The IT year winds down

The international world of IT and telecommunications enjoyed a quiet time last week, while at home the delay in the UEC listing and the Johnnic results stole the limelight during a very low-key week.

• we saw good interims from Johnnic (margins well up); and
• a significant interim loss from Contlan (revenue also down).
• Additionally, the listing of UEC, which should have happened today, has been delayed.

[Local]

Other local news included:

• the resignation of Kerstin Speer, the group financial director of Ixchange; and
• the entry into SA via Y3K, of Sybari Software, a groupware anti-virus software company, and the only one offering a product for Exchange Server 2000.

• we saw the end of the talks re the Internet joint venture between United Pan-Europe Comms NV and ExciteAtHome;
• the announcement by Lucent Technologies that its Microelectronics Group, now being spun-off, will be renamed Agere Systems; and
• the news that Xerox will spin off Gyricon Media, its high technology display business.

[International]

Other international news included:

• the appointments of Edward Borey as president and CEO of PSC, John Caldwell as president and CEO of Geac Computer, Richard Christou as CEO of ICL, Harland LaVigne as president and CEO of OpenMarket, and Glen Manchester as CEO of Xenos;
• the resignations of Roger Ackerman, chairman and CEO of Corning and Rob Wrubel, CEO of Ask Jeeves; and
• job cut announcements from DoubleClick, Flashcom, InterVoice-Brite, Lante, NorthPoint Comms, Red Hat, Unisys, Viant and Xpedior.

Inc.500`s ranking of the 2 000 fastest-growing private companies in America makes interesting reading.

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

We saw excellent figures from Ciena.

Losses came from Affinity Internet Holdings, Caldera Systems, e-SIM, Epic Data, Eyretel, Geac Computer, NHC Comms, Nuvo Network Management, Orion Technologies, Pilat Technologies International, SCB Computer Technology, SOITEC, Syscan International and Xenos.

Good numbers were recorded by Acal, Advanced Digital Information, Applied Precision, California Amplifier, Comverse Technology, Photronics, Remec (back in the black) and Sage Group; and satisfactory ones by eircom, JD Edwards (but still a full-year loss) and National Semiconductor.

Mediocre returns were posted by Datatec Systems and Synstar, while very poor results came from Manchester Equipment and SBE.

Other financial news included profit warnings from 3Com, Adtran, Apple, Ask Jeeves, BATM Advanced Comms, California Amplifier, ESS Technology, Intel, Intersil, Intraware, LSI Logic, Motorola, Natural Microsystems, PC Connection, Quantum HDD, Scient, Three-Five Systems, Xilinx and Xpedior; and mediocre IPOs from Portugal Telecom and Telenor AS. Additionally, Gemplus and GoDigital Networks have withdrawn their IPOs.

Locally

Cape Empowerment Trust (+75%)
Hicor (+33.3%)
Pinnacle (+42.9%)
Prism (+24.8%)
PTH (-20%)
Streamworks (+30.4%)
Y2KTec (-25%)
Zaptronix (-25%)

Internationally

Actinic (-58.9%)
Avanex (+60.7%)
Broadbase Software (+70.1%)
CacheFlow (+53.5%)
Check Point Software (+51.6%)
Inktomi (+71.8%)
Micro General (+68.9%)
Network Appliance (+61.6%)
Portal Software (+53.7%)
Read-Rite (+60%)
RF Micro Devices (+71.7%)
Tibco Software (+60.9%)
TriQuint Semiconductor (+67.3%)

Inc.500`s ranking of the 2 000 fastest-growing private companies in America makes interesting reading. The highest placed technology companies are ePartners, an e-business services entity, at number three; Alliance Consulting at number seven; and Think Tank Systems, a computer systems reseller, at nine. Of the top 500 companies, IT and telecommunications organisations accounted for some 50% of this number.

Finally, a big thank you to all my readers. May I take this opportunity of wishing you well over the festive season and a very good and successful 2001. I will be back on 8 January with a round-up of the happenings over this holiday period. Watch out later this week for my yearly synopsis, together with a brief look at what 2001 is likely to bring forth.