With the addition of billing, database management, transaction processing and call centre businesses in the UK, Poland, India and Sri Lanka the groups total staff will be 3,400. It has also taken on a huge call centre in Leicester.
Hays BPOs Transaction Processing division will become Astron BPO, while the Document Technologies and Marketing Technologies businesses will become Astron Document Services.
This was the next logical step for us and a step change acquisition, said Mitchell. These businesses were not core to the business of Hays, but they will be core to us. Weve now got clients looking for far more integrated services rather than just print or print management.
The acquisition brings Astron new customers, including Centrica, Orange and Experian.
The news comes a week after it announced a contract win in Ireland and reported an improved operating profit for 2002 (PrintWeek, 17 July).
Mitchell has in the past stated his ambition to grow Astron to a group with sales of 250m and the acquisition will put it in a more powerful position were it to float. You cant discount anything now, he said.
He hopes to complete the integration of the Hays and Astron businesses within 100 days, a similar timetable to Astrons progress after its merger with Tactica in December 2000.
Edotech is number one in the UK transactional print market. Its chief executive, Sam Ferguson, said it had looked at Hays but didnt want to move away from its core business and that Hays would only sell lock, stock and barrel.
Story by Gordon Carson
