Unisys Sells Shares in Nihon Unisys Limited for...
Unisys Corporation
Unisys Sells Shares in Nihon Unisys Limited for $374 Million, Begins First Phase
of Workforce Reduction
Unisys Corporation (NYSE:UIS) today announced that it has completed the sale of
30.2 million, or 99 percent, of the shares it owns in Nihon Unisys Limited (NUL)
of Japan. The company received gross proceeds of approximately $374 million from
the sale and will recognize a pre-tax gain of approximately $145 million in the
first quarter of 2006. The company will use the proceeds from the sale to begin
its previously announced workforce reductions of 10 percent, or roughly 3,600
employees, worldwide. As previously announced, the sale will not affect the
relationship between the two companies in the Japanese market. NUL will remain
the exclusive distributor of Unisys hardware and software products in Japan.
'Unisys is undergoing a major transformation, as we committed to our
shareholders, customers and employees last year,' said Joe McGrath, president
and CEO of Unisys. 'The NUL transaction, along with other planned divestitures
and cost reduction initiatives, underscore the commitment to ensure we have a
competitive cost base. We are implementing an equally aggressive set of actions
to realign our sales, marketing and service delivery efforts to focus on our
core growth markets and drive profitable growth over the long term.'
The initial stage of the Unisys workforce reductions will affect roughly 3,000
employees and is expected to be completed by the end of September. The remaining
reductions are expected to be completed by the end of 2006, as the company
complies with local country social legislation and employment practices. When
complete, these actions are expected to yield approximately $250 million of
annualized cost savings on a run-rate basis by the end of 2007.
'These changes will have some short-term impact on the business but we are
confident that they will drive tangible results as we move into 2007,' said
McGrath. 'While 2006 is a transition year, we remain focused on our long-term
objectives, which are to fundamentally change our business, enhance
profitability and attain the financial goals we set out for ourselves by 2008.'
As part of its continuing efforts to divest non-core assets, Unisys also
announced today that it had completed the sale of part of its Unigen
semiconductor test equipment business to Cohu, Inc., a Poway, California-based
provider of test handling equipment used by the global semiconductor industry.
About Unisys
Unisys is a worldwide technology services and solutions company. Our consultants
apply Unisys expertise in consulting, systems integration, outsourcing,
infrastructure, and server technology to help our clients achieve secure
business operations. We build more secure organisations by creating visibility
into clients' business operations. Leveraging Unisys 3D Visible Enterprise, we
make visible the impact of their decisions--ahead of investments, opportunities
and risks. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements rely on assumptions and are
subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from expectations. In particular, the anticipated cost savings
associated with the planned workforce reductions are subject to the risk that
the company may not implement the reductions as quickly or as fully as currently
planned. A discussion of factors that could affect Unisys future results is
contained in periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
RELEASE NO.: 0320/8634
http://www.unisys.com/about__unisys/news_a_events/03208634.htm
Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation. All other brands and
products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
CONTACT: Unisys Corporation
Investor:
Jim Kerr, 215-986-5795
Jim.Kerr@unisys.com
or
Media:
John Schneidawind, 215-986-2472
John.Schneidawind@unisys.com