Chippenham-based software firm Preactor International has expanded its global reach by establishing a subsidiary in Dallas, Texas.
The firm, which leads the world in manufacturing resource scheduling software, has partnerships with more than 400 companies around the world to sell its products, including its flagship Preactor which is used by more than 3,500 SMEs and large multinational companies in 69 countries and has been translated into 30 languages.
Preactor International’s products allows companies to better manage and lower inventory levels and so reduce costs, yet still leave them able to respond to shorter lead times.
Although all the software development takes place in Chippenham, Preactor International established Preactor Software India in Bangalore, in 2005 and Preactor Europe in Lyon, France, in 2008 to help manage partners locally and to support the company’s global growth. Today it employs 60 people worldwide.
The subsidiary in Texas has been opened with support from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) South West.
Preactor International chief executive Mike Novels, one of the leading experts in planning and scheduling technology in the manufacturing sector, said: “We learnt very early on in Preactor International’s growth that having partners overseas working within the markets we were trying to enter was invaluable.
“These partners were better positioned to provide timely support and integration for our global customers and they also helped to generate and accelerate sales in those markets.”
Some 70 per cent of the firm’s sales are overseas and approximately 90 per cent of these are through its well-established partner network.
“In order to maintain and increase the reach of this partner network and to support our drive into the Canadian, North American and Mexican markets, we were keen to establish a Preactor office in the USA,” added Mr Novels.
“We had already seen first hand the benefit of establishing such offices in both Bangalore and Lyon, so a North American subsidiary was the next logical step.”
Aware of the potential challenges of establishing a business in the States, Preactor International began talking to UKTI in 2010. As a result, International Trade Adviser Graham Symonds signed the company up to UKTI’s Gateway to Global Growth Programme – a 12 month programme of strategic support tailored to the company’s needs to help grow their business overseas. Graham was also able to secure Preactor European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) to support the set up of the business.
UKTI International Trade Adviser Graham Symonds added: “As the growth of their US customer base reveals, Mike and the team have really begun to establish themselves in the States now. Their recognition of when it was appropriate to establish a direct presence in the market is a key factor in maintaining sales momentum as was their ability to put together and execute a well scoped and fully-costed plan. I have little doubt that Preactor International will continue to enjoy significant success in the future and look forward to supporting them as they look to develop both new and existing global markets.”
