STC Plc’s ICL Australia subsidiary staged a strong recovery in 1986 after an unhappy 1985, turning in a $Aus9.4m – UKP3.8m – net profit against a loss last year of $Aus2.2m – UKP890,000. The company also paid its first dividend ever – UKP2.1m or so – to its parent company in London. Managing director Chris Wilkinson puts the 20% growth in ICL’s Australian business down to improved margins from new product lines in the Series 39 mainframe systems and the DRS300 office systems family, and good working capital. Overall however, IBM of course leads the pack – but is not so far ahead as in most countries – with an estimated 1986 market share of 35.5%, with Fujitsu’s patient and assiduous wooing of the Australian market putting it in second spot with 13.7%. The only figures we have rather unhelpfully lump Unisys, DEC and Honeywell together with 23.9%, and give ICL, Nixdorf and nine others a 24% share.
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