The unstable situation of Comparex Informationssysteme GmbH is taking a first step towards resolution with the announcement by BASF AG that it is negotiating to buy out the 33.5% stake in the Mannheim reseller of Hitachi Ltd IBM-compatible mainframes held by Siemens AG, to give it full control. The price to be paid is put at under $55m. Comparex remains in the uncomfortable position of marketing Hitachi mainframes in competition with Hitachi-owned Hitachi Data Systems, and the tax advantages under German law of writing leases on the machines are not as attractive as they were when the venture was established, so some kind of amalgamation with Hitachi Data Systems is now expected to follow the BASF buyout.
