Infor, the world's third-largest management software developer, aims to triple its sales in China in 2007 after the firm doubled the figure last year, a senior company executive said.

 

"We are expecting to triple our sales in China this year thanks to its rapidly growing economy," said Lawrence Chan, senior vice-president of Infor Asia Pacific.

 

But he would not reveal the US software company's specific sales figures for 2006, citing company policy.

 

The software firm's revenue in China doubled in 2006 on the previous year, according to Philip Zhang, Infor Greater China's marketing manager.

 

Globally, the company posted revenue of US$2.1 billion in 2006.

 

Infor, which competes with much larger global management software giants Oracle and SAP and local players such as Ufida in China, is hoping its business-specific company management solutions and China's growing market will fuel its growth in the country.

 

China's management software market reached 20.6 billion yuan last year, up 17.6 percent on 2005, according to market research firm CCW Research.

 

General management software is worth 8.29 billion yuan and accounts for 40 percent of the whole management software market.

 

Shanghai-listed Ufida controls about 14.5 percent of the general management software market share, making it the top player in China.

 

Infor, which holds 1.9 percent of the market share, is ranked seventh, according to CCW Research.

 

"Multinational firms expanding in China many of whom are our existing clients and the booming private economy is creating huge demand for our services and products," said Steve Kung, managing director of Infor Greater China. Infor has so far secured about 2,000 corporate clients, of which half are local firms.

 

(China Daily April 4, 2007)