Leading Solutions Merges with Computer CORP (ASX:CZP) 09 December, 2007 10:02:57
Continuing their successful histories of mergers and acquisitions, Leading Solutions and ComputerCORP Limited (ASX:CZP), both providers of IT infrastructure services and business solutions, have concluded an agreement to merge.
Formed in 1987, Perth-based ComputerCORP completed a backdoor listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in August 2006 and has since reported revenues of $143 million for the 2006-07 financial year.
Leading Solutions was established in 1990 in Victoria as an exclusive Hewlett-Packard reseller and has grown through acquisition and dynamic organic growth to become one of the largest IT solutions providers in Australia.
The merged entity, to be called Leading Solutions, will be headed up by one of the entrepreneurs of the IT industry, Frank Colli. Mr Colli has considerable experience in the successful merger of like companies following Leading Solutions' acquisition of Kasys in 1999, Scala Australia in 2003, Micro Knox in 2004 and BCA IT in 2006.
"Our model for growth through strategic acquisition has proved itself," said Mr Colli. "Growing organically isn't fast enough for us to take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace, which is experiencing continuous consolidation.
"In each of our acquisitions, the new teams have integrated well, welcoming Leading Solutions' envied culture and philosophy.
"Financially, this latest acquisition will give us the economies of scale to increase our reach throughout the country and give us a platform to expand overseas," Mr Colli said.
Perfect Fit
Strategically, ComputerCORP and Leading Solutions are a perfect fit with ComputerCORP strong in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT and Leading Solutions strong in Victoria (head office), New South Wales and Queensland. The company will have the advantage of operating eight offices nationally (each with service centre and warehouse) nationally, located in all major capital cities.
There is also very little conflict in the industries they each service with ComputerCORP having a large customer base in mining, federal government and large corporates, while Leading Solutions' customer base includes banks, hospitals, broadcasting, education and small to medium businesses.
Since 1987, ComputerCORP has grown to become an organisation of 200 employees with operations in all states of Australia and Canberra. Over this time it has built a dynamic team of technical specialists delivering infrastructure solutions to customers across many industries and various levels of government.
Proud to work with some of the biggest names in corporate Australia, Computer CORP partners with its customers so they can feel confident in selectively outsourcing all or logical parts of their computing strategy. From hardware and fundamental commodity services to developing tailored solutions, ComputerCORP provides a complete one stop shop that helps drive down the costs of managing ICT infrastructure.
Revenue of $300+ million
The combined entity will have more than 430 staff and is expected to generate revenues in its first year of more than $300 million.
ComputerCORP's current chairman, Domenic Martino, will continue in this role while Robin Rindel, CEO of ComputerCORP will become CFO and CIO of the merged company.
"The new Leading Solutions has a fantastic, experienced group of people across the breadth of the country," said Mr Colli. "Our customers can be assured that the service and support they receive will only get better.
"We expect the value of the company with our experienced leadership team will continue to grow and provide rewards for our shareholders," Mr Colli added.
Both Leading Solutions and ComputerCORP have direct vendor relationships with HP, IBM, Toshiba, Lenovo and Lexmark. Additional relationships include Sun Microsystems, Cisco, Citrix, Novell, Microsoft, Watchguard and HDS. Its service offering includes Leading Solutions Care, a high-end professional service that incorporates a "break fix" national service and repair network of 100 locations. It also has the capability to provide sales support and warranty repairs to many of its vendors' products.
With a current build rate of 2400 PCs per day from multiple facilities across Australia, it has the capacity to far exceed that as demand dictates.
Leading Solutions' service capabilities are further enhanced by its software business units that provide project management, business process analysis, application development, integration and ongoing managed services. Its software portfolio includes Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management solutions from vendors such as Microsoft and Epicor. Vertical market products including rental and fashions solutions, as well as point of sale and electronic commerce, are underpinned by custom application and web development capabilities.
