IBM and Mincom have formed a strategic alliance to create a host of asset management applications for e-businesses in the transport sector, the companies announced this week.
The partnership is the Australian leg of IBM's Global Strategic Alliance initiative to partner with independent software vendors (ISVs), and boost global revenue by $US1 billion over the next three years.
The deal will see Mincom, a Brisbane-based transport applications provider, deliver solutions that allow medium-to-large businesses to track, allocate and deploy assets ranging from machine parts to human resources.
David Usher, IBM Australia's state manager, Queensland, said the alliance would allow the companies to "develop specific, best practice solutions for the travel and transport industry".
"It strengthens the commitment that IBM and Mincom have for developing leading-edge, web-enabled business applications to satisfy the specific needs of our customers," Usher added.
Under the deal, Mincom will "commit to lead IBM's server platforms, middleware and services". In turn, IBM will sell and market Mincom's Ellipse Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) applications through a services delivery practice.
EAM niche applications allow companies to employ realtime condition monitoring of equipment, provide asset costing systems, and monitor material requirements such as spare parts.
Mincom's complete EAM solutions will be built on an IBM technology infrastructure, and based on Big Blue's application framework for e-business, according to IBM.
The companies declined to disclose the value of the deal.