Bechtle and Freudenberg IT Sign Cooperation Agreement.

• Long-term collaboration in managed services
• Comprehensive solutions portfolio for medium-sized enterprises

Neckarsulm/Weinheim, 15 May 2013 – Bechtle and Freudenberg IT (FIT) have entered into a cooperation agreement whereby Bechtle Managed Services AG will take over certain pre-defined services for FIT's workplaces (domestically and abroad) and outsourcing projects for customers. The contract retroactively takes effect in January 2013 for a duration of five years. Laying the groundwork for a long-term collaboration, the partnership enables both parties to expand their range of services for medium-sized enterprises.

Under the agreement, Bechtle will provide procurement services for hard-ware and software as well as end-user, maintenance, project, on-site and field services. The company will also implement a wide-ranging national and international service concept for all aspects of IT distribution and services. In exchange, FIT will expand Bechtle's portfolio in the area of international computer centres and SAP services, including hosting. The purpose of the partnership is to provide comprehensive solutions for medium-sized business customers.

“Our partnership with Bechtle not only perfectly expands our portfolio but gives us the opportunity to work with a partner that is as customer- and quality-oriented as FIT. Our shared focus on medium-sized businesses makes it easier for us to jointly cultivate the SAP hosting and management market. It also enables us to provide additional services that were previously outside of our economic scope and thus expand our position as a com-prehensive IT service provider,” explains Horst Reichardt, CEO of Freudenberg IT.

Both companies offer services and customer care that are specifically adapted to the needs of medium-sized companies. Over the past 12 months, the appropriate processes and control instruments—including a universally linked delivery process, unique customer interfaces and central-ised client installation with networked software deployment—have been implemented and tested by initial pilot projects.

Michael Guschlbauer, COO for the IT system house & managed services segment at Bechtle AG, is confident in this type of collaboration: “Our co-operation agreement with Freudenberg IT shows how the respective strengths of two companies can lead to an attractive solutions portfolio for the customer. We are able to take advantage of synergies and make uni-form and comprehensive service concepts available to medium-sized en-terprises. For me, this is a prime example of modern service provision in the IT sector.”