"Atos Origin, a New Company"

The merger between Atos and Origin received final approval from Atos shareholders today. Concerning the merger, Bernard Bourigeaud said: “Since the announcement of the merger on 28 August 2000, we have been working intensively to prepare for implementing the action plan on 1 November 2000. All first line and corporate managers have been identified and the organisation structure for each country was announced to staff shortly after the end of September. Work has also commenced on preparing the detailed operational budgets of the newly combined group for the financial year which commences on 1 January 2001, which will provide a detailed management framework for achieving the cost savings which we have targeted.

The sales organisations of Atos and Origin are already being co-ordinated and we are integrating and developing our respective product and service offerings to ensure that the top line synergies are achieved. Most of our customers have now been visited. The benefits of the merger have been explained to them and the responses we have received from them have been very positive.
I am confident that this merger will be a great success and will create value both for our customers as well as for our shareholders and employees.”

Atos Origin, a leading information technology services provider, enables clients to turn their objectives into value driven results through effective use of e-business and IT solutions. The company’s 27,000 employees deliver innovative solutions and strong industry experience to better manage the entire value network for companies and extended enterprises.

Atos Origin currently operates in 33 countries worldwide, with sales of EUR 2,8 billion in 1999. Customers include ABN-Amro, Akzo Nobel, BNP Paribas, Cegetel / Vivendi, Crédit Lyonnais, Euronext, FIAT, ICI, Lucent Technologies, Philip Morris, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Shell and Unilever.

Press Contact
Marie-Tatiana Collombert
Phone: +33 1 49 00 96 33 – mtcollombert@atos-group.com