IBM opens outsourcing centre on Gold Coast

Stan Beer
Sunday, 25 June 2006 20:44

IT Industry - Strategy

IBM has expanded its Business Transformation Outsourcing (BTO) Centre in Brisbane, Australia to meet the growing demand for multilingual business and technology services across the Asia Pacific region. IBM is opening a 200-seat delivery centre on Queensland's Gold Coast spcialising in business processes such as Customer Relationship Management, Human Resources, and Finance and Accounting for clients seeking to optimise business performance and generate growth.

The Brisbane Centre is a strategic part of IBM’s network of more than three dozen BTO global delivery centres. By opening a new centre, located at The Exchange, Varsity Lakes, IBM says it will tap into the large growing multilingual population of Australia's fastest growing city, the Gold Coast.

“The ability of IBM Australia to deliver high-value multilingual business process and transformation outsourcing services to clients located throughout the Asia Pacific region has been the key to the growth of the Brisbane centre,” said Randy Walker, IBM’s Asia Pacific general manager, managed business process services. “Globally, IBM is focused on amassing the right skills where they exist to deliver the right services to our clients at the right price. This is an example of this strategy in action.”

The Hon. Chris Cummins, Minister for Information Technology Policy, Queensland Government said, “Less than one year after the launch of the Brisbane BTO centre, with the State  Government’s assistance, IBM is expanding its operation to the Gold Coast.

"IBM continues to bring high value business services, jobs, investment, and export dollars into the Queensland economy, adding to the critical mass and international competitiveness of our local services industry.”

The new centre will service clients throughout the Asia Pacific region, delivering BTO services in five languages: Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and English. The centre will handle customer relationship management (CRM) technical support for Lenovo Japan, Australia and New Zealand in parallel with the Brisbane Centre. IBM's BTO centres will manage calls for Lenovo Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

According to Glen Boreham, CEO and managing director, IBM Australia and New Zealand, “IBM Australia has exported more than A$2.8 billion of product, solutions and services over the past five years.  This represents a significant proportion of Australia’s total exports by the technology sector The expansion of the BTO centre will help IBM Australia build its export business and meet its 2005 estimates to create 1000 jobs in ten years, in line with client demand.”