First Microsoft Axapta Customer for New Microsoft Business Solutions Partner CGNZ Leading stationer and bookseller Paper Plus is set to improve its financials and inventory management once the company's National Office deploys Microsoft Business Solutions-Axapta next month.

Cap Gemini New Zealand Limited (CGNZ) - Middle Market Solutions is driving the implementation, which marks the company's first Microsoft Axapta deal since becoming a Microsoft Business Solutions partner. Andrew Robertson, Chief Financial Controller for the Paper Plus Group, which has 155 stores countrywide, says the company expects to gain major business efficiencies by replacing its ten-year-old financials system with Microsoft Axapta. He says Paper Plus selected the solution over four other business applications because of the product's flexibility and ease of customisation.

“Microsoft Axapta has an agile development environment,” says Robertson. “It will allow us modify the system easily should our business needs change. CGNZ also demonstrated they had the expertise to back the software and we're very confident in their abilities.” Robertson explains Microsoft Axapta will significantly improve the management and distribution of imported books, an area that has become increasingly important to the business in the last two years.

In addition, he anticipates Microsoft Axapta will create efficiencies within the company's invoice consolidation process, which is managed by the National Office on behalf of its 90 Paper Plus and 65 Take Note stores. While each store orders directly from suppliers, National Office receives the supplier invoice and then on-charges the cost to retail outlets.

“Our current invoice consolidation process is very time consuming. With Microsoft Axapta, we'll minimise re-keying of data because all the information will be available from a single source. We'll also be able to do cross-company transactions more easily.” Longer-term, Robertson says Paper Plus will move from paper-based to online invoicing and also plans to interface Microsoft Axapta with its Advance Retail Point of Sales system, which it is currently standardising across all stores.

Michael Murphy, CGNZ's General Manager for Middle Market Solutions, says his team have enhanced the Microsoft Axapta functionality to more closely meet Paper Plus's business needs. “The product's flexible architecture allows us to customise the system cost-effectively, without any impact on future upgrades of the core product,” says Murphy.

Murphy explains that Microsoft Axapta's ease of customisation was one of the primary reasons why CGNZ chose to extend it client services and become a Microsoft Business Solutions partner. “Successful companies tend to conduct business in a unique way, and this uniqueness gives them a competitive advantage.  Microsoft Axapta is a very powerful and cost-effective product to deliver business-specific enhancements that enable competitive advantage. This is what I believe is the product's unique selling point.”

Paul Muckleston, Small Mid-Market Solutions and Partner (SMS &P) Director for Microsoft New Zealand, says Microsoft is currently recruiting Microsoft Axapta consultants in response to growing industry demand for the product. “Microsoft New Zealand is first in the world to run an intensive, three week Microsoft Axapta 'Bootcamp' to recruit ERP consultants for this exciting product,” says Muckleston. “Demand for Microsoft Axapta is steadily growing and we want to ensure the right people can educate customers about the potential of the product.”

About Microsoft Business Solutions
Microsoft Business Solutions, a division of Microsoft, offers a wide range of integrated, end-to-end business applications and services designed to help small, mid-market and corporate businesses become more connected with customers, employees, partners and suppliers. Microsoft Business Solutions' applications optimize strategic business processes across financial management, analytics, human resources management, project management, customer relationship management, field service management, supply chain management, e-commerce, manufacturing and retail management. The applications are designed to provide insight to help customers achieve business success. More information about Microsoft Business Solutions can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft and Outlook are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

About CGNZ Limited
CGNZ Limited is a licensed affiliate of Cap Gemini S.A. (one of the world's leading management consulting and IT services companies), wholly owned by NZ employee-shareholders, with over 150 IT professionals in its Auckland and Wellington offices.  CGNZ and its predecessor organisations (Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, and Ernst & Young Consulting) have a proud track record of market leadership and excellent service delivery in all areas of systems implementation both for NZ clients and in supporting regional and global projects.

About Middle Market Solutions
Middle Market Solutions is a CGNZ Limited company specialising in the implementation of business solutions for small corporate and middle market companies.  The core activity of our team is the implementation and support of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), E-Business solutions and related technologies from Microsoft Business Solutions.  Our primary focus is on the implementation and support of Microsoft Axapta and Microsoft Navision.  In support of this core activity we draw on the general systems implementation and integration capabilities of CGNZ. http://www.middlemarketsolutions.com

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