Bure Acquires majority shareholding in Erda AB, an independent fast-growing IT consulting company
Investment AB Bure has acquired 75 per cent of the shares in Erda AB which is an independent fast-growing and highly-qualified IT consulting company. Erda was formed in 1992 following a demerger from Enator Teknik. The company is located in Linköping and is expected to have sales of approximately SEK 30M with high profitability in the 1997/98 financial year. The average number of employees for the period is around 35. Through the acquisition Bure IT InfoMedia strengthens still further its position as the leading network of companies in IT and information services in the Nordic countries. Erda AB, which was founded in 1992 by its President, Göran Smith, has extensive experience of modern systems development and development of real time systems. Among other things, Erda specialises in development and sales of knowledge systems for call centres, help desk, support via the Internet and systems for information search. The acquisition means that Bure's ownership amounts to 75 per cent of the shares in Erda. The remaining 25 per cent is owned by the Smith family. Bure also gets an option to acquire additional shares in Erda. "Through Bure we will take an active part in a very interesting network of IT companies in which we will get an opportunity to develop our specialist skills and carry out major customer projects in collaboration with companies such as Guide Konsult, CR&T and Dimension," says Erda's President, Göran Smith. Björn Boldt-Christmas, Head of Operations in Bure IT Services, says: "The acquisition of Erda means that we will get access to new skills in the network and it also means more vigorous investment in small and medium-size IT companies with a high level of expertise." Bure IT/InfoMedia is currently active in IT Services, Information Services and Trading & Distribution with companies such as CR&T, Dimension, Salcom, Udac, Citat Mediaproduktion and the two listed companies, Guide Konsult and Scribona. 1998 sales by the Business Area are estimated to amount to approximately SEK 11,000M. Gothenburg, 17 June 1998 Investment AB Bure (publ) For further information please contact: Björn Boldt-Christmas, Head of Operations Bure IT/InfoMedia telephone: +46 31-335 76 85 (direct line), + 46 705-88 76 75 (mobile) Knut Leman, Head of Information Services, Investment AB Bure telephone +46 31-335 76 75 (direct line)