Sasken acquires Finland firm

By agencies   |   Wednesday, 26 July 2006, 19:30 IST
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BANGALORE: Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd. acquired 100 percent of Finland based Botnia Hightech Oy, which is a leading provider of wireless R and D and testing services. As per the deal, the Company will be paying € 35.5 million for Botnia, all in cash. Sasken Communications has been looking to create strategies, with a focus to strengthen their customer relationships in the Tier 1 arena. Botnia Hightech Oy’s has its main operations in Finland with additional operations in Denmark and Germany. Sasken would thus, get a leverage to expand its presence in Finland, which is an addition to its global development centers in Mexico and China, apart from its centers in India. Botnia’s customer base will be help, fulfill its objectives, to expand in the European markets. The acquisition, is a safe bet for Sasken as for the year ended April 30, 2006, Botnia reported revenues of € 17.7 million with a profit after tax of € 2.9 million. Botnia Hightech, which is based at Kaustinen, Finland, is an important supplier of Hardware, software, Mechanical Design and Testing Services to leading mobile handset vendors. Botnia's services can even be applied in R&D projects, subprojects, tester design, as welt as in cost reduction. “We are tremendously excited by the opportunities that this deal opens up for both Sasken and Botnia. Europe leads the world in the development of wireless technology. Botnia’s European presence and their expertise combined with Sasken’s global reach and India based development centers will enable us to offer a compelling portfolio of value added solutions to our customers across the globe”, says Rajiv Mody, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, of Sasken Communications. The top management of both the Companies, are determined to execute the integration process, which is a significant exercise, keeping in mind the cross-culture and global nature of the two companies.