euro adhoc: S&T System Integration&Technology Distribution AG
Mergers -
Acquisitions - Takeovers
S&T Acquires Consulting Company IMG
About The Information Management Group (IMG) -
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
11.01.2007
Biggest Acquisition in the Companys History
11 January 2007. Subject to the approval of the anti-trust authorities, S&T AG, the leading provider of IT services in Central and Eastern Europe, will purchase all shares in IMG Holding - The Information Management Group. The largest acquisition in the companys history will enable S&T to strengthen and expand its core business area Business Solutions, enhance its portfolio of services and extend its geographic presence.
IMG "The Information Management Group" is an international consulting company headquartered in St. Gallen (Switzerland), which specialises in the implementation of innovative business models in processes and systems. At present the company has 653 employees at 27 subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and the United States. In the financial year 2006* it generated revenues totalling CHF 130 million (EUR 81.6 million).
IMG was founded in 1989 as a St. Gallen University spin-off by professors Hubert Österle and Thomas Gutzwiller, and Tillmann Hüttenhain and is owned by its founders and employees. The Goldman Sachs Group and M2 Capital Management AG also hold significant interests in the company. According to Prof. Thomas A. Gutzwiller, Chairman of the Board of Directors The Information Management Group, "speed is an extremely crucial factor on our market. We were no longer able to optimally exploit the potential of the dynamic consultancy market with purely organic resources. The Management Board therefore systematically scanned the market for potential partners. After a careful evaluation process, S&T emerged as the ideal partner."
S&Ts Consulting Services Continue to Grow For S&T this represents the biggest takeover in the companys history. "We are already the largest provider of IT services in Central and Eastern Europe. This takeover will hugely expand our lead, as IMG will strengthen our core business in our domestic markets of Central and Eastern Europe," says Christian Rosner, CEO of S&T AG. The two companies target industries "manufacturing" and "financial services" also overlap to a large extent. IMG specialises in providing services for an SAP environment. The group is therefore an ideal match for S&T which also has a strong focus on this area and is among the largest SAP consulting companies in Europe. Last but not least, the IMG subsidiaries in the exciting growth regions of Asia and the USA will increase the size of S&Ts geographic footprint. According to Rosner, "the successful integration of IMG will mean a great deal of work for our experienced acquisition team. But it will also create huge opportunities which we will make full use of. After this takeover, the market will look completely different - and S&T will have reinforced its claim to leadership. In future, there will be no way around S&T in the IT services market and especially in the SAP environment segment."
IMG Management Welcomes the Takeover The management team at IMG will remain on board. Alfred Ermer, CEO of IMG AG, says, "The management of IMG welcomes and supports this takeover, as we firmly believe this development will offer employees, customers and partners advantages and potential for the future and will also provide the company with major global market synergies." Once the anti-trust authorities have given their approval, teams of managers and employees at the two companies will implement the merger and realise strategic and operational opportunities. The successful IMG brand will be preserved in most countries for the time being, and the two companies will continue to do business as in the past.
Customers Benefit Both companies already focus strongly on customers in the manufacturing and financial services industries and possess detailed knowledge of the processes and operations in these sectors. Besides large and medium-sized national enterprises, the two corporations also count a large number of multi-national companies among their customers. Together IMG and S&T have more than 3,000 customers (including AOK, Bosch Rexroth, Andritz, Voest Alpine and Erste Bank). Under the heading Global Delivery, they will soon be able to call upon the services of an even stronger partner in even more countries. They will also benefit from the enhanced quality of consulting and implementation provided by multi-national teams and from the cost and efficiency advantages that the new company will offer.
Strengthening the Core Regions / Penetrating New Markets With the acquisition of IMG, S&T is not only expanding its presence in Central and Eastern Europe; it is also extending its geographical footprint to Asia and the United States. IMGs strong presence and excellent position on the markets in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Poland will give new impetus to this S&T core region. S&T recently sold its Swiss subsidiary which had been purchased within the scope of another takeover, but whose service portfolio was not ideally suited to S&T. The company is now making a vigorous re-entry onto the Swiss market. In Germany, S&T has a small subsidiary which will achieve critical market size and gain importance as a result of the new constellation. Poland has been a key S&T market since 2000. "IMG will give us additional market strength in our core regions. The subsidiaries in Japan and China are also extremely interesting for us, as is the fact that we will gain a foothold in the US IT market," explained Rosner.
Expansion of the Consulting Business, especially in the SAP environment IMG plans and implements business solutions focussing mainly on sales, customer service and the supply chain in the engineering industry, the retail trade, the processing, consumer goods and financial services industries. It therefore provides a perfect complement to S&Ts portfolio of services. The takeover will enable S&T to massively expand its core business area Business Solutions and will support the Groups continued successful development. IMG has extensive experience and highly qualified workers especially in the area of SAP consulting. Together, the two companies have more than 1,200 SAP/ERP specialists. Rosner says, "this takeover immediately turns us into a key player in SAP services. S&T is now THE partner for all aspects of Business Solutions and consulting, especially in SAP/ERP. "
The parties have agreed to keep details of the transaction confidential. S&T will not carry out a capital increase to finance the transaction. The transaction is subject to the approval of the anti-trust authorities.
* The IMG financial year ends on 30 September.
Photo: The contract was signed on 10 January 2007. From left to right: Christian Rosner, CEO of S&T AG, Martin Bergler, CFO of S&T AG, Hans Schlegel, Shareholder The Information Management Group, Hans Peter Koller, Vice President of the Board of Directors The Information Management Group, Tillmann Hüttenhain, Member of the Board of Directors The Information Management Group, Hubert Österle, Member of the Board of Directors The Information Management Group (IMG). Right: Hansjörg Appenzeller, attorney at law.
Copyright: S&T
About S&T - www.snt-world.com - XETRA Vienna: SNT With more than 2,350 employees (FTE) at present, S&T is the leading provider of IT solutions and services for customers in Central and Eastern Europe. We develop and implement customised IT solutions for large and medium-sized enterprises, in particular telecommunications companies, banks, power utilities, manufacturing companies and public institutions. Through our subsidiaries in 18 countries we realize cross-border IT structures, offering our clients outstanding solutions and service competence.
www.img.com IMG, an international consulting company headquartered in St. Gallen (Switzerland) specialises in implementing innovative business models in processes and systems. It makes use of its many years of industry experience, leading-edge process expertise and state-of-the-art tools. With its business engineering-based approach, the company ensures maximum reliability and security for even the most demanding projects.
end of announcement euro adhoc 11.01.2007 10:20:21
Further inquiry note:
Gabriela Mair
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.: +43 (0)1 367 80 88-1024
Mobile +43 664 60191 102
Gabriela.Mair@snt-world.com
www.snt-world.com
Branche: Computing & Information Technology
ISIN: AT0000905351
WKN:
Index: WBI, ATX Prime
Börsen: Wiener Börse AG / official market