Plessey acquires Malawi office from Dimension Data

As one of this country`s largest telecommunications integrators Plessey (Pty) Ltd aims to be the telecom partner of choice - not only for South African organisations but also for the rest of the continent. This mission is well underway with points of presence already established in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and now in Malawi.

Plessey (Pty) Ltd has announced that the company has acquired Plessey Malawi from Dimension Data for an undisclosed amount. Plessey (Pty) Ltd was formed out of the DD acquisition of Plessey in 1998 and incorporates the former Plessey`s telecommunications business and Dimension Data Telecommunications.

The new Plessey is a systems integrator whereas the manufacture of telecommunications products is now performed by Tellumat - based in Cape Town.

When held by Dimension Data, Plessey Malawi focussed primarily on the PABX market but with the acquisition by Plessey (Pty) Ltd, its offering will be significantly extended to incorporate a range of telecommunication integration services including: satellite and broadcast, fixed line, value added services and mobile communications.

Due to the economic reality of sustaining a viable business in Africa, the office will continue to function as a local supplier of communication products and as an agent for a variety of `external manufacturers` who do not have a point of presence in the area - such as Kenwood appliances.

The new Plessey Malawi employs 30 people and is expected to generate R3 to R4 million within the next year.

"Not only does the Malawi office make a worthwhile addition to Plessey`s African portfolio, it makes good business sense as we are now even better situated to do work in areas like Zambia and Northern Mozambique. We plan to grow the Malawi office to embrace a host of new telecommunication integration services and with our proven track record of successful installations across Africa, we believe there will be plenty of business to keep us very busy.

"In addition, with Plessey`s empowerment initiative of training and supplying local contractors with telecom installation work, we will be positively contributing to the Malawian economy and growing our sub-contractor base." comments Howard Earley, Financial Director Plessey.