Astrium strengthens its geo-information services
Infoterra Ltd and Imass Ltd (headquartered in Newcastle and employing a workforce of 136) will work together as part of the Infoterra Group, within the Earth Observation Division of Astrium Services. Eric Beranger, CEO of Astrium Services, said: “This purchase reaffirms Astrium’s continued investment and commitment to strengthen its geo-information services capability.”
The combination of Imass’s systems integration and software development expertise with Infoterra’s geospatial data access, GIS consultancy experience and managed services capability, will create a powerful new capability to meet the ever-increasing demands for innovative and cost-effective geo-information solutions. With a strong track record and excellent reputation in its core markets, Imass has a well established portfolio of solutions and services which will further strengthen the Infoterra Group’s offering globally in areas such as emergency services, utilities and 3D modelling.
“We are delighted that Imass is joining Infoterra as these are exciting times for our industry,” said Dave Fox, CEO of Infoterra Ltd. “Our objective by bringing the companies together is to build on the expertise and knowledge across both teams to deliver innovative operational solutions, enabling organisations to better manage and benefit from geo-information in a changing world.”
“We are all very excited about this new venture and the opportunities that will come from joining an ambitious group, which has the backing of Astrium,” commented Dave Hudspith, MD of Imass Ltd. “I’m convinced this will result in further development of our capabilities in the UK while helping us to deliver our solutions to the global market.”
About Astrium
Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2007, Astrium had a turnover of 3.5 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, and Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment, and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.
Astrium Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Astrium, offers a unique ‘one-stop-shop’ in the satellite services market, with unrivalled capability and expertise in secure communications, Earth observation services and navigation services. The European provider of milsatcom services, including the pioneering Skynet 5 service, and a world-leading supplier of geo-information products and services, Astrium Services meets its customers’ requirements with innovative and highly competitive end-to-end solutions.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007 EADS generated revenues of 39.1 billion and employed a workforce of more than 116,000.
www.astrium.eads.net
About Infoterra Ltd
Infoterra Ltd is a leading provider of geographic information products and services. Its portfolio of geographic information solutions includes airborne and satellite data acquisition, geo-information creation, database management and outsourced hosting. Infoterra provides geospatial knowledge to companies worldwide to help them make informed decisions. The company has major customers in government, utilities, insurance, engineering, defence and oil, gas & mineral exploration.
Infoterra Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astrium, Europe’s leading space systems and services specialist. Infoterra Ltd is part of the Infoterra Group, which also comprises companies in France, Germany, Hungary and Spain.
www.infoterra.co.uk
About Imass Ltd
Imass is a leading UK-based IT provider of practical and integrated software solutions to customers within the public safety, utilities and manufacturing design sectors. Imass specialises in the delivery of operational, emergency planning, customer information, engineering design and document management systems, utilising the latest mobile data, geographical information systems and 3D computer aided design technology.
www.imass.co.uk
Press Contacts:
For Astrium:
Jeremy Close (Astrium UK) – Phone: +44 (0) 1438 773872
Matthieu Duvelleroy (Astrium Fr) – Phone: +33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32
Mathias Pikelj (Astrium GER) – Phone: +49 (0) 7545 89123
Francesco Lechon (Astrium SP) – Phone: +34 91 586 37 41
For Infoterra Ltd:
Sarah Haslam – Phone: +44 (0)116 273 2379
Cheryl Billson, PR for Infoterra, +44 (0)7791 720460, cheryl.billson@commacomms.com
For Imass Ltd:
Colin Watson – Phone: +44 (0)191 202 8322
SOURCE INFOTERRA