Alten Finishes 2021 with an Indian-like Growth Rate

/ January 30, 2022

lten finished 2021 with an India-growth rate. For the third consecutive quarter, Alten has an organic (cc/cs) revenue growth close to 20%, reaching 23.2% in Q4. The company benefitted from favorable comps (-17.4% in Q4 2020) and HR decisions.

SII: Simply the Best this Quarter

/ November 10, 2021

II was simply the best this quarter. The France-headquartered ER&D services vendor had its revenues up 24.0% yoy (at cc/cs) in Q3 2021/Q2 FY22. SII matched Alten’s excellent performance (+24.0% at cc/cs) despite relatively demanding comps. Unlike peers, SII had limited exposure to automotive and aeronautics. In FY21, its revenues were only slightly down, by 1.5% at cc/cs. SII, therefore, managed to grow its Q2 FY22 revenues despite relatively demanding comps (-4.5%). Alten’s decline during the same quarter was 9.4% yoy.

Modis Comes Into the Light with Akka

/ August 15, 2021

Modis came into the light two weeks ago when Adecco announced the acquisition of Akka. Modis is a decently large IT services firm with 2020 revenues of EUR 2,179m. It is little-profitable with an adjusted EBITA margin of 5.7% (2019: 6.3%). Like everyone, the company faced headwinds in 2020, with revenues down 9% in 2020 (2019: -3%).

UPDATED: Atos Approaches DXC in a USD 10bn Transaction

/ January 7, 2021

Following a Reuters news release, European IT services vendor Atos confirmed it had submitted to the Board of DXC an unsolicited non-binding offer to acquire the firm. The offer is at a preliminary stage. Reuters estimated Atos’ offer to USD 10bn.

SII Performed Very Well This Quarter. Really?

/ November 13, 2020

At first glance, SII performed very well during calendar Q3 2020 (corresponding to its Q2 FY21). Revenues were down by only 4.5% yoy at cc/cs. By comparison, Alten’s revenues were down by 19%! SII continued to overperform its French and European peers by a very significant margin.

Unofficial: Renault Selects its Four ER&D Preferred Vendors

/ July 24, 2020

According to unofficial sources, Renault has now finalized its list of preferred ER&D service vendors, reducing it from nine vendors to four. The four winners are Akka, Bertrandt, Expleo, and Segula. They will now grab 80% of Renault’s ER&D spending and double their market shares.

Covid-19 Will Mostly Impact the ER&D Onshore Industry

/ March 19, 2020

Since we published our last note on the impact of Covid-19 on ER&D spending, the situation has changed with Covid-19, having now spread to Europe and soon the US. Already, The European Central Bank is predicting a GDP decline of 5% in 2020, based on the impact of three months of confinement.

What An Economic Recession Means to the ER&D Industry

/ March 4, 2020

The US Federal Reserve yesterday lowered “the target range for the federal funds” by 50 bps to 1%-1.25%. Although the “fundamentals of the US economy remain strong,” “the coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity,” communicated the Fed.

Covid-19: Slowdown in ER&D Spending Now Likely

/ February 29, 2020

Currently, Covid-19 has only affected China significantly, although having spread in South Korea, Japan, and Northern Italy.
Several ER&D vendors have been impacted so far: Ricardo has warned that the situation in the Chinese automotive market would have a “material” effect on its profit.

Bertrandt: Soft Quarter in Q1 FY20

/ February 23, 2020

Bertrandt had a soft quarter in Q1 FY20 (corresponding to calendar Q4 2019): revenues were flat (+0.4%) to EUR 263m, impacted by project delays, and reduced utilization rates in its Digital Engineering (DE) unit (-3.0%). DE, Bertrandt’s largest unit (55% of revenues), suffered from Germany OEMs shifting their R&D spending to digital.

Alten Slows Down in Q4. Points to Market Adjustment

/ February 3, 2020

Alten’s revenues in Q4 slowed down to a growth of +7.3% yoy (at CC/CS ), following double-digit CC/CS growth during Q1-Q3 2019. The company suffered from a demanding comparison basis (+13.7% in Q4 2018), and one lesser working day in several countries (a 0.15% impact on the group’s revenues).

IT Services and ER&D: Convergence or Overlap?

/ January 25, 2020

The industry loves to talk about convergence, especially between ER&D and IT services. As an industry analyst, I must say that I have never seen such porosity between IT service and ER&D services vendors.

Wipro Still Reinventing its Industrial and Engineering Business in Q3 FY20

/ January 19, 2020

Wipro announced a mild growth in the revenues of its Industrial and Engineering (I&E) business unit in Q3 FY20: I&E revenues were up by 3.1% only (to USD 151m). Revenues included a small contribution from the recent ITI acquisition and were impacted by the market conditions in the semiconductor industry and softness in 5G adoption.

Akka Raises EUR 175m in Convertible Bonds. But Why?

/ November 28, 2019

We don’t usually comment on the financial performance of ER&D service vendors beyond their financials. But this time, this is a little bit different: Akka Technologies raised yesterday EUR 175m in convertible bonds, a significant amount for Akka, which has a market cap of EUR ~EUR 1.2bn.

Capgemini’s Acquisition of Altran Delayed by Elliott by Up to Five Months

/ November 28, 2019

Capgemini’s acquisition of Altran will be delayed by up to six months. Edge Fund Elliott has, through intermediaries, brought, the case to court. The initial ruling on December 4 will decide if the acquisition will be suspended. A final ruling will occur by end of the March at the latest.