Monday, February 02, 2009

QAD layoffs: February, 2009

A Spectator reader alerted me to a layoff in progress at QAD. A quick check found that QAD has indeed filed a form 8-K announcing several cost cutting actions, including a layoff.

The action will impact approximately 125 employees, or 8% of the firm's headcount worldwide, in all functional areas.

The move by QAD is not surprising, seeing that similar actions have been or are being taken by many of its competitors, including Oracle, SAP, Infor, Lawson, and Epicor. QAD is a well-established player, and in these tough times its maintenance and support revenues provide a needed cushion for declining new license sales. However, the automotive sector is a particular niche for QAD, and not a robust market to be selling into these days.

I'm waiting for QAD to respond to a request for further information. In the meantime, if you have any insights into the situation, please email me or leave a comment on this post.

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