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HMS Celebrates 15 Years as Welcom's Canadian Partner
Montreal, Quebec - May 23, 2000 - "We made our first Open Plan sale of version 1.13 in 1985 when no one had ever heard of Windows," reflected Chris Vandersluis, president of Heuristic Management Systems, Inc. (HMS), on 15 years as Welcom's Canadian reseller partner.
"The world of project management software was a different place then," explains Vandersluis. "Many medium- to large-sized firms were struggling to move their project management systems from mainframes to PCs. HMS was a two-person project management consulting firm in late 1984 when we first came across Welcom. We were looking for a scheduling system for Philips, the international electronics manufacturer. The requirements were so stringent that we wondered if we would have to write it ourselves. When we found Open Plan, we realized we'd found our solution. The flexibility of the system was perfect for our client."
Welcom was only a few months old at the time and had only four employees itself according to Tony Welsh, Welcom president and co-founder. "HMS was only our second reseller at the time," he said. "What attracted us to HMS was their aggressive goal to represent Open Plan across all of Canada, providing not only the software but also training, consulting, and technical support. Our experience with HMS has proved to be a kind of template for how we seek out new reseller partners."
Working with Open Plan paid off for HMS. "The first year we sold 11 systems while working out of my living room," said Vandersluis. "The second year, we more than doubled sales and moved into a proper office.
"HMS and Welcom have had the opportunity to grow up together," said Vandersluis. "Over the years we've sold over $7 million dollars (CAD) worth of Welcom products and services across Canada. We've seen every product that Welcom has launched or contemplated since the beginning. I remember the first multi-user version, the first Windows release. It went through several code names including Tardis (for the time machine from Dr. Who), Orca, and Q1. We were there for the design of the original Cobra for DOS and much, much more."
The ties between Welcom and HMS run deep. HMS' first staff member, Brian Mair, joined HMS 13 years ago. He is still working within the Welcom family today as a senior consultant for one of Welcom's international offices. Other HMS staff members have worked for Welcom as well. In 1996, Vandersluis himself spent nine months working as Welcom's vice president of sales at its Houston headquarters during a reorganization of Welcom's management team.
Vandersluis still presents Welcom's products to prospective clients on a regular basis. "I estimate that I've presented Open Plan to more people than anyone in the world," he jokes. "It's not that I'm more efficient than anyone else. I've just stayed with it longer."
Over the years, HMS has been involved in some of the most prestigious projects in Canada. Hydro Quebec used software HMS supplied for much of the groundbreaking work in James Bay. IPL used Open Plan for the implementation of the Transcanada Pipeline.
"We were there for projects that put people into space, for drugs that cured diseases, and for new ship designs that are now sailing around the world," said Vandersluis.
The HMS staff now numbers 25 and continues to distribute and support Welcom products across Canada. HMS' own development efforts started in 1984 when it delivered a customized timesheet system to link to Open Plan for Philips. From that small project, HMS has been able to expand beyond Canada and is now recognized as one of the premier project-oriented timesheet providers around the world.
"Like Welcom we've changed and adapted along with the market," said Vandersluis. "But our basic values have stayed the same. Just like that early Open Plan version 1.13, we still believe in flexibility in a project management product and in delivering products that make every client a reference. An alliance like the one we've forged is based on more than features. It's based on a common understanding of goals and ultimately on the relationships we've built over the years."
Vandersluis credits this philosophy as the reason why Welcom's relationship with HMS has lasted much longer than most in this industry. As Welcom releases new cutting-edge products, HMS continues to find opportunities across Canada to represent them.
About TimeControl
TimeControl was originally released in 1994. It was immediately successful in the project management sector and today is recognized not only as a project management solution, but also as an enterprise timesheet solution in use by companies worldwide. TimeControl is designed as a multipurpose timesheet able to serve the needs of both Finance and Project Management simultaneously. It includes features such as a multi-browser, multi-device interface, a PC and mobile interface, vacation approvals, executive dashboards, extensive approval functionality, flexible reporting and links to project management and corporate systems which makes the timesheet product ideally suited for integration with existing systems in any organization. TimeControl's flexibility allows it to be deployed for use as a time and attendance, time and billing, project tracking and flex-time system. TimeControl is available both for purchase for an on-premises installation or as an on-line subscription in the Cloud.
To access the free Hosted TimeControl Trial site, visit our free trial page.
For more information about TimeControl, monitor the TimeControl blog at http://blog.timecontrol.org/ or the TimeControl website at www.timecontrol.com.
For information about TimeControlOnline, our hosted timesheet subscription service in the cloud, go to www.timecontrol.com/features/timecontrol-online.
For any other questions, please contact HMS Software at info@hms.ca.
TimeControl is represented around the world by our distributors in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, the UK, and the U.S.
About HMS Software
Based in Montreal, Canada with offices in Toronto, HMS Software has been a leading provider of project management and enterprise timesheet systems and services since 1984. HMS Software's first customized timesheet application was written in 1984. With the launch of TimeControl as a commercial application in 1994, HMS Software began servicing clients worldwide.
HMS Software's client list reads like a who's who of business. It includes Acergy, Aecon, Rio Tinto, the Atlanta Airport, the City of Montreal, the County of San Mateo, Electromotive Diesel, EXFO, FT Services, Kelly Services, Koch, Merck Frosst, the Government of Quebec, Georgia Pacific, Parker Hannifin, Rolls Royce, Sobeys, Volvo Novabus, Zimmer Inc. and hundreds of others.
For further information about HMS Software, please visit the HMS website at: www.hms.ca or contact us at info@hms.ca.
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