CMCTEC leads 3 NZ tech firms to export deals

Massey’s CMCTEC leads 3 NZ tech firms to export deals in India

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 5 July 2007: CMC Technology Export Centre (CMCTEC), a partnership between Massey University’s e-centre Limited and Indian IT leader CMC, announced today that it has brokered three new export deals for New Zealand technology firms with its Indian partners.

CMCTEC Head of Commercial, Dr Hamish Coop, said the deals represented considerable success for the CMCTEC’s new export model within its first six months.

“We started CMCTEC to give New Zealand technology companies better and easier access to a critical international market. We are delighted to see these very positive results so quickly.

“I think this rapid uptake underlines the international quality of New Zealand innovation and the real value CMC’s networks provide in successfully taking it into Indian and global markets,” he said.

The three New Zealand companies to reach deals in India through CMCTEC are: Sonar6, the developer of unique graphics-based ‘talent management’ software for assessing and managing staff performance; SMX Limited, makers of anti-spam and anti-virus software; and Digital Learning Solutions (DLS), a software development company specialising in e-learning platforms.

The first of these deals will see CMC act as a Sonar6 reseller. Initially, CMC will concentrate their efforts in India; however future plans also include taking the Sonar6 software to market in the Middle East and Africa. To date, CMC has negotiated three pilot projects with key multinational companies on behalf of Sonar6.

Sonar6 founder, Mike Carden, says their partnership with CMCTEC is already proving extremely rewarding.

“Identifying and managing talent is the key factor underpinning business success in the global knowledge economy. India is a natural target for us on this basis; it’s one of the largest knowledge-based economies in the world and Indian businesses can genuinely benefit from the talent management solutions Sonar6 provides.

“Working with CMCTEC has enabled us to gain market penetration far more quickly than we’d be able to on our own. We’re looking forward to further developing our relationship with CMC and remain grateful to CMCTEC for their ongoing interest in Sonar6,” Mr Carden said.

DLS has granted CMC exclusivity to re-sell its learning management system within a similar territory and the two companies are currently working to close a deal with a large training organisation operating across ten countries in the territory.

DLS Managing Director Anton van Schalwyk said that the deal meant they would move rapidly from operating almost wholly in Australia and New Zealand to exporting to 30 countries. “This is a big step, CMCTEC has opened up opportunities that would otherwise have simply not been there for us,” he said.

SMX is entering into a technical trial of its anti-spam service with CMC with a view to a re-seller arrangement should this be successful.

CMCTEC, based at Massey University’s e-centre in Albany, is a partnership between the e-centre and CMC, a subsidiary of the Tata group, India’s best known business conglomerate. CMCTEC optimises the potential for qualified New Zealand technology-based companies to overcome many of the traditional barriers and risks of entering India’s lucrative global technology market, from cost and distance to overcoming cultural challenges and establishing credibility.

“With this new model companies can gain direct access to a huge market via CMC, and leverage the scale available in India,” e-centre CEO Steve Corbett said.

After validating interested New Zealand companies and their technology, CMCTEC introduces them to market opportunities within CMC’s large networks.

CMC CEO, Mr Ramanathan Ramanan, welcomed the deals, saying, “Introducing technologies of this quality into the CMC product set provides us with an edge in India and globally. We look forward to partnering with more New Zealand companies that come to us through CMCTEC as we continue to expand.”

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is significantly supporting CMCTEC, and its ICT Sector Director Hans Frauenlob said that partnering with multinationals like CMC is a smart business model.

“It enables Kiwi companies to overcome the classic barriers of size and distance, ensuring innovative IT solutions developed here can be launched on the world stage,” he said

These deals follow earlier partnering arrangements entered into with CMC by QLBS, an e-centre graduate providing management measurement systems, Jade Software Corporation and Massey’s Graduate School of Business, CMCTEC’s Dr Coop said.

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