UK groupware company Staffware Plc yesterday signed a partnership agreement with UK and German systems integrator SMS Business Solutions Ltd, under which Staffware will integrate the ARIS process modeling suite from IDS Prof. Scheer GmbH into its Staffware product, enabling SAP AG processes to be actioned through Staffware. The company hopes the agreement will enable it to move into process automation and mainstream ERP enterprise resource planning, and says it will enable it to target SAP customers. ARIS provides business process modeling, analysis, evaluation and optimization, and is used by SAP to enable companies to implement SAP R/3 systems. The integration of ARIS and Staffware will enable processes already stored in ARIS to be actioned through Staffware. The second part of the equation, according to Staffware international marketing director Nick Kingsbury, is that Staffware has some back end integration with SAP, to enable it to call SAP processes. Kingsbury says ARIS is not restricted to SAP, and IDS, which has apparently given the partnership its blessing, is currently doing some work with Baan NV also. Kingsbury says there is an increasing trend for workflow, which has initially made its mark in government and finance systems, to move into the manufacturing and retail markets, thus broadening its take-up. The partnership, Kingsbury says, is the first of many which will enable Staffware to move into new markets.
