Q&A with Mariette Larsson, Country Director, Arribatec Sweden and Mark Bloomer, Managing Director, Arribatec Integra

In 2021, Arribatec Group announced the completion of the acquisition of Integra Associates, the UK’s longest-standing global elite partner of Unit4, to create the world’s largest provider of Unit4 ERP services and solutions.

Arribatec Group has been named as an Elite partner for the second year in a row and it can be found at the top of the podium at Unit4’s Elite League Table. What is it that makes Arribatec such a great partner? 

Mariette: When we started Arribatec in 2015, the ambition was to create a company that delivers an extraordinary experience to customers, with Unit4 ERP as the engine in the center. Last year we welcomed Integra to the Arribatec Group to offer customers much more by combining our unique competencies and high level of service and experience.

Arribatec now has a great global scale and presence, with over 400 staff organized into five business areas, working out of 30 offices in 25 countries.

It also has the best development and systems integration capability in the Unit4 world. We can deliver and integrate a range of in-house developed, and third-party software which complement Unit4 ERP.

But what really makes the difference is the people. Everyone in the Arribatec Group is highly competent and professional.  The depth of knowledge and experience in Unit4 ERP software is unrivalled, with many staff having worked both with ERP software, and with Unit4, for decades.  These skills and experience thrive in a supportive culture which generates an enthusiasm and commitment to developing outstanding solutions for our customers. 

You coined the term ‘Simplify Complexity’ as your tagline. What does it mean and how is it driving your actions?

Mariette: Implementing ERP systems and integrating them with other systems is often considered very complex. Arribatec bridges the complexity by automating and digitizing processes within and between systems, to make it easier for users. Arribatec combines partner solutions, proprietary systems, and solutions, as well as our special expertise and innovation to create digital and standardized solutions.

Arribatec has a unique competence mix with engagement managers who keep the dialogue with the customer alive, application specialists with many years of experience in all our regions and several development teams that contribute to us being able to deliver beyond expectations, at all times.

During the last two years, Arribatec has acquired several companies, some directly related to the existing Unit4 business and others that complement Arribatec's total offering.

Our acquisitions add not only new vertical solutions, but also expertise in process and business development, which is often what is needed to become extra competitive in their respective areas. Our goal is to become a one-stop shop for our customers.

Your unique approach offering One Solution is quite innovative in the ERP world, what does it mean for the Unit4 users that come to you to implement our software?

Mark: This comes back to the Simplify Complexity vision.  It means that we can deliver our range of solutions and services, including Unit4 ERP, in an integrated way, all packaged under a simple pricing model. This gives customers the peace of mind that their solutions are integrated and delivered on a platform by experts they can trust at a price they can understand.

As a global consultancy organization, you understand the challenges when implementing solution for enterprises. How have you approached that with your global clients?

Mark: The Arribatec Group has implemented Unit4 ERP solutions for a significant number of global customers over the years, and we have learned a lot about working with different cultures, different statutory, tax and banking regimes.  We have developed localization packs for several regions and have great language skills across the group, which is vital in many regions. 

The skills, knowledge, and software we have developed to implement solutions in each region are important, but what is also critical is the planning, and project management. Implementation of a global project has many of the same challenges as a small project, but on a much larger scale, with additional communication and cultural differences thrown in.  So, communication and buy-in of all the regions is important to the success of the project.

Arribatec Integra is currently fully integrating all of the internal systems within the Arribatec Group to give global customers a fully joined up service, and we operate a global approach to the resourcing of projects which gives staff across the regions wider global experience and familiarity.

Arribatec has had amazing sustainable growth over the last seven years, 2015 and with the acquisition of Integra Associates, you are now the largest partner provider of Unit4 services.  What does the future of Arribatec looks like?

Mariette: There is a great need for suppliers to deliver not only an ERP system - and there I think Unit4 sees Arribatec as a very good partner as we have a complementary offering with our services such as our team of developers - but also a different breadth both in terms of competence and solutions we can deliver, making us a unique partner. Our strategy regarding the acquisitions has been clear, Cloud expertise and vertical solutions.

Our goal has not been to become the largest but the best Unit4 ERP partner. The goal has permeated the strategy from the start in the choice of who we recruit, who are our partners and which companies we want to acquire. Unit4 has always been a solid partner for us, with many of us having dedicated years to working with Unit4 and we all think it is the best financial solution on the market. I was a Unit4 customer in the late 90's and managed to drive an incredible change by choosing a system that gave us the opportunity to get complete control of finances and follow-up.