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March 23, 2000 |
Hitachi, Nihon Unisys to Collaborate on Financial Information Systems - Agreement covers mutual use of solution products and outsourcing services - |
Hitachi, Ltd.(TSE:6501) and Nihon Unisys,Ltd. (TSE:8056)announced that they have agreed to form a business alliance in the area of financial information systems. The agreement will serve as the basis for a wide-ranging collaboration between the two companies that will include the cross-supply of solution products and services and the co- use of outsourcing operations resources that address the needs of financial institutions and outsourcing operations. This will enable the companies to expand their solutions lineup, improve customer satisfaction and expand their business in the financial systems market. To win out against the global competition, financial institutions are pushing forward with structural changes in which information technology (IT) serves as the driving force. Information systems that can be applied to the management issues involved play an essential role in expediting such changes, and this is generating a demand for advanced solutions from IT vendors. By making it possible to use each other's business resources in the form of products and services, the alliance will strengthen both companies' ability to speedily provide value-added solutions to meet the needs of financial institutions. The range of cooperation between Hitachi and Nihon Unisys will be extensive, covering solution products in the areas in which each specializes, shared use of outsourcing facilities, cooperation on the development of a centralized document processing system to process transactions conducted by branches/outposts, and the cross-supply of middleware and system building and implementation services that constitute the keystone of enterprise solutions. Hitachi and Nihon Unisys. have been collaborating since 1999 in the area of solutions related to electronic commerce. The new agreement represents a major expansion of this collaboration, which will encompass all aspects of solution operations for the financial industry. Each company will continue to provide solution products through its own sales channels. At the same time, future plans include increased use of each other's products and a broadening of the scope of joint development projects. Principle areas of collaboration 1. Solution products and services The companies will supply each other with solution products in their leading areas, such as Internet Banking (Hitachi) and CRMS21 (Nihon Unisys). The companies plan to gradually expand their areas of collaboration and to strengthen their alliance including by the joint development of products. 2. Outsourcing services The companies will advance their cooperation in the area of outsourcing operations, including the mutual use of facility/system operation services. There will be mutual use of service center facilities/equipment commonly used for multiple clients, such as Hitachi's Network Banking Center Service and Nihon Unisys International Banking System Outsourcing Service. 3. Centralized document processing systems/branches/outposts systems In the area of centralized document processing of back-office operations, the companies will provide a total system that combines the systems strengths of each, which include Monetary exchange and seal image-data query system in the case of Hitachi, and bill and note systems and proofing systems in the case of Nihon Unisys. Future plans include unification of middleware and a seamlessly centralized documents processing system. At the same time, with respect to branches/outposts systems, the present product supply agreement will be strengthened. 4. Middleware products/Systems engineering services Open middleware products are a key component of solutions for the financial industry. Hitachi and Nihon Unisys will provide each other with these products, and at the same time will collaborate in the area of systems engineering services in order to provide customers in the above sector with solutions offering higher added value. Hitachi's "Solutionmax for Finance" is a family of solutions products and services designed to help financial institutions that respond to the financial industry's "Big Bang." Solutionmax for Finance is based on "Hub&Spoke," architecture that provides a flexible way of building systems able to integrate and consolidate all of an organization's various systems. Solutionmax for Finance offers a total solution for the age of the Internet, one that includes outsourcing services and the implementation of systems for supporting the channel and product strategies of financial industry corporations. Nihon Unisys has been serving corperate customers for many years providing solutions that help customers resolve their business issues. As " a Solutions Creators", Nihon Unisys has been offering various financial solutions based on its "Financial Square21" concept. and the company continues to better serve customers to meet with their needs and wants leveraging its procurement capabilities and integration expertise. Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 1998 (ended March 31, 1999) consolidated sales of 7,977 billion yen ($65.9 billion*). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's Web site at http://www.hitachi.co.jp. * At an exchange rate of 121 yen to the dollar. Nihon Unisys, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, was founded in 1958 as a joint venture of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Unisys Corp. with fiscal year 1998 Non- consolidated sales (ending March 31, 1999) of 296.5 billion yen. The company provides products and services, including mainframe computers, servers, personal computers, software, system and network related services.
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WRITTEN BY Secretary's Office (C) Hitachi, Ltd. 2000. All rights reserved. |