Lawson Software to transfer US operations in RP office

Posted December 02, 2008

LAWSON Software Inc., America’s number-three creator of software for business, plans to transfer its full operations in its Philippine office.

“Eighty percent of our business software development operations are already here. It’s not far that we get that to a hundred,” regional managing director David Hope said during a press conference on Friday.

Hope said the trend points “further and further to outsourcing from the United States to here in the Philippines.”

After two years of reestablishing its office here, the firm’s wholly owned subsidiary Lawson Philippine Solutions & Services Center (PSSC) Inc. already has 800 employees from less than 100 in 2006. Nearly half of the personnel are software engineers. “We’re on track with our targets,” Hope said.

The bulk of Lawson Philippines’ employees are computer programmers. “Our biggest asset is our Filipino employees who are working in the country. Sure we do experience turnovers, but it’s definitely small compared with other companies.”

Last week, the Saint Paul, Minnesotta-headquartered company announced it will reduce by 5 percent its jobs worldwide, of which about 200 employees will be affected.

Hope said the personnel cut will not come from the Philippines, adding that although he cannot provide details, “but definitely we will expand the number of our workforce [here].”

These employees develop software for companies in the Philippines including Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp., Pascual Laboratories Inc., and mining company Nickel Asia.

Hope flew in from the company’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore to sign a $500,000-agreement with Wilcon Builders Supply Inc.

Wilcon Builders president William T. Belo said they tapped Lawson because “their product seem to have the ability to address the peculiar things that we do for the customers.”

Belo cited as example the deliveries, exchange and return of items as some of the “peculiar” things that other softwares “don’t seem to do.”

Wilcon Builder’s expect to use the Lawson software to be used in all its current 17 retail outlets and synergize its payroll with other systems.

“They also have technical support who are based in the Philippines and who can speak Tagalog. That was most important for us,” Wilcon Builders treasurer, Lorraine Belo, added.

Lawson also just recently branched out into another office across their original base at the Net 2 building at the Fort Bonifacio Global City to Net 3.

“There’s a lot of challenges today for the technology sector but we’re looking more at the opportunities the crisis may bring,” Hope added.

Lawson produces software and service to 4,000 companies in 40 Countries and ranks number three in size after Oracle Corp. and Systems, Applications & Products in Data Processing of Germany.

Source: businessmirror.com.ph, November 30, 2008
by Dennis D. Estopace