TCS expands French operations further with a new delivery centre near Paris
TCS has continued its strategy of expansion in France – Europe’s third largest IT services market – with the establishment of a third delivery centre in the country in five years. The new centre is situated close to Paris in Suresnes, and will accommodate more than 200 employees.
India’s largest firm by market capitalisation first entered the French market 24 years after it was founded, in 1992, through an exclusive partnership with Swiss firm Teknosoft (TKS), which specialises in IT services and business solutions for the banking sector. The two firms worked in collaboration for nearly a decade, before TCS acquired TKS in 2006.
The acquisition was worth $80 million, and was limited to a 75% stake in TKS, which by this point was generating revenues of over $57.2 million and profits of nearly $8 million. The move was a declaration of TCS’ intent in the French market, offering it a regional presence and adding 115 employees to its roster.
As business developed in France, the firm’s steps towards expansion increased both in frequency and in volume, starting with the establishment of its first local delivery centre in Lille. A year later, TCS added 1,200 employees to its operations, and expanded into Belgium and Switzerland through the complete acquisition of French IT services firm Alti SA for $75 million.
To support the spike in business, the firm opened another delivery centre in the country a year later in 2014, this time in Poitiers. TCS has now opened its third French delivery centre in Suresnes (15 km west of Paris), which is equipped with state of the art security and connectivity, with the capacity to house 230 employees.
The new establishment will feed the considerable business that has accumulated since the previous opening in 2014, driven by sizeable contracts with French multinationals such as BNP Paribas Security Services and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise – the former for a blockchain solution, and the latter for a transition to cloud-based platforms.
Commenting on the further expansion in France, Rammohan Gourneni, the Country Head for TCS in France said, “The inauguration of the Paris centre is the latest example of TCS’ commitment to the French market, where we have strengthened our presence in recent years to support customers in this post-digital era. The region stands at an incredibly exciting point in technological history, and as Europe’s third largest IT services market we are perfectly placed to ensure TCS’ innovative solutions can help French businesses grow and transform in the Business 4.0 era. We look forward to continuing our support of French companies as they become both more competitive and agile; and collectively making a valuable contribution to the country’s economy in the process.”
Rajesh Gopinathan, CEO and Managing Director at the firm added, “As TCS celebrates 50 years of operations and 25 years of presence in France, the opening of this delivery centre marks a new step in our development in this strategic market. TCS is a global partner to some of the world’s most exciting businesses, and this new centre means we can continue to bring our experience, customer service and deep contextual knowledge to the French market.”
France is not the only global market where TCS’ operations are thriving. The firm recently signed a long-term contract with one of the largest insurance firms in the US – Transamerica – worth a staggering $2.5 billion, and subsequently displaced Big Four accounting and advisory firm Deloitte at the other end of the globe in Australia, to win a digital transformation contract with a regional transportation company.
