Tuesday 04 April 2017
Accenture acquires LBB Genfour
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Hot on the heels of our LBB100 event and report last week (see The LBB100), we have now seen two LBB takeovers on the same day (see LBB OSMO acquired by Tax Systems).
In a significant move that begins the tide of consolidation we are expecting in the high growth but emerging Intelligent Automation space, Accenture has acquired Little British Battler (LBB) Genfour, for an undisclosed amount (see our report series on Intelligent Automation).
CE James Hall explained to us that Accenture’s Operations division is buying Genfour to rapidly scale up its own Intelligent Automation capabilities. Genfour is one of the fourth generation of LBBs (see here), and impressed us with its innovative approach to orchestrating and provisioning robotic process automation (RPA), and artificial intelligence-enabled automation as-a-service to clients across the in insurance, banking and utilities sectors, like Co-Op Energy, The Co-operative Bank, NHS Scotland, Gala Coral Group, and the RAC.
A key differentiator for Genfour is its centre of excellence (CofE) managed service hub for clients, located out of its Cwmbran, Wales HQ. This provides 24/7 support and escalation resolution services for outsourcing customers and employs c40 people. This outsourced operations centre will now become Accenture’s CofE for Intelligent Automation in the UK and move to new offices in Cardiff. Hall explained that when Crossrail and rail electrification goes live next year, it will be possible to get from Canary Wharf to Cardiff in two hours, giving it huge potential as a reshoring/onshore destination. We agree with Hall that support for advanced automation tools and services requires a higher customer touchpoint.
This deal is all about building scale at speed, for both Genfour and Accenture. Genfour gets access to a global footprint within a tier one player, which has already trained 600 people in RPA. Genfour provides added experience and expertise to make them more effective more quickly. Meanwhile we understand the size of deals is rising significantly. The urgency to consolidate will no doubt spark more moves during 2017 – exciting times.
To find out know more about the other LBB takeovers, and the implications and opportunities for providers, please contact Deb Seth (dseth@techmarketview.com) to find out more about the LBB100 report.
Posted by John O’Brien at ’09:43′ – Tagged: acquisitionlbbRPA
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