Solarsoft Business Systems, Toronto, is purchasing VantagePoint Systems, Vancouver, Canada, for $10.2 (U.S.) million in cash. VantagePoint is a leading supplier of business software solutions for the paperboard packaging industry. Solarsoft is a developer of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. The transaction should close in early January 2008, subject to normal terms and conditions.

The acquisition will enable both companies to become more significant players in the ERP marketplace with complementary product offerings and increased market visibility. VantagePoint will operate as a division of Solarsoft, complementing Solarsoft’s existing divisions that provide business software for distributors, wholesalers and manufacturers.

VantagePoint and its subsidiary HRMS Inc. will continue to operate under the existing management team. Product development and customer support will continue at the company’s three existing locations in Vancouver, Chicago, and Leicester, UK. Including VantagePoint Systems, Solarsoft’s combined business units will have sales approaching $70 million, employ 365 people, and serve 1,750 customers across Europe, North America and Asia.

“The packaging industry is smart and is looking for top-notch solutions,” says Jim Hennings, president and ceo, VantagePoint. “There’s a need for a top-notch player that brings solutions to this specialized marketplace. We will continue to ask, ‘Where’s the need and how do we fill it?’ Solarsoft is looking for industry-specific companies like ours. We needed access to capital; now we have our bank.”

“This acquisition reflects our continued focus on specialized enterprise systems that add real value for customers within our strategic markets,” says Shawn McMorran, ceo, Solarsoft. “We see significant potential to develop VantagePoint’s business through our global sales and services operations, which now span 16 time zones.”OBM

Callout: “We will continue to ask, ‘Where’s the need and how do we fill it?’”—J. Hennings, VantagePoint