The Second Wave ERP Market: An Australian Viewpoint

Abstract

This chapter presents the market penetration of SAP systems in the Australian market together with an analysis of three mini-case study implementations. The implementations showcase a global rollout, a global consolidation and a “greenfields” small to medium implementation, and present the diverse range of implementations that are occurring in the Australian ERP marketplace. The global ERP industry blossomed in the 1990s, automating back office operations and, in the new century, moves have been made to introduce a “second and third wave” of functionality in ERP systems. Research up-to-date has been limited, especially in the relation to market penetration, of these new “second wave” products in the Australian region. The trend in 2000/01 was for upgrades and restructure in preparation for the move to e-commerce. In 2002, there has been an expanded focus on mysap.com, small to medium enterprises and the expansion into “third wave” products. This chapter looks at the market movement and demographics of companies that have implemented SAP software, the dominant ERP vendor within the Australian marketplace, and will focus on the trends that are impacting the Australian ERP market.