To spearhead expansion of operations in the Southeast Asia region, Australian industrial automation software company Citect has opened a new office in Singapore. Seemingly in accelerated growth mode, the office is the first of no less than 10 it plans to open up around the world in 2006.
“Citect has experienced a surge in demand for manufacturing and infrastructure projects recently in Southeast Asia, and our direct presence will enable us to service and capitalize on this demand,” announced Richard Webb, chief executive officer of Citect Corp., who flew into Singapore to be at the opening of the Suntec City office.
The Singapore office will be managed by Scott Druery, who has been with the company since 1991. He will be responsible for all sales, marketing and solutions offered by Citect in Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan and Southeast Asia.
Expansion plans
The company, best known for its supervisory control and data acquistion (SCADA) expertise, has actually been active in the region since 1993, said Webb, outlining plans to double its current installation base of 1,000 over the next three years and invest some $30 million over the next five years. It will focus initially on the vertical industry sectors of water/wastewater, oil and gas, steel, and food and beverage.
Aside from its successful CitectSCADA product, Webb detailed how the company is also planning to increase its presence in the upper software layers of manufacturing execution and business intelligence, explaining that it is poised to exploit the MES market with its Ampla product, and that Citect will “differentiate itself in a converged world of software and hardware vendors.”
A hot acquisition target itself, Citect is also actively pursuing its own acquisitions. Asked about the current bidding war for the company between Schneider Electric and Thoma Cressey Equity Partners, Webb said that no matter who wins out in the end, Citect will continue as a brand and on course with the strategies he has laid out.
About the author
Bob Gill, [email protected], is Editor in Chief of Industrial Automation magazine in Singapore.
