Basware buys into ANZ market

July 9, 2009:Purchase to pay solutions provider Basware has put down firm roots in Australia & New Zealand with the acquisition of local reseller and systems integrator TAG Services.

Managing director Sandy Gellan established TAG Services in 2001 to distribute and implement Basware's Enterprise Purchase to Pay Solutions in Australia and New Zealand.

Local customers including Novartis, the South Australia Department of Families & Communities and the South Australian Department Of Health. Outside Australia, TAG Services has implemented Basware solutions in Asia for Crown Worldwide Group, helping them run a shared service center out of Kuala Lumpur for 50 subsidiary companies across 40 countries. TAG Services currently employs 15 people that will join Basware as a result of the acquisition.

"This acquisition gives us a strong foothold on the Australian market and enables us to further develop our business in the entire Asia Pacific region. We are glad to continue working with the TAG Services staff on building up the business in the area,” says Ilkka Sihvo, CEO of Basware.

“We can now provide the Basware Enterprise Purchase to Pay solutions and services directly to end-users. This new geographical location also allows us to offer 24/7 support to our global customers.”

Basware says the market for its products in Australia is developing steadily, with electronic invoice processing and procurement becoming more widespread in the region as a result of, for example, increasing compliance requirements. Globally over 1,500 organisations across all major industry verticals rely on Basware to generate savings, gain control and improve visibility over the purchase to pay process.

“Basware provides truly world class purchase to pay software and is more fully developed than any competitive software currently available in the Asia Pacific region,” says Sandy Gellan, Managing Director of TAG Services.

“Together with Basware, we have successfully incubated the Enterprise Purchase to Pay suite into the Australian marketplace. We see tremendous potential for the solutions across the region and are looking to build on this solid base and to further extend the penetration in Australia and beyond.”

In addition to the invoice automation and e-procurement solutions previously offered by TAG Services, Basware will now introduce its Connectivity services to Australia and New Zealand.

Basware Connectivity services will provide electronic exchange of documents and messages in all key areas of Purchase to Pay from supplier catalogues to purchasing-related messages and electronic invoices.

Launched in Europe and North America in 2009, it allows companies using Basware Enterprise Purchase to Pay Solutions to handle purchase to pay processes online and automate routines.

Those suppliers who don’t yet have the capabilities of sending real e-invoices will be able to deliver their paper invoices to Basware Scan and Capture Service or key-in their invoices via the Basware Supplier Portal.

Basware Scan and Capture Service will provide an outsourced service for converting paper invoices into electronic format. The service includes reception and sorting of incoming mail, preparation of scan batches, invoice scanning, invoice data extraction, extraction results validation and delivery of invoices to the customer’s Invoice Processing application through the Basware Business Transactions service.

“With our Basware Connectivity services, we are the first to able to deliver all purchase to pay related documents through one solution. We are making this far simpler for our customers by managing the process for them both internally and externally,” said Esa Tihilä, SVP, Basware Global Operations. “By offering different services for companies at different stages in their purchase to pay journey, we will accelerate the process of enabling more transactions to take place globally.”

Over 3,500 organizations are currently integrated to the Basware Business Transactions platform through the Basware Connectivity services. Basware has over 150,000 suppliers transacting electronically through its platform and processes over 8 million invoices across its network annually. With the launch of Basware Connectivity services, the goal is to increase this exponentially and allow more suppliers and buyers to build better transactional relationships both at home and overseas.