| Tue 10 Jan 2012, 7:15 | | ATN/ATNP - Allied Electronics Corporation Limited - Bytes to Acquire Unisys |
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ATN ATNP
ATN
ATN/ATNP - Allied Electronics Corporation Limited - Bytes to Acquire Unisys
Africa, Expanding Customer Base
Allied Electronics Corporation Limited
(Registration number 1947/024583/06)
(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)
Share Code : ATN ISIN: ZAE000029658
Share Code : ATNP ISIN: ZAE000029666
Bytes to Acquire Unisys Africa, Expanding Customer Base
Bytes Technology Group, wholly owned by the JSE-listed Altron Group, has entered
into agreements to acquire 100% of the issued share capital of Unisys Africa
from Unisys Corporation and CyberKnowledge Systems Investments (Pty) Limited, a
local empowerment company. The transaction is subject to competition authority
approval in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Detailed terms of the
agreements were not disclosed.
In conjunction with the transaction, Unisys and Bytes will conclude a five-year
distributor agreement which allows for exclusive marketing, sale and support of
certain Unisys products and solutions in selected sub-Saharan African countries
with `preferred partner` status in certain others.
"Unisys Africa`s existing operations represent a good fit within Bytes and in
many instances, the offerings provided by Unisys Africa will be complementary to
the current offerings of Bytes. The acquisition will provide the possibility for
synergies and economies of scale for Unisys Africa`s operations within the
greater Bytes group," said Rob Abraham, CEO of Bytes Technology Group.
Unisys Africa provides IT services and technology offerings to customers in sub-
Saharan Africa with a core South African client base in both the public and
private sectors. It operates in the telecommunications, energy, financial and
other commercial industries and within government agencies. The company has
conducted business in countries outside of South Africa including Swaziland,
Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria.
"Unisys Africa`s longstanding relationship with public sector agencies will
enhance the efforts of Bytes` newly established Government Solutions division
and will broaden Bytes` client scope. Its footprint will also assist our
strategy of expansion into Africa," said Abraham.
Unisys Africa operates from Johannesburg and from Cape Town, with 24 additional
points of presence. The management team is highly skilled, averaging more than
20 years` experience in the South African IT industry, a factor well recognised
by Bytes.
The business delivers a broad scope of products and services including
communication messaging solutions and the design and development of solutions
for government agencies, such as national identity solutions and asset
management systems. It also designs, supports and maintains IT infrastructure,
including desktops, servers, storage, mobile systems and cheque processing
equipment and assists clients to modernise their data centre environments
through virtualisation and automation.
"Unisys Africa will initially continue to operate as a stand-alone entity. In
time, relevant operations will be incorporated into existing, complementary
Bytes operations namely Bytes Systems Integration, Bytes Managed Solutions and
Bytes Connect. We are confident that the acquisition will enhance our current
capabilities and grow our business ," said Abraham.
"We will continue to look for other suitable acquisitions to fuel our profitable
revenue streams," he added.
Johannesburg
10 January 2011
Sponsor and Investment Bank
Investec Bank Limited
About Bytes Technology Group
Bytes Technology Group, a principal subsidiary of JSE-listed Altron, is a
federation of leading IT companies. It operates in South Africa with operations
in several other African countries, the United Kingdom and the Middle East. Its
South African operations are part owned by leading empowerment group, Kagiso-
Tiso Holdings.
Sustainable and constant growth through strategic acquisitions has enabled the
group to provide unlimited solutions to customers and become a leader in the IT
field. It has a multitude of products and solutions, technical skills and
specialised services that support enterprise-wide IT infrastructure and
telecommunications in a wide range of industries.
Led by IT veteran Rob Abraham, the group constantly strives to provide its
customers with best-of-breed technology solutions to help them do better work.
The group`s main focus is the provision of innovative solutions by integrating
products, applications and services to its wide and diverse customer base.
To find out more about Bytes Technology Group visit: www.bytes.co.za
About the Altron Group
Allied Electronics Corporation Limited (Altron) through its principal
subsidiaries, Allied Technologies (Altech), Bytes Technology Group (Bytes) and
Power Technologies (Powertech) provides products and services in the
telecommunications, power electronics, multi-media, and information technology
sectors. With revenues of over R22 billion for the year ended February 2011,
Altron employs more than 12 800 people in over 150 companies and associates,
varying from manufacturing operations to service providers.
To find out more about Altron visit: www.altron.com
Contact
Rob Abraham, CEO Bytes Technology Group (011) 236-9560 rob.abraham@bytes.co.za
Marius Venter, Bytes Technology Group, (011) 236 9561 marius.venter@bytes.co.za
Michelle Doyle, Altron Group Executive: Corporate Communications, (011) 645 3604
or 082 784 1814 mdoyle@altron.com
Date: 10/01/2012 07:15:01 Produced by the JSE SENS Department.
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