Romsys, one of the largest local IT&C solution integrators, is planning to buy two local IT companies specializing in niche solutions, which it does not already provide, chief executive Horatiu Berdila told ZF in an interview.
“We are very interested – and this will be one of the main things we will do in 2013, in buying companies with niche experience. We have a EUR10 million budget for this year. Romsys must buy at least two companies this year.”
Asked how he saw the IT solutions market performing this year, the Romsys executive said he expected a number of industries to continue investment and most of the investment to go to IT solutions, whose effects end customers will immediately see.
The most productive areas will be “industry, transport, banking and services”, while the “banking, insurance, manufacturing, utilities and retail” will see a higher investment rate.
Romsys also hopes for the public sector to not see last year’s decline again, its chief executive said.
“We are interested in telecom, master data management, troubleshooting, revenue intelligence and others.”
Last year was one of the slowest for the IT solutions industry, Berdila says. Romsys posted a revenue decline, but operating income went up.
“We posted EUR51.2 million revenue last year, down from EUR64 million in 2011. We have 17% or 18% decline on last year and an increase in earnings before interests, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) by 3%. “
The company kept the employee number unchanged at 320 despite the almost 20% drop in revenue and is not planning to hire any more this year.
The revenue decline came in a year when the government and many private companies slashed their IT spending budgets and were very careful about where they invest their money, Berdila said.
Romsys was developed by a Romanian entrepreneur, Marius Cojanu, who sold it to Austria’s New Frontier Holding group in 2007.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)