Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Sapient Corp is to spend $16m acquiring the consulting and services integration operation Exor Technologies Inc. Sapient intends to expand its presence in the enterprise resource planning market as a result of its purchase, using the reputation Exor has in the ERP services field to enhance its own full-scale ERP implementation capabilities. The deal is expected to be closed by the end of the month, when Exor will become a division of Sapient. All 65 Exor staff will remain at the company’s offices in Dallas, a location Sapient had previously earmarked as an expansion site. Expansion is very the order of the day at Sapient, which has managed to increase its staff by around 100 in the fourth quarter with numbers now standing at 800. Established in 1990, Exor’s main experience lies in implementing ERP systems from Oracle Corp, and has an established presence in some of the same markets that Sapient works in, including financial services, energy services and manufacturing. But Sapient doesn’t want to stop at Oracle and is to start support for SAP AG’s ERP systems in the near future. Sapient is looking to expand into several sectors, including package implementation, and expects to make further acquisitions.The company recently reported its third quarter results, which saw profit for the nine months rising 88.0% to $8.5m, while revenues rose 84.1% to $57.3m (CI No 3,271).