July 9, 2002
Software Firm Relocates to NC, in Part To Be Close to Web Host
By Worth Civils, Special To LTW
RALEIGH - DataCraft Solutions, an ASP-based software company founded in New Jersey last year, has since relocated to the Triangle after signing a service agreement with Hosted Solutions in early June.
Matthew Marotta, president of DataCraft, tells Local Tech Wire that he decided to move the company he started in June 2001 in order to be closer to Hosted Solutions, among other reasons.
“DataCraft chose to move to the Raleigh/Cary area due to the potential market and employee base, but also because of our relationship with Hosted Solutions,” Marotta says. “We wanted to be close to our hosting company. We feel it is important to be able to show our potential clients the security of where their data is being housed.”
Cary-based Hosted Solutions will provide fully managed servers, enterprise backup, managed security and comprehensive monitoring and management of DataCraft's national customer base. Hosted Solutions is in effect serving as DataCraft's infrastructure.
By purchasing and hosting the applications on its servers, Marotta says DataCraft is able to provide customized software solutions at reasonable prices. DataCraft provides service to its clients, he adds, so they don't have to pay to purchase the application, buy the necessary equipment to run the application, or pay to hire the personnel to administer and support the application.
“DataCraft's software application hits the sweet spot of underserved small and mid-tier manufacturing companies,” Rich Lee, chief executive officer of Hosted Solutions, said in a statement. “Today's economic realities are driving the success of solutions providers like DataCraft who can deliver affordable technology solutions that reduce purchasing costs, streamline operational processes and promise a rapid return on investment.”
New technology, more investors
An emerging provider of software solutions that streamline the manufacturing process, DataCraft's Web-based software suite enables small and mid-tier manufacturing companies in the United States to reduce product purchasing and inventory costs. Its software suite is derived from the Remedy software architecture currently deployed at thousands of large global enterprises.
DataCraft also is promoting a new application it's developing. At a conference hosted by the American Manufacturing Association of Excellence in Providence, RI, recently, DataCraft demonstrated this new technology, called Signum, which is a “just-in-time” inventory tracking and procurement package. The purpose of the demo, the company says, was to show the future of “lean engineering” in the manufacturing industry.
Marotta says several companies showed interest in having on-site demonstrations of the Signum application, which is part of DataCraft's Macrum suite of software products for the lean manufacturing process. The target market consists of the 18,250 manufacturing companies attempting “lean,” he adds, with sales projections at 4 percent, or 737 of these companies, over the next five years.
During that time period, DataCraft will also be expanding its ownership and employee base. The company currently employs seven people, consisting of developers, administration and support personnel.
Marotta did not give a specific timeline for the company's future growth, nor did he provide customers or revenue information. But he says that DataCraft Solutions is currently seeking more investors.
“The business currently has four owners,” says Marotta, “but we are in the process of seeking further funding to expand our business and increase the number of owners.”
