Ericsson appoints HiQ in Gothenburg as Active Preferred Supplier

Ericsson appoints HiQ in Gothenburg as Active Preferred Supplier The western Sweden Ericsson companies have appointed HiQ in Gothenburg as one of three "Active Preferred Suppliers". The agreement relates to consultancy services within systems development focusing on IT, electronics and mobility. Ericsson has taken the initiative of starting to work more closely with just a few consultancy companies to achieve long-term relationships and quality improvements. "We buy consultancy services on a daily basis and prefer to have long term relationships with our consultancy service providers, which we believe we can achieve through the agreement. The agreement concept is called "Active Preferred Supplier", a term highlighting the importance of the consultants being appointed on a regular basis," says Jonas Carlsson, head of purchasing at Ericsson Microwave. "The agreement means improved efficiency in consultancy services and a greater exchange of information, which favours both Ericsson as a customer and our service providers," says Håkan Persson, head of purchasing at Ericsson Mobile Data Design. "We see the broadened collaboration with Ericsson in western Sweden as very positive. It shows that the longstanding experience and in-depth expertise offered by HiQ is in demand within the industry," says Peter Davin, Managing Director of HiQ Väst. "As highly reputed specialists within technical systems development geared to telecoms and wireless, we are now gaining increased exposure within Ericsson. This provides us with a new platform to work from," says Bernt Sjögren, Managing Director of HiQ Open (formerly Open Software). "We already have a general agreement with Ericsson on a group-wide level, and the agreement for the Gothenburg region consolidates our relationships in western Sweden. Ericsson is a successful telecoms provider that works with the latest technology, making them an attractive customer for us. We work with both systems development and management with a strong focus on telecoms, the mobile Internet and simulation technology. We expect that our collaboration on Sweden's west coast will lead to more attractive assignments," says Lars Stugemo, Managing Director of HiQ International. For further information, please contact: Peter Davin, Managing Director, HiQ Väst, tel: + 46 31 743 91 00 Bernt Sjögren, Managing Director, HiQ Open, tel: + 46 703 16 09 60 Lars Stugemo, President and CEO, HiQ International: tel: +46 8 588 90 00 HiQ is an IT and management consultancy company focusing on high-tech solutions within telecoms, the mobile Internet and simulation technology. Formed in 1992, the company is now a leader in these fields and the Nordic region is its domestic market. The Group's turnover in 1999 was SEK 223 million and the company employs 330 people in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. HiQ is listed on OM Stockholm Stock Exchange's O list. For more information, please visit our web site at www.hiq.se ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/05/24/20000524BIT00160/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/05/24/20000524BIT00160/bit0002.pdf