Western Australian education software firm CAZ Software is to be sold to UK-based RM plc's Australian subsidiary RM Asia-Pacific for $3.5 million.
Western Australian education software firm CAZ Software is to be sold to UK-based RM plc's Australian subsidiary RM Asia-Pacific for $3.5 million.
RM is the UK's largest provider of information and communications technology to schools, colleges and universities, and the acquisition positions RM Asia Pacific as a market leader in the Australian teaching, learning, and schools management software market.
CAZ employees will be retained and will also have the opportunity to develop their skills within an international operation committed to serving local educational requirements.
RM will support and develop the CAZ product range while integrating it within RM's global platform and family of software and services.
CAZ Software was founded 28 years ago and is a privately owned and operated provider of software solutions to schools and education departments throughout Australia, with a growing presence in China and Southeast Asia.
It employs more than 30 people in Perth.
RM Asia-Pacific managing director Cliff Smith said: "In the medium term, by bringing together the products and development capabilities of both companies, this acquisition will allow us to offer the broadest portfolio of Student Management Systems tailored for State Jurisdictions, Denominational Groups, Independent and International schools."
CAZ Software director Gabriel Zahra said that CAZ had held discussions with a number of potential buyers, but it was clear that RM provided the best strategic fit.
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Largest UK Education Services Group, RM, to buy Australian firm CAZ Software for $3.5m
RM Asia-Pacific, the Australian subsidiary of RM plc, the UK's largest provider of information and communications technology to schools, colleges and universities, has completed arrangements to buy West Australian education software firm CAZ Software.
The $3.5 million acquisition positions RM Asia Pacific as the clear market leader in the Australian teaching, learning, and schools management software market.
The company announced that both CAZ customers and employees will see immediate benefits as a result of merging with RM's local and global operations.
According to RM Asia-Pacific Managing Director, Cliff Smith, CAZ employees will have not only a secure job future; they will also have the opportunity to develop their skills within an international operation committed to serving local educational requirements.
He added that RM will support and develop the CAZ product range while integrating it within RM's global platform and family of software and services.
CAZ Software, founded 28 years ago, is a privately owned and operated provider of software solutions to schools and education departments throughout Australia with a growing presence in China and Southeast Asia. It employs more than 30 people in Perth.
RM plc, founded 33 years ago, has grown from its roots as a developer of specialised hardware to be the leading UK private-sector education services group and has also spread its wings successfully overseas with subsidiaries in Australia, USA, Canada and India. RM employs more than 2,000 people and in 2005 recorded a profit of £12.8m (A$31.5 million) on revenue of £263m (A$640 million).
RM Asia-Pacific's Cliff Smith said: "In the medium term, by bringing together the products and development capabilities of both companies, this acquisition will allow us to offer the broadest portfolio of Student Management Systems tailored for State Jurisdictions, Denominational Groups, Independent and International schools.
"All of these solutions will work within the 'RM Learning Platform' which provides for a fully-integrated solution set including: Portal Services; a Virtual Teaching and Learning environment (VTLE); Content Management; Curriculum and Assessment Management; Administration and Financial services, which is what our customers, worldwide are clearly telling us they want."
CAZ Software Director, Gabriel Zahra said: "CAZ Software held discussions with a number of potential buyers, but it was clear that RM provided the best strategic fit. We believe that the financial muscle of a respected global education services leader such as RM, with its significant technical innovation and international best practice, will be a valuable addition to the quality of our strong local knowledge and the capability of our growing product range. It's a win-win situation.
"The market for school information management systems is changing. We're facing increased client demands and accelerated technological change. We need to position ourselves to take advantage of these changes for the benefit of our customers, and at the same time to provide new growth opportunities for our staff and suppliers. The sale to RM will help us to do this a lot more effectively than as a purely local entity.
"It's also reassuring to know that CAZ will be joining forces with an organisation that shares our own belief in strong company values. Like CAZ, RM is guided by the principle that supporting customers is just as important as creating the right solution."
Smith added that the two companies will operate in parallel under the RM Asia-Pacific name, for the first three months after the acquisition is completed on July 3rd. This will give time for cultural and organisational issues to be properly addressed, prior to the launch of a fully merged company, in October.
"It's important for the employees of both RM Asia-Pacific and CAZ to realise that the new company will represent the best of both worlds, and that the CAZ and RM employee cultures will together form the culture of the next generation of RM Asia-Pacific."
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