Debis Systemhaus Buys Marketech, Plans Further Expansion

Computergram International, August 17, 1999

Debis Systemhaus GmbH has bought Marketech BV, a Pumerend, the Netherlands services company, further enhancing its European desktop roll-out capabilities. Financial details of the purchase were not revealed. Marketech, with 1998 revenue of 16.4m euros ($17.3m) and projected 1999 sales of 22.7m euros ($24.0m), is the latest in a series of relatively small acquisitions by the Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany-based IT services arm of auto-maker DaimlerChrysler (CI No 3,715). Marketech's 120 employees will expand Systemhaus' total Benelux-based staff to more than 400.

Marketech offers client/server and networking infrastructure consulting, design, project management, implementation and technical support to mid-size companies in the retail, financial services, and public sectors.

As with previous purchases of desktop service vendors, Marketech's offerings will be expanded to include Systemhaus' full range of desktop services, from consulting through configuration to operations management. Systemhaus aims to be able to offer identical services throughout Europe although for now the full portfolio is only available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain and the Czech Republic.

A company spokesperson said Systemhaus' spending spree is likely to continue. Two more European buys will be announced between September and October. These are likely to be either desktop-related, as with Marketech, or SAP-based, the company's other main expansion focus. However, unlike Systemhaus' desktop service operations which are locally based, the company is planning to create a worldwide SAP resource with consultants being deployed wherever necessary.

The company is reportedly currently trying to secure a number of public contracts in the UK, and France and Italy have also been identified as important for geographical expansion. The company is also reportedly bidding for more high-profile contracts in the US following its successful December 1998 capture of a five-year, $70m contract to provide systems and support to DaimlerChrysler subsidiary, Freightliner.