Thatcher defects to Auto-I.T.

Former Channel Enablers' director Peter Thatcher has taken a job at Australian ERP software developer Auto-I.T.

Thatcher had been with Melbourne-based Channel Enablers for more than two years and was also a sales director at defunct distributor Computer Hardware Australia (CHA). He also founded Tracker Software with former CHA boss Roger Bushell.

Auto-I.T. develops dealership management software dubbed UNITS which is targeted at automotive, agricultural and transport companies, said Thatcher.

The company made the transition from older, legacy 'green screen' technology to a Windows-based platform running on SQL databases about two years ago, he said.

Thatcher said he had 'done his bit' at Channel Enablers, an independent management consulting company that helps vendors to improve their channels. 'I wanted to get back to what I like doing which is software sales,' he said.

Auto-I.T. just won a deal with John Deere Information Systems (JDIS) which will see UNITS installed in John Deere dealerships across North America.

JDIS is a subsidiary of Deere & Company which, with over 3,000 dealer sites in North America, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of agricultural and forestry equipment. 'They spent two years looking for the best system in the world and choose an Australian one which I think is a bloody coup for Australian software development,' Thatcher said. Auto-I.T. is headquartered in Melbourne and has 50 employees.