With H&D’s operations in over 20 countries, it will be HCL’s global delivery footprint and will play an essential role in its development and growth
Global Tech firm HCL Technologies (HCL) has announced the acquisition of Germany-based IT and engineering services provider, H&D International Group (H&D). This agreement has been signed keeping in mind HCL’s long-term growth plan in Germany and to strengthen its domain expertise in the global automotive sector.
Conquering the largest IT firm in Germany
With this acquisition, HCL expects to attain significant in-country front office and delivery capabilities as a company. H&D is reputed as one of the largest IT service providers in the German automotive industry, functioning in more than 20 destinations on a globally including the US, Czech Republic, Poland and Germany. The IT major specialises in IT infrastructure, application services particularly in R&D IT, shop floor IT and industry 4.0 solutions and has expertise in Systems, Applications and Products (SAP), computer-aided technologies (CAx), engineering services and customer-specific product development.
With this deal, H&D’s current delivery centre in Gifhorn, Germany, will become part of HCL’s global delivery footprint and the company will be focused on IT and engineering services in both Germany and across the globe. Ashish Gupta, Corporate Vice President at HCL Technologies said that the “German market is at an infection point and it is the right time for HCL to expand and make significant investments here.” He added, “H&D has a long-standing track record of high-quality service delivery and we are confident this will play a significant role in our continued growth in Germany.”
A great investment for HCL
Speaking about the acquisition, Bernhard Honigsberge, CEO of the H&D International Group, said: “By combining H&D’s delivery capabilities with those of HCL, we have an unprecedented opportunity to add tremendous value to the services we provide to support our clients’ IT transformation ambitions. Furthermore, the experience and know-how of HCL and H&D complement each other perfectly and our employees are set to benefit significantly from the new opportunities that lie ahead.”
Adding his take on this agreement, Klaus Holzhauser, Managing Director of leading independent European research and consulting firm, Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) Germany, said: “HCL already has a strong presence in Germany and the automotive sector with its purchase and integration of Volvo IT and Geometric Software. Its investment in H&D strengthens its capabilities and positioning even further in two crucial regions.”
Holzhauser stated that H&D has formed a strong footprint in the automotive markets of Germany and Central Europe and is the IT services provider to one of Germany’s biggest card manufacturers. “The ability to flexibly offer onsite as well as global delivery capabilities enables HCL to effectively respond to individual client requests in the best possible way,” Holzhauser added.