Publishing Technology PLC (AIM: PTO), a software and services provider for the publishing industry, is teaming up with Japanese content software provider Sunmedia to jointly relaunch the latter’s online publishing platform as a robust new research service.
Sunmedia's current platform supplies Japanese researchers with full-text access online to 35 journals from seven publishers, and articles from over 4,000 journals through pay per view, Publishing Technology said in statement The new service, PierOnline, will support a range of new features to better serve these publishers and their subscribers, using its pub2web technology.
Publishing Technology's pub2web team is currently developing the information architecture and design of the new PierOnline site, and expects to release a beta site by the end of 2009, it added.
Last month, the company released positive results for the six months to 30 June 2009, achieving 5% revenue growth to £7.68 million and a 4% increase in gross margins, while the pretax loss narrowed to £100,000 from £300,000 in the previous first half.
Recurring revenues contributed 65 percent of total group revenue.
Through the period Publishing Technology expanded its client base, implementing new services for major publisher McGraw Hill. Publishing Technology added increased sales of its Pub2Web service, adding to its existing client base which includes major international institutions such as the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
Publishing Technology stated that they have significantly improved their pipeline for major products and services into new geographic markets. In the period Publishing Technology expanded their operations to sell their key IngentaConnect and Pub2web products in new territories including Germany, Brazil, Japan and Australia.
In its interim statement Publishing Technology stated that its business units are performing in line with market expectations, and that the continuing debt reduction and improving pipeline of product launches indicated that the group’s outlook remains positive.