IFS Ultimo has announced that it intends to grow its channel ecosystem significantly. The announcement came in a post authored by Robert Pronk, International Partner Marketing Manager, IFS Ultimo. The growth has already begun. The global enterprise asset management vendor has already expanded the ecosystem. It added 46% to the number of certified consultants since 2023, and aims to grow partner revenues four-fold by 2030.
The intent to expand is backed by action as well through simplifying the application process. It has also increased the benefits that exist in the partnership scheme. That work was completed earlier this year. And the vendor has already added several new partners in recent months, including ABS Group (US), SQL Systems (Sweden) and MCGlobal (Australia).
Patrik Lövberg, Head of Sales and Marketing at SQL Systems, explained, “Partnering with Ultimo allows us to expand into a whole new customer segment, adding a truly modern and user-friendly SaaS EAM system to our portfolio.
“We believe there is significant demand from customers who prefer a best-of-breed EAM solution over an enterprise resourcing planning (ERP) system add-on. We are already impressed with the Ultimo team and the whole partner onboarding process.”
Johan Made, CEO at IFS Ultimo, commented, “Our platform is developed collaboratively with customers, and the company is differentiated by acting in unison with organizations as they advance along our EAM maturity model.
“As Ultimo does not require extensive professional services to realize its full value, customers such as BP Castrol and Bosch are turning to us for our proven track record of cost transparency. Partners like AVEVA, Siemens Healthineers and MaxGrip work with us for our proven ability to derive customer value at an industry-leading pace. Enabling them to stay ahead of market demands and serve clients with agility, and vision.”
The new partnership deal
IFS Ultimo is focused on global growth, similar to its parent organisation, IFS. It intends to expand across multiple regions. Including the Americas, the DACH countries, Central Eastern Europe (CEE), Asia Pacific (APAC), and the United Kingdom & Ireland (UKI).
The increased benefits that IFS has added include:
- Expanded margins
- Increased lead allocation
- Enhanced sales certification system
- Investment in dedicated sales team resources and business planning structures
- Differentiated partner status awards
The intent of these changes is to help increase profitability for partners. IFS Ultimo is encouraging them to re-invest in growing their own business to support further growth for themselves and IFS Ultimo.
There is now an elite tier, which an IFS Ultimo spokesperson described as, “Ultimo’s ELITE partners represent the pinnacle of achievement within our partner ecosystem. These distinguished partners consistently demonstrate excellence in business, services, solutions, or industry expertise. As validated by our customers and IFS Ultimo.
“By achieving ELITE status, partners showcase their commitment to delivering outstanding value and innovation. They set the standard for quality and performance, differentiate themselves in the market, and drive success for themselves, our customers, and the entire IFS Ultimo community.”
The new certifications are backed by Sales training. Enterprise Times asked the company what this means. The answer was, “Ultimo is expanding its sales training portfolio with an advanced sales training. In this training, partners don’t just learn about our products—they master how to structure an effective sales process.
“With practical tools and a clear methodology, we strengthen commercial impact. Together, we increase the chances of success with customers and build sustainable growth. More than product knowledge—real sales impact.”
With these new features and a modern EAM solution, IFS Ultimo is attracting partners from other ecosystems. Sergio Magone, Sales Director, Omninecs, now an IFS Ultimo partner, said, “Our historical heritage around Maximo has surely been affected by the IBM technological and commercial strategies on MAS; our local market – for sizing and culture – is surely looking for nimbler and more economically sustainable solutions; we believe IFS Ultimo can be “the” answer.”
Is growth likely for EAM?
Yes! MarketandMarkets predicts the enterprise asset management market is expected to grow from $4.7 billion in 2023 to $7.6 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 9.8%. Verdantix, who place IFS Ultimo as one the top leaders in the sector, saw similar growth rates. They estimate the EAM market will reach $4.5 billion in 2024. And will grow at a 9% CAGR to reach $6.4 billion in 2028.
An improved partnership model and a market that is target rich and expanding is a big attraction to resellers and system integrators. Organisations are looking to deploy Cloud-based and SaaS EAM solutions. IFS Ultimo is in the right place at the right time to leverage the market. It aims to have partners focused on verticals such as manufacturing, logistics, energy, and healthcare.
James Mansfield, Global Channel Sales Director at IFS Ultimo, added, “With the increasing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge technology in asset management, IFS Ultimo is positioning itself as a key player in shaping the future of EAM. The growing demand for EAM solutions, particularly in the manufacturing, logistics, energy and healthcare sectors, is reshaping the channel landscape.”
Existing partners also see the benefits of working with the AI-powered, SaaS-based EAM solution that Ultimo IFS delivers.
Marc Mata, APM Solutions Manager, Becolve Digital, commented, “We believe that [Ultimo’s] advanced features present us with the best opportunity to compete as best-in-class in the EAM category.We have been able to build a solid base of happy Ultimo customers – from medium-large manufacturers to infrastructure customers.”
Johan van de Pol, Director, Pontifexx, said, “We are convinced that Ultimo will be integrating the best practices of AI in their solution to keep improving it, and to enhance AI automation.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Organisations often commit to expanding their ecosystem and becoming channel-centric for sales. It is certainly one of the best ways to scale an organisation. However, to achieve that requires at least three things to be in place. They include:
- A mature partner model that both supports and delivers benefits to channel partners
- A leading solution in the market that stands up against any competitor
- A market that is target-rich
Companies are looking at EAM for the first time to help reduce costs and increase efficiency. Others are finding limitations with existing on-premise platforms and are looking to move to SaaS-based solutions and consider alternate suppliers for their solutions.
IFS Ultimo is also planning to bring its global partner community together later this year. It will hold IFS Ultimo Nexus in Vienna between October 13th and 15th. It follows its inaugural partner summit last September in Madrid. There, partners are inspired to learn, network and forge stronger connections with IFS Ultimo.
