Off-shoring / Outsourcing: Buying Out The Germans
posted in Outsourcing News and Top Outsourcing deals |Source: www.business-standard.com
Indeed, as Indian economy exudes a blitzing energy, growing by leaps and bounds, Indian firms have begun to develop nerves of steel, including considerable chutzpah, as they work hard to turn into global empires. Case in point, Laxmi Mittal, TCS, Infosys, Wipro and many more, all of whom have or are making acquisitions all across the Americas (both North and South) to Europe.
And now, the latest in India’s global success story comes the news of Wipro Technologies, one of India’s premier information technology and outsourcing firm, who is poised to acquire the IT arm of a major German firm.
While, names have been kept under wraps, with little chance of disclosure till the deal has been sealed and finalized, Wipro has already initiated talks with potential targets in Germany. Conjecture has it, BMW, Lufthansa, BASF and Siemens, all major German firms, have captive IT organisations in Germany.
While, automobile major BMW has an IT subsidiary, Softlab, with SAP capabilities, German airline stalwart Lufthansa runs Lufthansa Systems, the third biggest IT vendor in Germany. It is quite possible that BASF’s IT services division and a host of other small firms could also be on the Indian IT major’s radar screen.
Industry sources confirm, Wipro, based in Bangalore is expanding its presence in Germany and is looking at both organic and inorganic growth in the country.
With plans to enlarge its presence in enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, captive customer base and data centre applications, Wipro is scouting for a company that offers these capabilities, as it would be the quickest and fastest way to establish a presence in the country, add sources. However, a Wipro spokesperson said his firm, as per policy, refused to comment on specific deals or clients. Even as, earlier, Azim Premji, Chairman - Wipro stated his firm would be looking at making acquisitions in Europe, especially in the UK, Germany and France, for gaining presence on the continent that would help it embark on a much faster growth rate.
With German major SAP, the leading ERP solutions provider in the world, Wipro’s intensions to tap the biggest ERP market in the world necessitates a strong presence in Germany, one that will also enable it to tap one of the virgin markets for outsourcing of IT services.
If, Wipro achieves what it has targeted for itself, it will affirm that India is arriving on the global scene. And, an established presence in Germany is not to be scoffed at, and it is no mean feat for a home-grown Indian firm, if one is knowledgeable about the history and mental make-up of a nation that believed and, perhaps, continues to believe their blond, blue-eyedness makes them a superior race. If, that was the case, then why are blonds / blondes the common butt of jokes that laugh about their ‘thick as a plank’ denseness, as a famous blonde (Princess Diana) so often said about herself. Here’s one for the road, enjoy:
SHE WAS SO BLONDE, THAT ….She sent me a fax with a stamp on it.
Q. What do you call it when a blonde dies her hair brunette?
A. Artificial intelligence.
Q. What do you call a blond with a brain?
A. A golden retriever.
