Published: April 01, 2011
Wipro to Acquire SAIC's Global Oil and Gas Information Technology Services Business
NEW YORK & BANGALORE, India - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Wipro Technologies, the global IT business of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT),
a leading Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing company,
announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire the Global
Oil and Gas Information Technology practice of the Commercial Business
Services business unit of Science Applications International Corporation
(SAIC) (NYSE: SAI), for an all cash consideration of approximately US$
150 million, subject to adjustments.
SAIC's Global Oil and Gas Information Technology practice provides
Consulting, System Integration and Outsourcing Services to Global Oil
majors with significant domain capabilities in the areas of Digital Oil
Field, Petro-technical Data Management and Petroleum Application
Services addressing the upstream segment.
As a result of the transaction, approximately 1,450 employees are
expected to transition to Wipro across North America, Europe, India and
Middle East.
Wipro's Energy, Natural Resources and Utilities Strategic Business Unit
(SBU) is a high-growth SBU and this acquisition will further strengthen
Wipro's leadership position. IT spend in this sector is expected to grow
as customers increasingly look to grow newer streams of revenues,
optimize their operational cost and find better ways to become
environmentally conscious.
Anand Padmanabhan, Senior Vice President, Energy, Natural Resources and
Utilities SBU, Wipro Technologies, said, "Oil & Gas companies are
investing in the upstream business while looking at rationalizing cost
through IT. The acquisition of SAIC's Global Oil & Gas Information
Technology practice will strengthen Wipro's existing Energy business
unit in becoming a long term strategic partner in our customer's
transformation journey. We are happy to have the SAIC team on board.
Their domain consultancy and competencies significantly enhances Wipro's
capabilities in the Upstream Oil & Gas space and further strengthens
Wipro's position as an end to end leader in servicing customers."
"We are excited at the prospect of joining a company that has such a
strong, strategic focus in multi-national commercial IT services," said
Rex Ballard, Senior Vice President and General Manager of SAIC's
Commercial Business Services business unit. "Bringing our skills and
client base to Wipro increases our combined market potential and
positions us to capitalize on commercial business opportunities across
the full breadth of the oil and gas industry. The combined organization
will give clients access to an enhanced portfolio of technologies and
solutions and provide employees with increased opportunities for career
development."
Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions
and regulatory approvals.
About Wipro Technologies
Wipro Technologies, the global IT business of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT),
is a leading Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing company
that delivers solutions to enable its clients to do business better.
Wipro Technologies delivers winning business outcomes through its deep
industry experience and a 360 degree view of "Business through
Technology" - helping clients create successful and adaptive businesses.
A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of
services, a practitioner's approach to delivering innovation and an
organization wide commitment to sustainability, Wipro Technologies has
120,000 employees and clients across 54 countries.
For more information, please visit www.wipro.com.
Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements
Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth
prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of
risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and
uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited
to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings,
revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, intense
competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage,
wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly
skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time
frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our
ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for
technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication
networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential
acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the
success of the companies in which we make strategic investments,
withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability,
war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies
outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and
general economic conditions affecting our business and industry.
Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more
fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov.
We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral
forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the
company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our
reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any
forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on
our behalf.

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Technologies
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or
US:
Wipro
Technologies
Kathleen Ulrich
+1 (732) 509-1337
kathleen.ulrich@wipro.com
or
Gutenberg
Communications
Lavanya DJ
+1 (212) 239-8740
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or
UK:
Wipro
Technologies
Rahul Kadavakolu
+44 7920205496
rahul.kadavakolu@wipro.com
or
Gutenberg
Communications
Olivia Benjamin
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olivia@gutenbergpr.com
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