GrapeCity
Encyclopedia
GrapeCity, inc. is a privately held, multinational software corporation based in Sendai, Japan
, that develops its own software products and provides outsourced product development services, consulting services, software solutions, and Customer relationship management
solutions and services. GrapeCity also established WINEstudios, a state-of-the-art media design and digital production facility in Japan.
GrapeCity's major office locations are in the USA, Japan
, India
, China
, and Vietnam
.
Paul Broman worked with Daniel Fanger, now Chairman of GrapeCity and Principal of MeySen Academy, and Nobuo Iwasa to turn Bunka Orient Corporation into a software development company. Their goal was to create software solutions for schools.
Localized tools included:
1988 (China) Xi'an
Orient Software established.
1990 (Japan) Kantou business office established in Saitama Prefecture
.
1993 (China) Shanghai
Orient established.
1996 (India) Bunka Orient India established in New Delhi
.
1999 (Japan) Kansai
business office established in Osaka Prefecture
.
2000 (USA) Bunka Orient USA established in Seattle.
2000 (Mongolia) Bunka Orient Mongolia
established in Ulaanbaatar
.
2001 (Japan) GrapeCity, inc. formed in Sendai.
2002 (global) Bunka Orient renamed GrapeCity.
2003 (Japan) GrapeCity headquarters built in Sendai.
2004 (Japan) GrapeCity Nagoya business office established in Aichi Prefecture
.
2004 (Vietnam) GrapeCity Vietnam
established in Hanoi
.
2005 (India) GrapeCity India Noida
Complex opens near New Delhi
.
2005 (Japan) GrapeCity WINEstudios Harajuku
established in Tokyo
.
2006 (Malaysia) GrapeCity inc. office opened in Selangor
.
2006 (Australia) GrapeCity Australia established in Sydney
.
2006 (Japan) GrapeCity WINEstudios established in Sendai.
2008 (USA) Acquired Data Dynamics, Ltd., in Columbus, Ohio
.
2009 (USA) Acquired FarPoint Technologies in Morrisville, North Carolina
.
2009 (England) Data Dynamics opens West Sussex
office.
In 2005, when GrapeCity established a state-of-the-art media design and digital production facility, they continued in the spirit of the new name with WINEstudios.
from Data Dynamics
. In addition to localizing the user interface and documentation, GrapeCity performed quality testing for Japanese usage of the product and requested new features. After a long association with the company, in October, 2008, GrapeCity announced their acquisition of Data Dynamics, in Columbus, Ohio.
Another of the developer tools that GrapeCity localized was Spread from FarPoint Technologies. In a similar move, after long association with the company, they announced their acquisition of FarPoint Technologies in Morrisville, North Carolina
, September, 2009.
, tuition management and asset management. The software started out in 1980 as a set of accounting tools and over the years has evolved from the earliest MS-DOS
version to Microsoft Windows
, and today it is a set of software services and solutions based
on the .NET Framework
platform.
In the US and the rest of the world market, since acquiring Data Dynamics
and FarPoint, GrapeCity has consolidated its line of developer tools around FarPoint Spread
, ActiveReports
, and Data Dynamics Analysis. These products provide spreadsheet, reporting, and analysis functionality to software developers using the Microsoft platform and developer tools.
Services include ERP (enterprise resource planning
), Microsoft SharePoint, Business Intelligence
, eCommerce, trading systems, information portals, inventory systems, supply chain systems, banking systems, (customer relationship management
), financial and accounting packages, and workflow
management. The GGS division also provides software services and add-on products for CDC Pivotal CRM
and Microsoft Dynamics CRM
.
The GGS division consists of two geographical business units, one in the USA and the other in China
.
, programs
, commercials
, music videos, and special presentations. They design computer graphics using CGI
applications including Softimage XSI
, Autodesk Maya, After Effects, Combustion
, and Boujou. WINEstudios also designs corporate logos, brochures, and marketing tools.
The facility has a sound stage
, a motion capture
studio, a chromakey studio, an editing suite, and an audio suite.
, a private preschool education organization in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. MeySen is a preschool English education system with a successful track record of over 40 years. Based on the real world classroom experience and international research, GrapeSEED is an English language teaching solution for children and includes a levels based curriculum, multimedia materials, teaching manuals and training processes.
, Nagoya, Tokyo
(Harajuku
), and Saitama
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, that develops its own software products and provides outsourced product development services, consulting services, software solutions, and Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
solutions and services. GrapeCity also established WINEstudios, a state-of-the-art media design and digital production facility in Japan.
