News
In accordance with our previous announcements, Q3 shows an organic increase noticeably lower than that registered in the previous quarter, on the upper forecast range for Q2, at around 17%. The business development rate has slowed down. Therefore, growth mainly comes from existing account extensions. First of all, in France, a first contract concluded within Q2 with one of the French web leaders has doubled its covering during Q3. Another French e-commerce leader has renewed its trust in Pentalog for the two years to come. So far, the latter has provided work for 20 Pentalog employees on online sale and communication systems generating nearly € 400Mn revenue per year. Again in France, we welcome a particularly interesting new client in the field of software R&D in Bordeaux. In fact, this editor has chosen to entrust its offshore developments to Pentalog Vietnam, which is setting up a group of 8 engineers in Hanoi.
In Germany, an important editor in the health sector has chosen to entrust Pentalog with the creation of a new technological line, under Microsoft (Pentalog is a Gold certified Partner). Again in Germany, Pentalog Vietnam has started supplying to the German accounting leader claiming to have 3 million German-speaking customers! The first deliveries have proven fully satisfactory.
In Belgium, the Number One in Smart Grids has just extended its outsourced R&D platform to 20 engineers in the Republic of Moldova, which represents an increase of 25% of this budget.
Lastly, in Romania, the Pentalog Group has just become listed and started operations with the fist bank of the country, a branch office of Austrian Erste Bank. It is now the first two banks of the country who placed trust in Pentalog. Besides, there have been some signs of improvement on the Romanian domestic market. After all, the month of July and the beginning of August have seen an increase in commercial requests.
In total, the number of 670 Pentalog employees has just been exceeded and should reach 700 by the end of the year.
Under these circumstances, the staff has increased steadily in almost all the production countries, as well as in France. First of all, in Romania and Moldova, as, with 600 employees in the region, Pentalog has taken the first position on the software R&D and maintenance service market. The new production unit in Cluj has already recorded a substantial production only two month after start-up. 18 employees have already been recruited within this branch office lead by Pierre Pichot. The Hanoi branch office is also still expanding. Several western industry managers in the field of information technology services already accustomed to the country's specific have recently joined the group. The Vietnam staff is now close to 70 employees. In total, the number of 670 Pentalog employees has just been exceeded and should reach 700 by the end of the year, probably without reaching the initial objective of 770 employees on 31/12.
A satisfaction survey for a French customer, taken in the Republic of Moldova, has just reached a 100% satisfaction rate.
The Group is also particularly proud to announce that client satisfaction has registered a noticeable increase during Q3. An emblematic Moldovan nearshore operation in the field of e-commerce has just reached a 100% satisfaction rate for the second time in the history of our surveys. The first time, it was reached for an R&D operation in the field of building automation. The cases illustrate a context of general improvement of the group service quality. This bodes well at a time when global economic slowdown signs are increasing. Quality is the company's main duty in order to enable its clients to overcome and take advantage of the opportunities of the crisis. For the fourth quarter, Pentalog is considering an organic growth of between 20 and 25%.