Time recording specialist Blick Plc yesterday announced the launch of a new European company, ABI (Europe) Ltd, in which it will hold 51%, as part of the joint venture announced with Amano Ltd in July. The Swindon, UK-based company warns that ABI (Europe) Ltd would require significant investment in software and infrastructure in 1997 but promised that it has exciting prospects; the move was part of the company’s strategy to speed investment to take advantage of converging technologies in access control, time management and security systems – but this does mean that slower will slow next year. For the year that ended at the end of last month, it still expects to report pre-tax profits of over 15m British pounds compared with 14.2m poun ds in the year ending September 30 1995, despite somewhat mixed trading in the final quarter of the fiscal year just ended.