GrapeCity's major office locations are in the USA, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Foundation
The forerunner of GrapeCity, Bunka Orient Corporation (see Name Change section below), was founded in Miyagi prefecture, Japan. In 1980, when personal computers began coming to market, founder Paul Broman saw in them an opportunity to streamline the operations of the two schools he had also founded. When he looked for software to use, he found that there was none suitable for the Japanese market, and decided to fill the unmet need himself.Paul Broman worked with Daniel Fanger, now Chairman of GrapeCity and Principal of MeySen Academy, and Nobuo Iwasa to turn Bunka Orient Corporation into a software development company. Their goal was to create software solutions for schools.
LeySer School Management Software
The company's first software product was LeySer Services for school management, which Paul Broman used to help run the MeySen Academy and KeiMei Elementary School, which he founded in the 1970s. Having sent some of his teachers to learn programming, he then directed them in creating software to support the accounting and reporting needs of his schools. Later, they sold the software to other schools through what was still known as Bunka Orient Corporation.Localization of Developer Tools
The company expanded into a range of other software products and services, beginning by localizing developer tools for the Japanese market, another empty niche they discovered when developing LeySer Services. Beginning in 1993, they grouped these localized tools together and resold them as their Power Tools line.Localized tools included:
- PowerTCP Tools (1999)
- JClass (2002) and JProbe (2007) Java(TM) Components
- LEADTOOLS Imaging Toolkits
- FarPoint Spread (1999)
Time line
1980 (Japan) Bunka Orient Company Ltd. founded in Sendai.1988 (China) Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
Orient Software established.
1990 (Japan) Kantou business office established in Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
.
1993 (China) Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
Orient established.
1996 (India) Bunka Orient India established in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
.
1999 (Japan) Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
business office established in Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
.
2000 (USA) Bunka Orient USA established in Seattle.
2000 (Mongolia) Bunka Orient Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
established in Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
.
2001 (Japan) GrapeCity, inc. formed in Sendai.
2002 (global) Bunka Orient renamed GrapeCity.
2003 (Japan) GrapeCity headquarters built in Sendai.
2004 (Japan) GrapeCity Nagoya business office established in Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
.
2004 (Vietnam) GrapeCity Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
established in Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
.
2005 (India) GrapeCity India Noida
Noida
Noida , short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Area, is an area in India under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority . Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as "Noida Day". It was set up as part of an urbanization...
Complex opens near New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
.
2005 (Japan) GrapeCity WINEstudios Harajuku
Harajuku
Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan....
established in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
2006 (Malaysia) GrapeCity inc. office opened in Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
.
2006 (Australia) GrapeCity Australia established in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
2006 (Japan) GrapeCity WINEstudios established in Sendai.
2008 (USA) Acquired Data Dynamics, Ltd., in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
2009 (USA) Acquired FarPoint Technologies in Morrisville, North Carolina
Morrisville, North Carolina
Morrisville is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. A small portion of the town extends into Durham County. The population was 18,576 according to a April 1, 2010 census. Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region...
.
2009 (England) Data Dynamics opens West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
office.
Name change
Originally named Bunka Orient Corporation when it was founded in 1980, the company found that its name was often confused with other entities with the same acronym when it expanded into China and India. The company was renamed GrapeCity in 2002. The name change announcement showed the sun setting on Bunka Orient India and rising on GrapeCity India.In 2005, when GrapeCity established a state-of-the-art media design and digital production facility, they continued in the spirit of the new name with WINEstudios.
Acquisitions
One of the developer tools that GrapeCity localized for Japanese programmers was ActiveReportsActiveReports
ActiveReports is a .NET reporting tool used by developers of WinForms and ASP.NET applications. It was originally developed by Data Dynamics, which was then acquired by GrapeCity. ActiveReports is a set of components and tools that facilitates the production of reports to display data in documents...
from Data Dynamics
Data Dynamics
Data Dynamics, Ltd. a software development company that creates software components for application developers using Microsoft Visual Studio and the .NET platform. The company's primary product focus is on data analysis and information reporting...
. In addition to localizing the user interface and documentation, GrapeCity performed quality testing for Japanese usage of the product and requested new features. After a long association with the company, in October, 2008, GrapeCity announced their acquisition of Data Dynamics, in Columbus, Ohio.
Another of the developer tools that GrapeCity localized was Spread from FarPoint Technologies. In a similar move, after long association with the company, they announced their acquisition of FarPoint Technologies in Morrisville, North Carolina
Morrisville, North Carolina
Morrisville is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. A small portion of the town extends into Durham County. The population was 18,576 according to a April 1, 2010 census. Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region...
, September, 2009.
