IBM Corp and the Anglo-French software house Sema Group Plc are said to be investigating a partnership aimed at breaking into the German standard software arena. According to Computerwoche, the intention is to take on Walldorf-based SAP AG, the current market leader, via a new product line. Although still in the planning stage, the software is to run under both mainframe and Unix operating systems. Despite the fact that these plans are known to the industry already (CI No 1,952), Francois Dufaux, a Sema Group vice-president, indicated that no official announcement would be made before October as to who it will be working with. Neither Sema nor IBM would admit to any software development agreement. Nevertheless, Dufaux did confirm the intention of competing with SAP. Negotiations with various companies are apparently under way to this end, although no comment would be made as to outcome. Dufaux made it quite clear that any joint project resulted from a desire to develop its I-line packaged software to run under both mainframe and Unix operating systems. The aim is also to adapt the products for the international market as they are currently suitable only for German speakers. They are intended as a follow-up to the recently completed I-line 2. It was the fact that heavy investment would be necessary to launch the products worldwide that made Computerwoche’s sister publication, Le Monde Informatique, suspect a connection between the software house and IBM. According to the French, turnover in Germany was down $2m on last year at $39m. Dufaux, however, denies that Sema is looking for a way out of a financial bottleneck via a development partnership. On the contrary, he said that new investments will be made soon. SAP was quite unperturbed by the alliance, seeing no danger in it for itself.
