Unisys back on fight for critical systems for large customers
Valor Econômico
After three years of quietness, equating the financial and market positioning issues, Unisys, the American company of information technology (IT) services, is back and ready to fight for market share. In an interview to Valor, Paulo César Bonucci, President of the company in Brazil, says they intend to establish the company in Brazil with the offer of equipment and software that make the systems of large companies and Governments operate without stopping, the so-called mission critical systems.
Known for the manufacture of large size computers - mainframes - and for the rendering of services to banks and Governments, Unisys kept itself out of the spotlight since 2008. During those three years, the company underwent an extensive restructuring to eliminate the losses resulting, mainly, from high costs, an extensive portfolio and lack of focus. To put house in order, Edward Coleman needed little more than 18 months. At the end of the tax year 2009, Unisys returned to profitability, with profit of US$ 189 million, and in 2010, another positive result: US$ 236 million.
The fall in the businesses and the doubts generated by the restructuring fueled the rumors on the future of the company. One of them was that the operation in Latin America would be sold to a local company. The Executive assures that unit has never been put for sale. In FY 2010, the region represented 12% of the businesses of Unisys throughout the world. Brazil is responsible for 60% of the total of the region (nearly US$ 290 million). The operation in the country has 2 thousand employees and it is present in 15 cities. The main customers are the sectors of Government, finance and telecommunications.
"Slighter", the company decided to operate in the niche of mission-critical systems. To support that goal, Bonucci highlights the investments that may be made in the areas of data centers, software development, IT outsourcing and security. The segments of interest of Unisys are almost the same that have received the attention of rivals such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard (HP).
The Executive explains there is a difference between the means of operation of those companies and Unisys. According to him, while IBM and HP are investing to increase their offer of equipment and software, to become unique providers of technology, Unisys does not want to move away from the areas it deems to have full control: "We don't want to sell all the parts of a project. We will work more as integrators of the products that are not included in the general strategy".
Bonucci says he believes main opportunities for the company in Brazil relate to the infrastructure required for the holding of the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. The Executive also highlights the project digital identification of the citizens, which has been developed by the federal Government, the Civil Identification Record (RIC, in Portuguese).