McDonnell Information Systems Plc of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire has wasted no time in taking advantage of its new status as a public company: it is to pay up to $30m over four years to acquire Los Angeles-based manufacturing software specialist Xerox Computer Services from Xerox Corp. The acquisition price is based on an initial sum to cover net assets of $5m, plus another $5m cash on completion, plus a percentage of revenues over four years totalling around $20m. The maximum price payable will be $30 million. Around 200 Xerox staff will transfer to McDonnell. The Xerox business, which will enhance McDonnell’s presence in the us, is known for its enterprise resource planning manufacturing software. Its Chess application is written in McDonnell’s proprietary PRO-IV language. Xerox Computer Services has always been run as a separate division within Xerox and will continue to function in the same manner within McDonnell. Chess is designed to enable discrete and repetitive manufacturers to automate their operations, reducing costs and time-to-market. It is claimed to be inexpensive and exceptionally fast to implement, typically taking as few as six months, according to McDonnell.
