8 March 2000 

GLOBAL E-BUSINESS COMPANY LOCATES E-BUSINESS CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN BELFAST

"Pivotal Corporation of Vancouver, Canada, is to set up an e-Business centre of excellence in Belfast for Internet-based electronic commerce solutions for business customers in Europe and other international markets," Adam Ingram, MP, Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, said today.

Mr Ingram announced the investment by the e-Business technology leader at a news conference in Belfast. The investment, which has been backed by the Industrial Development Board, will provide 150 high quality jobs, mostly for software and electronics graduates, over the next five years.

Said Mr Ingram: "Pivotal Corporation is an ambitious company with an impressive track record of sales growth from the development of highly innovative eBRM (e-Business Relationship Management) solutions which are already contributing substantially to the way business is being undertaken, particularly in North America and Europe.

"I am delighted that this worldclass company, a market leading developer of e-Business solutions, has chosen to locate its e-Business centre of excellence with a technical support centre and a research and development unit in Belfast.

"The investment will contribute substantially to the transformation that is already underway of Northern Ireland into a significant Internet business centre on the back of our position as an important European software base. This is exactly the type of knowledge-based business that Northern Ireland needs as it seeks to grasp the exciting opportunities of the Information Age," he added.

Norm Francis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pivotal Corporation, said: "We are setting up in Belfast as part of a new growth strategy focused on expanding our European business which already generates 25 per cent of our total revenue.

"Northern Ireland was chosen over other European locations because of the availability of the right quality of software and electronics graduates from Queen's University, Belfast and the University of Ulster and its fully digital telecommunications infrastructure.

"In our fast moving business, quality and versatile people and fast data and voice communications are essential. We've already recruited some first class software professionals in Northern Ireland and been impressed by the support we have received from IDB and the Training and Employment Agency.

"Overall, Northern Ireland is the right place for Pivotal because of its sharp focus on Internet businesses within its new economic strategy," he added.

The Northern Ireland centre of excellence will undertake Internet based e-Business research and development, consultancy work, product customisation and localisation and provide an international call centre for technical support.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Pivotal plans to invest £1.8 million in capital expenditure and will incur revenue costs in excess of £20 million in the first five years against which it is IDB's intention to offer the company Selective Financial Assistance of £1 million.

Formed in 1994, Pivotal Corporation gained a listing on NASDAQ, the US technology exchange, in August 1999. Co-founded by Norm Francis, the President and Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Technical Officer Keith Wales, Pivotal employs around 350 people globally and is recognised as a leading developer of e-Commerce and e-Business Relationship Management software solutions.

Existing clients include KPMG, CornerDrugstore, Ericsson, Medool.com, HarperCollins Publishing, Deutsche Bank, Trader.com, Southern Company, Lucent Technologies, NEC, Deloitte and Touche, Principal Financial Group and Red Cross Australia.