FPT Software acquires a foreign company

FPT Software has just announced the acquisition of RWE IT Slovakia, a member company of the leading European group RWE. This is also the first acquisition of a Vietnamese IT company in a foreign market.

The reporter had an interview with Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, General Director of FPT Software about some information related to this deal.

Can you tell us how long it took FPT Software to complete negotiations with RWE Group regarding the acquisition of the Group's subsidiary (RWE IT Slovakia)?

In early 2013, we had our first contacts with RWE Group at the time when the Group was looking for solutions to improve the operational efficiency of IT solutions/applications in the company. Understanding this need of customers, FPT Software came up with a bold solution, which was to propose merging an IT center of RWE into FPT Software. After more than a year of pursuing, we finally reached an agreement with RWE on the acquisition of RWE IT Slovakia, a company specializing in providing SAP enterprise resource planning solutions for the energy sector and "Smart Home" solutions. And on June 18, the two sides signed an agreement related to this in Berlin, Germany.

Listening to you, it seems like FPT Software completed this deal quite simply?

Not quite. RWE is a leading European group in the electricity and gas sector with a turnover of nearly 70 billion USD and an annual IT budget of about 1 billion USD. This also means that RWE is a potential customer for IT service providers worldwide. In this deal, FPT Software has surpassed its competitor in the TOP 3 IT service providers in India.

What opportunities does this deal bring to FPT Software in the European market in particular and the global market in general?

With this deal, FPT Software immediately has a team of nearly 400 foreign experts with more than 10 years of experience implementing SAP enterprise resource management solutions for the energy sector and Smart Home systems. In addition, there is a contract worth tens of millions of USD over 5 years with RWE Group.

However, the opportunity for FPT Software is not simply the value that this deal brings, but more importantly, the opportunity to enter a new field, the energy field (Utility) and the opportunity to change the company's position in the European market and globally. This deal affirms that FPT Software has entered the global game, standing side by side with the world's leading companies.

So what about FPT Software's customers in the European market, what benefits will they get from this deal?

Through the merger of RWE IT Slovakia, FPT Software's service capacity in the European market is greatly enhanced. This means that we can simultaneously use resources in Europe and in Vietnam to provide services to customers in the most effective way.

After both parties complete the relevant procedures, how will FPT Software operate RWE IT Slovakia?

From July 1, 2014, RWE IT Slovakia will officially become a 100% European-owned company of FPT Software and will be renamed FPT Slovakia. This means that RWE IT Slovakia will be transformed from a company specializing in providing solutions for RWE in the Slovakian market to a company providing services for existing and future customers of FPT Software globally. The team of 400 experts in Slovakia will have the opportunity to participate in projects in markets where FPT Software is present such as Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, France, England, Australia, etc.

Signing is one thing, but more important is successfully integrating the team, deepening the customer base, developing the German and European markets in the energy sector as well as other fields. FPT Software will need the best people to do this.

On the other hand, integrating two companies means integrating people. Slovakian culture and Vietnamese culture certainly have many differences in the way of thinking and working. This requires the leadership team as well as each member of FPT Software who directly or indirectly participates to have an open and learning spirit.

According to the newspaper