A spate of encouraging local results 

The massive job loss announcements from Hitachi and Toshiba, and the P4 chip announcement by Intel dominated the international world of information technology and telecommunications last week, while at home we saw a spate of encouraging financial results.

• excellent full-year numbers from Aqua Online (revenue and earnings up over 100%);
• very good full-year results from Prism (revenue up over 100%);
• satisfactory year-end figures from CompuClearing (revenue up a little but earnings only slightly up) and Rectron (revenue up but earnings down).

We saw excellent full-year numbers from Aqua Online, very good full-year results from Prism and satisfactory year-end figures from CompuClearing

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

Additionally, C-Tech`s listing on the JSE is under threat following an audit opinion disclaimer on its financial results.

[Local]

Other local news included:

1. the cessation of a local presence by Lucent Technologies, with Kwesi hoping to take over the local operations;
2. the appointment of Andre Wills as the new MD of BMI-TechKnowledge;
3. the news of the creation of DMK, an enterprise application company formed from SAP consultancy Boundless Solutions and software development company Traktion, following the latter`s management buyout from MB Worksoft;
4. the launch of Johnnic Learning, division of Johnnic e-Ventures;
5. and the news that Prism has formed a holding company in Ireland to house their offshore operations.

• .         we saw the acquisition of Alcatel`s Texas manufacturing operations by Sanmina;
  • the announcement of the first Pentium 4 2GHz chip by Intel;
  • the merger of the mobile phone handset businesses of Sony and Ericsson;
  • the closure of Lucent Technologies Chromatis Networks, its Israel-US unit that it acquired only last year for some $4.5 billion;
  • the news of the re-structuring at Gateway, intended to turn it from a traditional PC manufacturer to a provider of personalised technology solutions;
  • the announcement that all of the incumbent directors of Computer Associates had been re-elected.
  • the merger talks between Dutch telecoms group KPN and its Belgian equivalent, Belgacom have been called off.

  Additionally, watch out for the outcome of Alltel`s multi-billion dollar bid for CenturyTel; the acquisition of Nortel Network`s Clarify by Amdocs; the possible take-over of Venezuela Telecomms by US-based AES in a deal worth in excess of $1 billion; and the fate of ExciteAtHome as it battles financially, having just lost two major renewal contracts with Comcast Comms and Cox Comms.

[International]

Other international news included:

• the appointments of Robert Blanchard as CEO of BestNet Comms, Kevin DeNuccio as President and CEO of Redback Networks, Darryl Green as President of J-Phone, Christine King as CEO of AMI Semiconductor, Harri Koponen as CEO of Sonera, Bo Manning as President and CEO of Pivotal, Ken McBride as President and CEO of Stamps.com, David Nagel as President and CEO of Palm OS platform subsidiary, Kathleen Perone as CEO of LighTrade, David Sorensen as President and CEO of Image Systems and David Warren as CEO of Emerge Interactive;
• job loss announcements from Apple, BT Wireless, Corning, Gateway, Hitachi, ITspace.com, Kyocera, Lam Research, Nokia, Remec, Song Networks Holding AB, Stamps.com, Teleglobe, Toshiba and Westell Technologies.

We saw excellent figures from Infomedia and Uticom,

Good numbers were recorded by Micros Systems (back in the black), Omni-Lite, Plato Learning and Telekom Malaysia; and satisfactory ones by Hellenic Telecomms Organisation SA, OSI Systems and Telstra.

Mediocre returns came from Acer, Comverse Technology, Dycom, eLinear (but back in the black), London Bridge Software Holdings Plc., Morse and Tech Data; whilst very poor results came from Merant Plc., Take-Two Interactive Software and Unify (but back in the black-just).

Losses came from Algol SpA, ASAT Holdings, Asiacontent.com, Atlantic Telecom, Certicom, CMG Plc., COM DEV, DataMirror, Deutsche Telekom, Digital Power, eDispatch, Effnet, eOn Comms, Equant, Finisar, Glentel, Global Light Telecomms, Harrier group Plc., Heyde AG, Hyperwave AG, IDS Group Plc., Jaco Electronics, JetForm, Leitch Technology, Loudcloud, LTX, NetZero, NSB Retail Systems Plc., Optio Software, Peerless Systems, Perle Systems, Pixelpark AG, PrimaCom, Prophet 21, Psion, Pumatech, Rambus, Remec, SBE, SeaChange International, Spirent Plc., Stratos Lightwave, T-Online, T/R Systems, Telekom Austria Group, Tiscali, TiVo, Trintech Group Plc, VoiceIQ and World Internetworks.

Other financial news included profit warnings from Altera, AMD, Arris, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Gateway, IDS Group Plc., IDT, Sun Microsystems and Toshiba; a share split announcement from Microsemi; and a withdrawn IPO from ICS Electronics.

Additionally, CityReach International, the owner of 8 Internet data centres across Europe, has gone into administration less than a year after raising some $155 million in private equity funding, thus becoming one of the largest Internet casualties to date; and US Wireless has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Locally

C-Tech (-40%)
Casey (-57.4%)
Micrologix (+100%)
Paracon (+19.1%)
PTH (+33.3%)
Siltek (-20%)
Spicer (-25%)
Y2Ktec (+66.7%)
Y3K (-33.3%)

Internationally

BroadVision (-45.1%)
Covad Comms (+26%)
Cyberian Outpost (+56.5%)
Dice (+70.3%)
Excelon (-26%)
Flag Telecom (-44.9%)
Infonet Services (+34.6%)
Intelek (-35%)
Jupiter Media Metrix (+81%)
PNC Telecom (-36.9%)
Zen Research (-29.9%)

As I am attending PRINT 01 in Chicago over the next week or so, the next column will appear on Tuesday 25 September (Monday 24 is a public holiday), and will cover a three-week period.

PRINT 01 is a four-yearly event and is the leading conference and exhibition covering all aspects of document management and workflow, imaging and printing.