Offshore success sparks EDS expansion

10.00am - By RICHARD WOOD

Multinational computer firm EDS is beefing up its New Zealand development centre after early success handling work for offshore clients in the US and UK.

The company has hired 30 staff since June for offshore work, making a total of 50 so far this year and halfway towards a target of 100 by the end of the year.

Scott Ayer, Adelaide-based president of EDS' global competitive resourcing arm, said the additional hires could reach 200 by the end of 2003.

EDS has 93 software development centres worldwide. The New Zealand operation is one of the largest of a select group of 13, which are part of its newly formed globally competitive resourcing operation.

EDS New Zealand has 730 developers, mostly in Wellington and Auckland. In Australia it has 2000 developers 200 of which work at its Global Competitive Resourcing centre in Adelaide.

The centres take on work from clients around the world according to staff and skill sets required. They are located across time zones to allow for constant availability.

Ayer said to fit the bill a centre's country had to be cost competitive, politically stable, have good infrastructure and quality staff available to hire.

He said New Zealand would never be cheaper than say, India, but when all the factors were weighed up it was a globally competitive place to develop software.

Ayer said New Zealand's team had attracted work internationally in the airline industry, large manufacturing and were doing work for the British Government.

New Zealand was a favourable choice for security and privacy work compared with many low cost countries, he said.

Ayer also said EDS New Zealand had the biggest AS/400 operation in Australasia and a range of developer skill sets covering Cobol, Oracle, SAP and database administration. It also had expertise in telecommunications, financial industry and government through its work in New Zealand.