Debis Systemhaus GmbH, the Leinfelden, Germany-based IT services subsidiary of Daimler-Benz InterServices (debis) AG, has formed a joint venture with Oasa Computers SrO, the Czech desktop hardware and services company, as part of its expansion. The new joint venture, called debis Oasa IT Services, will be 75% owned by Systemhaus and 25% by the six partners of Oasa Holdings AS. Systemhaus spent approximately $3m in purchasing Oasa’s projects, staff and trademark and it will provide it with further Eastern European expansion. Oasa, in 1997, had revenues of $16.8m in 1997. Only 15%-20% of revenues, however, came from services. The new venture expects to have revenues of $15m in 1999, from the desktop and network services in the banking, public sector, telecoms, industry and multinationals companies. The reason for the shift in emphasis from PC hardware sales to services, according to Mr Sram, Oasa’s sales and marketing manger, is due to the higher margins in Czech services, which are around 100% of revenues compared to only 10% in hardware. Oasa is currently the 11th largest services company in the Czech Republic and in the new venture expects to take on IBM Global Services and APP Holdings, Sram said, with future expansion planned for Slovakia. The company will have 80 employees based in Prague and Olomouc. This is the third expansion by Systemhaus into the East European services market in recent months.
