Axway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sopra Group (Paris:SOP), today
announced its intention to sign an agreement with Atos Origin, a
leading International Information Technology Services Company, to
acquire the B2B software business of Atos Origin in Germany. On
completion, the combined entity will gain leadership as the EDI and
B2B solution provider in Europe, will become a major B2B software
supplier in Germany and a leader in Collaborative Business Solutions.
This project is subject to regulatory approval and should be finalized
in early 2007. As a complement to this acquisition, Atos Origin and
Axway will enter into a worldwide partnership agreement for B2B
solutions.
After all assets of the Atos Origin B2B software business in
Germany have been transferred to a new company, Axway will acquire, in
cash, 100% of the share capital of that company. Further details will
be announced after the agreement is completed.
This acquisition is in line with Axway's global development
strategy. The complementary geographic positioning will create an
undisputed B2B software leader in Europe. In addition, Axway's
expertise in Collaborative Business Solutions and the expertise in
business solutions provided by the Atos Origin B2B software business
in Germany will create a global leader capable of serving the needs of
the largest multinational corporations.
Upon completion, clients will benefit from expanded features of
the Axway Synchrony(TM) platform, such as BPM, BAM, and MFT, which
complement the existing technologies currently offered by the Atos
Origin B2B software business in Germany. Today, common clients already
manage their collaborative business with the combined added value of
both product lines. The Atos Origin B2B software products will be
maintained and integrated in an updated version of Axway's
Synchrony(TM) platform, thus enhancing EDI formats and process
integration technology specific to the automotive sector, expanding
the depth of Web EDI features and leveraging the privileged
relationships with leading ERPs and the associated interconnection
possibilities between B2B servers. In addition, Axway will maintain
and develop the SaaS offering in partnership with Atos Origin Germany,
who will continue to provide outsourcing infrastructure.
Axway expects to capitalize on the fast-growing healthcare,
financial services, automotive, logistics and transportation
industries, its key market strengths post-acquisition. This operation
will also offer enhanced career opportunities for the 1100+ employees
of Axway.
"This operation brings together two healthy companies," said
Christophe Fabre, CEO of Axway. "We think the 8000+ clients and
partners alike are going to be thrilled with the extended products and
services our joint operations will be able to offer. By leveraging our
combined strengths in SOA, B2B and vertical sector expertise, we will
be very well-positioned to grow our operations in Europe, capitalize
on a significant presence in Germany and create best-in-class
solutions for global clients worldwide."
With this operation, Atos Origin takes a further step in its
strategy to focus on its core Consulting, Systems Integration and
Managed Operations business and is convinced that the acquisition of
the B2B Software unit in Germany by Axway offers the best opportunity
to further grow this B2B software business. "The combination of Axway
and the Atos Origin Germany B2B Software unit will create a de-facto
B2B leader in Europe for managing real-time collaborations between
business partners," said, Wolfgang Sturm, COO of Atos Origin in
Germany. "Our B2B Software business has enjoyed great recognition from
its 900 customers as a quality supplier of a large set of services
that can meet all needs in the B2B area, a rapidly developing
marketplace".
What is today the B2B software unit of Atos Origin in Germany has
a long experience in providing EDI and B2B solutions, mainly to the
automotive sector. Since the mid-'80s, this unit has established a
broad base of nearly 1,200 client installations. Since 2005, it has
become one of the leading developers in Germany specialized in EDI and
B2B software and offers its clients "On-Demand" services in order to
help reduce IT costs. The Atos Origin Germany B2B Software unit
employs 160 people in Berlin, Hambourg, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart. This
unit proposes a modular, completely integrated product suite covering
an extensive range of integration options from classic EDI solutions
to Marketplace Connectivity and WebEDI. In addition to the extensive
coverage of the automotive ecosystem, it also includes a predefined
CPG offering and a large range of interface standards.
B2B: Business to Business.
BAM: Business Activity
Monitoring.
BPM: Business Process Management.
CPG: Consumer Packaged Goods.
EDI: Electronic Data Interchange.
MFT: Managed File Transfer.
SaaS: Software as a Service.
SOA: Service Oriented Architecture.
About Axway Software (www.axway.com)
Axway is the leading global provider of Collaborative Business
Solutions. Axway establishes the dynamic connections -- within and
among enterprises -- that make companies easier to do business with.
Over 7000 organizations worldwide depend on Axway to manage and
control their business-critical information in motion -- improving
value chain efficiency, regulatory compliance and quality of service.
Axway's solutions feature a highly flexible integration and B2B
framework, analytics, services, and customized applications for the
financial services and life sciences industries. A subsidiary of Sopra
Group, SA, Axway has dual headquarters in Paris, France and
Scottsdale, Arizona, and offices in 20 countries.
About Atos Origin
Atos Origin is an international information technology services
company. Its business is turning client vision into results through
the application of consulting, systems integration and managed
operations. The company's annual revenues are EUR 5.5 billion and it
employs over 47,000 people in 40 countries. Atos Origin is the
Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and has
a client base of international blue-chip companies across all sectors.
Atos Origin is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market and trades as Atos
Origin, Atos Euronext Market Solutions, Atos Worldline and Atos
Consulting. For more information, please visit the company's web site
at http://www.atosorigin.com
About Sopra Group (www.sopragroup.com)
A leader in the European consulting and IT services market, with a
total workforce of 9,600, Sopra Group provides the full spectrum of
services enabling companies to transform their organisations and their
information systems. Sopra Group is a total solution provider, from
prior strategic reflection from an executive management perspective,
through to the supervision and implementation of major systems
integration and application outsourcing projects. Through its
subsidiary Axway, the Group pursues the worldwide deployment of its
activities in both application integration and collaborative business
solutions, with a complete range of solutions and services.
