Business application software provider Infor today said it is planning to expand its engineering organisation for which the company will hire about 400 additional software developers.

"We will ship significantly more new features and new releases this year than ever before. This investment in core research and development is a milestone in Infor's commitment to innovation," company's senior vice president, global product development, Soma Somasundaram said in a statement here.

All the existing and newly hired engineers will focus on building great applications, he added.

Strong revenue performance and improved operational efficiency has increased the company's operating margins and generated cash flow beyond the targets for the quarter, Infor's executive vice president of global field operations Stephan Scholl said.

The improved margins, along with further improvements in operating efficiencies, will fund the additional investment in product development, he said.

Infor will immediately begin to recruit development staff, with plans to complete the expansion before the end of 2011, it said.

The focus of innovation will be on both Infor's core industry specific applications like manufacturing, distribution, public sector, as well as cross-industry applications including financial management, asset management, it said.