Xerox, Golden Lions join forces again

Issued by Communikay for Altron Document Solutions
Johannesburg, 21 Feb 2014

Kevin de Klerk, GLRU President; Rob Abraham, CEO of Bytes Technology Group; Johan Ackermann, Lions Head Coach

Xerox, distributed to 26 sub-Saharan countries by Bytes Document Solutions (BDS), is pleased to announce a new three-year title sponsorship agreement with the Golden Lions Rugby Union for the Currie Cup tournament.

This three-year deal will see a substantial investment from Xerox Corporation and Bytes Document Solutions, and will establish Xerox as the naming rights sponsor of the senior Golden Lions team for the 2014 to 2016 competitions. Xerox and the GLRU have had a longstanding partnership that dates back as far as 1993, and in recent times as title sponsor of the Lions from 2003 to 2009.

"The sponsorship of the Lions is a powerful and effective way of strengthening the Xerox brand and gives us enormous value across the continent and abroad," says Johan Basson, CEO of Bytes Document Solutions. "We are delighted to re-establish our longstanding relationship with the Golden Lions team. 2014 is also an important year as it marks the 50th anniversary of Xerox in South Africa, and there is no better time to make this announcement."

Manie Booysen, GLRU CEO; Johan Basson, CEO of Bytes Document Solutions; Kevin de Klerk, GLRU President; Rob Abraham, CEO of BTG

Basson notes further: "We believe that this is not just a sponsorship but an opportunity to partner. During previous years, community involvement was at the heart of Xerox's sponsorship, and we will again ensure access to this much-loved sport by local schools and young talent. Renewal of this partnership is indicative of Xerox's commitment to developing rugby at grassroots to national level."

"BDS's mission is 'to help people find better ways to do great work', and if our rekindled support of the Golden Lions helps them to do just that, we will very soon see the Lions taking up the number one position in the competition," concludes Basson.

Rob Abraham, CEO of Bytes Technology Group, with the Golden Lions

Mark Duffelen, the Regional General Manager of Xerox MEA (Middle East & Africa), reaffirms Basson's sentiments. "Xerox takes great pleasure in once again sponsoring the Lions for the Currie Cup. Xerox has a longstanding presence in the South African market, and along with our strategic partner, Bytes Document Solutions, we have been bringing world-class solutions and services to our customers. It is that culture of excellence and performance that we wish to highlight and so we have chosen to re-establish our partnership with the Lions, a team that shows the same passion and culture as Xerox and Bytes."

GLRU CEO, Manie Booysen, is thrilled to welcome Xerox back into the Golden Lions fold and is looking forward to a prosperous partnership in the years to come. "We are delighted that Xerox has decided to once again put their trust in the Lions brand."

Bytes Technology Group

Bytes Technology Group (Bytes), a principal subsidiary of JSE-listed Altron, is a federation of leading IT companies and a member of the Altron TMT organisation. It operates in South Africa with operations in several other African countries, the United Kingdom and the Middle East. Its South African operations are part owned by leading empowerment group, Kagiso-Tiso Holdings.

Sustainable and constant growth through strategic acquisitions has enabled the group to provide unlimited solutions to customers and become a leader in the IT field. It has a multitude of products and solutions, technical skills and specialised services that support enterprise-wide IT infrastructure and telecommunications in a wide range of industries.

Bytes Document Solutions

Bytes Document Solutions, a division of the Bytes Technology Group, is Africa's leading document management technology and solutions company, offering a comprehensive range of products and services through three independent business units: Xerox, LaserCom and NOR Paper. A wholly-owned division of JSE-listed Altron, Bytes Document Solutions is the authorised Xerox distributor in 26 sub-Saharan countries, and has an annual turnover of more than R2 billion. In 2014, the company celebrates two important milestones: Xerox's 50th year in South Africa, as well as the invention of xerography, the basis of the most widely used document-copying machines, which was developed by Xerox 75 years ago. www.xerox.co.za

Altron TMT

Altron TMT, incorporating the Altech and Bytes Technology Group businesses, is a high-technology telecommunications, multimedia and IT (TMT) solutions group focused on providing value-added products, services and solutions through the convergence of TMT, driven by market demand.

With an annual turnover in excess of R17 billion and with more than 8 000 employees in more than 20 countries, Altron TMT is committed to the pursuit of globalisation through excellence in all its chosen operations and will continue to relentlessly pursue its ambition to be a leader in every sphere in which it operates, while empowering and delivering sustainable value to its stakeholders.

As the largest, privately-owned converged solutions provider on the African continent, Altron TMT has ongoing access to the latest technologies worldwide, while its own research and development programme actively encourages and promotes internal technology implementation.

Allied Electronics Corporation

Allied Electronics Corporation (Altron) (www.altron.com), through its principal subsidiaries, Allied Technologies (Altech), Bytes Technology Group (Bytes) and Power Technologies (Powertech), is invested in telecommunications, power electronics, multimedia and IT. The Altron group employs more than 12 500 employees globally.

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