Geac Metamorphosises JBA Into Gear, but Cuts 20% of Staff
P.J. Jakovljevic - November 17, 1999

Event Summary

On November 12, Geac Computer unveiled its plan to turn its UK-based JBA Holdings acquisition into a new division, dubbed Gear, that will focus on the midrange enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications market. In the process, the firm plans to cut 500 people, or 20 percent of its staff as part of an attempt to reduce overhead. The aim is to cut annual costs by about C$90 million, effective from this current quarter. Douglas Bergeron, Geac's president and chief executive officer, also said he was now in the process of evaluating the company's research and development (R&D) programs. 'We have 4,500 global customers who see great value in the JBA product suite. Customers want R&D refocused back on the core products to make them even better,' he claimed...