The Reynolds and Reynolds Co. announced it has entered into a long-term strategic alliance with Karmak Inc., through which Reynolds will provide Karmak with integrated solutions for Web services,
on-site network and hardware support and forms documents.
Karmak is a leading provider of computer systems and business management systems for the heavy-duty truck industry. The two companies will also cooperate in the distribution of integrated management system solutions to dealers holding both auto and truck franchises.
"We are pleased to partner with Karmak, a company with a strong tradition in the trucking industry, and one with a large and growing base of successful customers," said Lloyd "Buzz" Waterhouse, Reynolds' CEO, chairman and president. "Partnering with industry leaders in selected markets is a core strategy for our New Markets Group, and this new relationship with Karmak is a great example."
J. Richard Schien, CEO of Karmak, said, "We are tremendously excited by this new opportunity to provide integrated management system solutions to auto and truck franchise dealers through our alliance with Reynolds. Both companies have many parallels including commitment to customer service and aggressive technology strategies. Together we will be able to expand more quickly into new technologies, while leveraging our resources to provide 'best in class' systems and services for our customers."
Both Reynolds and Karmak are pioneering the use of Microsoft Corp.'s .NET architecture to engineer new solutions for retailers in both the automotive and truck markets.
Scott Carlton, Microsoft's general manager of automotive, said, "Microsoft is actively engaged with both Reynolds and Karmak, providing expertise for their .NET development and adoption of Microsoft technologies in their advanced retailing solutions. We believe this strategic alliance will shape the future of computing for retailers across the industry."
The agreement between Reynolds and Karmak follows Reynolds' creation of a New Markets Group designed to leverage its solutions, infrastructure and expertise in automotive retailing by expanding its presence in selected markets and rapidly penetrating others. The New Markets Group is chartered with providing manufacturers, retailers and others with outsourced solutions for Web services, field support services, software, financial services, network services and value-added documents.