Fujitsu acquires Australian software firm

Japanese-based tech group Fujitsu has acquired Australian software company Supply Chain Consulting in a $48 million deal, just weeks after Fujitsu’s purchase of Telstra subsidiary Kaz for $200 million.

Fujitsu’s deal with SCC means long term investors Macquarie Group and venture capitalist Roger Allen have sold their stakes in the company.

But Allen, Macquarie Group and SCC chief executive Tony Carr will retain ownership of SCC’s Viewlocity supply chain products division and CarbonView carbon management services division.

Supply Chain Consulting was founded in 1998 and has annual revenue of about $50 million. The business primarily offers business software such as supply-chain management programs, but also maintains business software consultancy practices.

Fujitsu says the acquisition will help expand the company’s Australian and south-east Asian operations, and will help them offer SAP services to some of the country’s larger businesses.

The acquisition will also bring Fujitsu’s revenue over $1.2 billion, which places the company as the third-largest computer group in the country behind IBM and Hewlett-Packard.

Fujitsu Australia executive director of sales and marketing, Conway Kosi, says that the two recent acquisitions are part of a plan to help expand the company’s offerings in the Australiasian region.

“Fujitsu has been looking for some time to bulk up its SAP practices, so we’ve been looking for strategic positions to not only help customers but help us take us to the next level.”

“We have also been looking at companies to help us in that potential offshore market and SSC was a prime potential target.”

SCC also welcomed the move, with managing director Ian Hodge saying that “this is very exciting news for our people, our customers and our partners”.

But Kosi says the acquistions are over, and that the next 12 months will be devoted to integrating the two recent purchases. But Kosi says that the company may be looking to hire more staff, and says there is a skills shortage in some ICT sectors.

“Certainly we will continually look to hiring and it’s a distinct possibility given the larger projects coming up that we would need to go into a hiring phase,” he says.

Related story:

• Telstra sells Kaz Group for $200 million