ERP Market Strong, Says IDC Study

The ERP market in Western Europe continues to climb, according to a new study from IDC (Framingham, MA). The market for ERP consulting and integration services in Western Europe, worth $4.7 billion in 1996, is expected to exceed the $10 billion mark in the year 2001. The study reveals that the ERP market worldwide will experience a projected compound annual growth rate of 16.7% through 2001. Players in the ERP market are looking to offer standard service offerings at a fixed price, offerings for specific vertical markets or partner marketing activities, according to IDC senior analyst Maria Andersen-Santos. In the end, "the common goal of all of these strategies is to build up a stronger relationship with their clients." Just as the IT industry here in the U.S. is witnessing a shortage of skilled professionals, she added, so too is the European ERP market experiencing "a continuing critical shortage" of properly-trained employees.