LeySer School Management System
The LeySer school management system division of GrapeCity is responsible for all software solutions and services around managing private educational institutions in Japan. Key modules of the system include accounting, payrollPayroll
In a company, payroll is the sum of all financial records of salaries for an employee, wages, bonuses and deductions. In accounting, payroll refers to the amount paid to employees for services they provided during a certain period of time. Payroll plays a major role in a company for several reasons...
, tuition management and asset management. The software started out in 1980 as a set of accounting tools and over the years has evolved from the earliest MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
version to Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, and today it is a set of software services and solutions based
on the .NET Framework
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
platform.
PowerTools
The PowerTools division is one of the primary business units of the company bringing in roughly 30% of the company revenues. In addition to developing and marketing its own products, in Japan GrapeCity’s Developer Tools division localizes, sells, and supports products made by other software vendors.In the US and the rest of the world market, since acquiring Data Dynamics
Data Dynamics
Data Dynamics, Ltd. a software development company that creates software components for application developers using Microsoft Visual Studio and the .NET platform. The company's primary product focus is on data analysis and information reporting...
and FarPoint, GrapeCity has consolidated its line of developer tools around FarPoint Spread
FarPoint Spread
FarPoint Spread from GrapeCity is a suite of Microsoft Excel-compatible spreadsheet components available for .NET, COM, and Microsoft BizTalk Server. Software developers use the components to embed Microsoft Excel-compatible spreadsheet features into their applications, such as importing and...
, ActiveReports
ActiveReports
ActiveReports is a .NET reporting tool used by developers of WinForms and ASP.NET applications. It was originally developed by Data Dynamics, which was then acquired by GrapeCity. ActiveReports is a set of components and tools that facilitates the production of reports to display data in documents...
, and Data Dynamics Analysis. These products provide spreadsheet, reporting, and analysis functionality to software developers using the Microsoft platform and developer tools.
GrapeCity Global Services
The GrapeCity Global Services (GGS) division provides custom software development, outsourced product development, and software implementation consulting services to mid-sized through enterprise-level customers.Services include ERP (enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
), Microsoft SharePoint, Business Intelligence
Business intelligence
Business intelligence mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data, such as sales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes....
, eCommerce, trading systems, information portals, inventory systems, supply chain systems, banking systems, (customer relationship management
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
), financial and accounting packages, and workflow
Workflow
A workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. It is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, a group of persons, an organization of staff, or one or more simple or complex mechanisms. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work...
management. The GGS division also provides software services and add-on products for CDC Pivotal CRM
Pivotal CRM
Pivotal CRM is a customer relationship management software system offered by CDC Software, an enterprise software and service company headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The Pivotal CRM suite includes software tools for sales force automation , marketing automation and lead management, and customer...
and Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a multi-lingual Customer Relationship Management software package developed by Microsoft. Out of the box, the product focuses mainly on Sales, Marketing, and Service sectors, but Microsoft has been marketing Dynamics CRM as an XRM platform and has been encouraging...
.
The GGS division consists of two geographical business units, one in the USA and the other in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
WINEstudios Digital Media Production and Design
The WINEstudios production and design company established by GrapeCity creates featuresFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, programs
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, commercials
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
, music videos, and special presentations. They design computer graphics using CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
applications including Softimage XSI
Softimage XSI
Autodesk Softimage, or simply Softimage is a 3D computer graphics application, owned by Autodesk, for producing 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling, and computer animation...
, Autodesk Maya, After Effects, Combustion
Combustion (software)
Combustion 2008 is the newest version of Autodesk's visual effects and compositing software tool.Combustion is a computer program "for motion graphics, compositing and visual effects" . The software retails for US$995...
, and Boujou. WINEstudios also designs corporate logos, brochures, and marketing tools.
The facility has a sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
, a motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
studio, a chromakey studio, an editing suite, and an audio suite.
GrapeSEED
The GrapeSEED division has its roots in the Miyagi MeySen Academy, a private preschool education organization in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. MeySen is a preschool English education system with a successful track record of over 40 years. Based on the real world classroom experience and international research, GrapeSEED is an English language teaching solution for children and includes a levels based curriculum, multimedia materials, teaching manuals and training processes.
ActiveReports Server
GrapeCity announced the launch of ActiveReports Server on September 13, 2011. ActiveReports Server is a Web-based self-service reporting solution for business users, enabling them to design and deliver ad hoc reports from within their Web browsers. ActiveReports Server also includes a secure, scalable storage with report scheduling and distribution capabilities and a Web-based management inteface for IT administrators. Software developers can use the ActiveReports Server SDK to embed the ad hoc report designer and other features into their own applications.Japan
Sendai, OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Nagoya, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(Harajuku
Harajuku
Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan....
), and Saitama
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...