Asian and US expansion for VI Group boost turnover

“The trend to shift manufacturing to Asia has continued among our client base. Consequently, our Asian operations produced the strongest relative performances,” reported chairman Stephen Palframan. Following the opening of its representative office in Shanghai last year, sales in the region have nearly doubled, more than exceeding the firm’s budgetary expectations, he added. Historically its success in the region had been largely limited to Hong Kong and Taiwan. In August, VI completed the purchase of SMIRTware Inc in the US and has both broadened its product range and extended its presence in the upper tiers of the automotive industry in the US, it said. SMIRTware solutions are extensively installed by Ford, Chrysler and General Motors in North America as well as Fiat and Volvo in Europe. Since the acquisition, VI has completed its first large sale in Japan and produced new SMIRTware-based software revenue in Poland and Italy, the chairman reported. Looking ahead the chairman said: “We anticipate more of the same type of performance improvements during 2006. Our strategy is to take a greater share of the mature markets and expand in the emerging ones.”