Mentec embarks on acquisition trail


9 Jul 2003

Dublin IT consultancy and systems integration firm Mentec is planning to embark on an acquisition spree, beginning with a possible acquisition of a UK-based systems integration firm, siliconrepublic.com has learned.

Mentec, which has been a stalwart figure in the Irish IT scene for over 20 years, employing 160 IT professionals and with annual revenues in the region of €20m, has begun growing its overseas business, and already has more than 40 customers in the UK market and employs 12 senior professionals in that market.

Chief executive Kevin Haverty told siliconrepublic.com that the company has been steadily expanding its overseas business and that so far 20pc of its annual revenues come from overseas, with recent projects being completed in Russia and Saudi Arabia. “In the UK and Northern Ireland we have 40 customers, including the NHS,” Haverty said.

The proposed acquisition follows Mentec’s last acquisition in 2001 of Sequel Financial Systems, a distributor for Great Plains Software.

Mentec focuses largely on business-to-business and e-government projects and has developed financial systems for the majority of local government bodies in Ireland. Its total customer base amounts to more than 400 companies.

The company integrates, implements and develops bespoke applications that fit around technologies from Microsoft, Oracle, Agresso and Fujitsu Siemens. In particular, the company specialises in IT integration projects for the manufacturing, public sector and services sectors. It divides itself into implementing e-business applications, software development and application and technology management. In recent months it formed a managed services alliance with IT hosting firm Data Electronics.

“We believe that there is a certain amount of growth in the systems integration business in the Irish and UK markets and we have been steadily increasing business in the UK, and are hiring professionals in the business development arena at present,” Haverty explained.

Mentec is understood to be putting the final touches on core projects in the public sector, including projects with the Ordnance Survey and the Courts Service.

By John Kennedy