Inprise reactivates Borland brand

By ADAM GIFFORD

In a "back to the future" story, software tools and middleware company Inprise is rebranding many of its products and plans to build up its consultancy practice in New Zealand to service local and export markets.

Inprise Asia vice-president Ray Bradbery said the company was returning to the familiar Borland brand for many products, which include the Delphi, C++Builder, JBuilder, Midas and InterBase development tools. Borland International changed its name to Inprise in June 1998.

The tools are used by developers making anything from small desktop applications to huge applications, which are integrated into backend systems. The Inprise label will stay on its application server middleware, and on its professional services operation. As Borland, the company had a sizeable New Zealand presence, but retreated to Australia several years ago.

Mr Bradbery said Inprise/Borland wanted its market in Asia Pacific to grow significantly. Revenues in Asia Pacific grew 26 per cent in the second quarter compared with the same quarter last year, helped by an 87 per cent increase in Australia and New Zealand.

Worldwide, the company's revenues of $US46.7 million in the second quarter of 2000 were 16 per cent up, leading to net income of $US4 million.

Mr Bradbery said the company had more than $US240 million in cash, some of which would be used to build up consulting services here.

"I'm looking to leverage skills in the New Zealand market into emerging markets in China, India and elsewhere in Asia," he said.

"There is huge expertise in New Zealand in designing, building and deploying large-scale distributed applications which I want to tap."

Mr Bradbery hopes to hire up to 30 consultants within a year. At present Inprise has three consultants and two sales staff here.

Last month, the company announced it would make its JBuilder Java development tool available for the new Apple Macintosh OSX operating system.