gift voucher programme.

Chief financial controller Justin Joseph said the MTA, which has 5000 members ranging from small garage operators to major corporates, needed to replace a 10-year old Maximise system.

"First and foremost we were looking at CRM, the ability to identify member needs and provide the services they require," Joseph said.

Joseph said MTA looked at 17 products, but the adaptability of Axapta and the track record of Auckland systems integrator Solution Partners swung the purchase.

"In Axapta, the modifications are done at different layers rather than in the core of the application, so when you upgrade it doesn't affect any changes you have made."

MTA required about 80 customised features, the most important being a system to handle the country's largest gift voucher system.

"The new redemption system will allow us to easily track voucher serial numbers and reimburse customers in an efficient and effective manner," Joseph said.

The system is running on an HP server running Microsoft Windows 2000 in MTA's Wellington headquarters.

Axapta was initially a mid-market enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution developed by Danish firm Damgard. Damgard was bought by another Danish firm, Navision, which was looking for a product to meet the needs of customers who needed something larger than its own Attain financials system.

Microsoft bought Navision last year and tipped Axapta and Attain into its Business Solutions division, along with the Great Plains accounting package. It relies on systems integrators to distribute the three products, rather than selling directly.