With more than 3,700 employees, more than 10,000 customers and $600 million in annual revenue, IFS AB probably should be more widely known than it is. The Swedish company’s enterprise resource planning products are used around the world by manufacturing, oil and gas drilling, aerospace, defense and construction clients.

“This is the largest enterprise resource planning software company that our audience has probably never heard of,” Dave Vellante, co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, said during the keynote analysis at the IFS World Conference in Boston. “It’s real nitty-gritty stuff to help companies avoid custom modifications in certain industries.”

Along with co-host Paul Gillin, Vellante discussed a campaign that spotlights IFS customer success and the company’s mid-market strategy (see the full interview with transcript here). (* Disclosure below.)

Recognizing challengers

Perhaps in response to its surprisingly low profile, IFS has focused on a campaign based around customer success stories that are being highlighted through “Challenger of the Year” awards and “Challenger Champion” recognition. Companies spotlighted through the recognition initiative included Eickhoff, provider of equipment for operations in extreme conditions, and Pukka Pies, a United Kingdom firm that used IFS software for product traceability.

“They’re positioning their customers as being the companies that are going to challenge the big guys in their industries,” Gillin said. “In these times of digital transformation and disruption, that’s what it’s all about. It’s a great message they’re bringing out this year.”

A private equity deal in June united IFS with the U.S. ERP vendor Acumatica Inc., in what some analysts viewed as an opportunity to maximize go-to-market activities along with research and development initiatives. It was another quiet move for a company that has managed to cultivate a low profile for over three decades.

“They’re focused on the mid-market, and the mid-market tends to fly under the radar,” Gillin explained. “The opportunity and the challenge for IFS is to grow those customers as they move into enterprise-grade size with the IFS product line without forcing them to transition to something bigger.”

Here’s the complete video analysis, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the IFS World Conference. (* Disclosure: IFS sponsored theCUBE’s coverage of the IFS World Conference. Neither IFS nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: Darren Roos/IFS