Prospects for Sage ERP X3 in Russia

Another ERP system manufacturer has come to Russia. Sage company. The event is positive, because the competition. But it seems that Sage came to Russia clearly with caution. There is no direct representation in Russia, they work through a single partner - the company Energy Consalting. And a whole range of interesting nuances.

Are there any prospects for this product with this approach? Let's try to figure it out.

When you come to a mature market (and I think the Russian market is mature), then you can certainly gain a foothold on it. The only question is how to do it.
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As the main competitor, Sage calls 1c. Reasonable. From the point of view of marketing, the move is literate. When you enter a market, it’s more correct to call your main competitor its leader. Thereby you are approaching him. But there must be something behind this. Something concrete that sets you apart from this very leader.

Localization

The laws of doing business in Russia are much more complicated than in the west. Even going through a simple deal in the west is much easier. Not to mention all sorts of taxes and "paper" design of the transaction. According to the Energy Consalting representatives, the system was localized by two (!!!) developers and several consultants for about a year. Is such a team capable of localizing the ERP system at this time? Not sure. When I saw this product with my own eyes in the spring of 2010, it did not smell localized there. The result of this testing can be viewed at pcmag.ru/solutions/sub_detail.php?ID=41552&SUB_PAGE=1

Separation from customers

Imagine the situation. You - produce kitchen knives. What knives will you use in your own kitchen? Any other? Then it says a lot.

Energy Consalting uses SAP to automate its own business processes. I do not really understand how the company is going to support customers who will use Sage ERP X3, while the company responsible for the maintenance and implementation of this product does not use it. Clients will speak in another language, support will not feel the problems of clients, because the company itself will not have the problems that clients will talk about. I have little doubt that if AvtoVAZ’s management (and officials) moved on the products of this plant, these cars would be just of a completely different quality.

How will the product be tested? The best testing is when you work with the product yourself.

My friend has a computer trading company. So he will not start selling any goods (up to the mice and keyboards) until the company's employees work with him.

Documentation

It is simply not there yet. This was told to me by the representatives of Energy Consalting. But they said that there will be. Then. What customers do in this situation is not entirely clear. Most likely, a simple recipe is planned here: no documentation - prepare money for perpetual training.

Prices

Traditionally in Russia in the ERP market this question is one of the most closed and opaque. I don't know why, but I guess. I asked this question head-on during a press conference. Energy Consalting representatives were initially confused. Then, under pressure from representatives of other IT publications, we were answered this question. A simple question was asked - how much can the budget for the implementation of Sage ERP X3 in discrete production for 50 users be? A figure of about 200 000eu was named. The budget is indicative. There is no open access price. How easy it will be for companies to enter the Russian market with such pricing, judge for yourself.

Implementations

While they are not in Russia. Therefore, to say whether this product is able to work in the Russian context is not yet possible. Why should Energy Consalting not be the first to introduce this product? Or does Energy Consalting itself not really believe in success, so why not risk it? And then who should take the risk?