BASF has announced it has chosen BT as an international partner for networked IT services. BT will interconnect about 900 BASF sites in more than 80 countries.
The contract also includes the provision of IP telephony and local network services (Managed LAN Services) at 300 sites in North and South America as well as in Asia. The order runs over seven years for a total value of around €200m.
The new order extends BASF’s long-standing cooperation with network specialist BT and leverages BT’s experience working with the manufacturing industry around the world. The sites of the chemical company Ciba that BASF acquired will also be networked by BT. A secure network is a high priority for the chemical group because employees around the world need to communicate and access business-critical IT applications over the network.
Fareed Mohammed, CTO, BASF, said: “As a global company, we were looking for a partner who is able to provide consistent standards and reliable service delivery on a global scale. During the course of our cooperation, which dates back to 2003, BT kept convincing us with innovative solutions and the high level of commitment of their employees.”
Bas Burger, president global commerce at BT Global Services, said: “I am very happy that we were given the opportunity to further extend our successful cooperation with BASF. The new order further increases BT’s already substantial footprint in process manufacturing and underscores our commitment to supporting our clients in Asia, Latin America and other emerging markets.”
BASF posted sales of about €63.9 billion in 2010 and had approximately 109,000 employees as of the end of the year.
