IBM Signs Information Technology Services Agreement With Safmarine Container Lines
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA and ANTWERP, BELGIUM - 10 Aug 2006: Safmarine Container Lines and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a 10-year agreement to transform Safmarine’s Information Technology (IT) infrastructure.
The project will support Safmarine’s growth objectives within the shipping industry by providing greater reliability and flexibility to the company’s IT infrastructure, at a lower cost. The contract is one of IBM South Africa’s largest ever deals and further strengthens IBM’s IT services capability in the country.
IBM will provide IT strategy consulting services to help develop and advance Safmarine’s vision and strategy. Under the agreement, IBM will in South Africa run Safmarine’s data center operations; provide disaster recovery services; manage server, storage as well as desktop systems -- and also manage some of these services in Belgium.
“Safmarine and IBM have enjoyed a close business relationship for more than 20 years and this agreement takes our relationship to a new level,” says Ivan Heesom-Green, CEO of Safmarine. “IBM will offer Safmarine competitive, on demand IT services through their economies of scale and, as a long-term business partner, provide for our IT solutions of the future as we continue to expand our core world-wide shipping services.”
“We believe this agreement will significantly transform Safmarine’s IT services environment across its global operations,” said Mark Harris, IBM South Africa’s Managing Director. “We are helping Safmarine meet the challenge of finding new ways to innovate, increasing responsiveness to clients by providing access to IBM’s global transport and logistics intellectual capital and capabilities.”
Under the agreement, Safmarine will transfer its IT assets and resources to IBM. The transfer includes 159 highly skilled people currently employed by Safmarine. Implementation of the agreement is subject to approval by the South African Competition Commission.
The transfer of Safmarine staff will expand IBM’s market presence in the Western Cape, significantly increase IBM’s employee numbers in South Africa and enhance IBM’s capability to offer IT and application services support to customers locally and throughout Africa.
About IBM
For more information, please visit www.ibm.com
About Safmarine
Safmarine Container Lines is a separately-managed shipping company in the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, a provider of containerised and multi-purpose shipping services. Safmarine markets its services in more than 125 countries. For more information, visit www.safmarine.com
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