Ayala BPO unit allots $100M for acquisitions

LiveIT Solutions Inc., the holding firm for Ayala Corp.’s investments in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, is setting aside at least $100 million for acquisitions and investments in the next five years to capitalize on the booming BPO business.

LiveIT Solutions president Alfred I. Ayala said the company is looking to invest in companies that provide complex non-voice outsourced services in areas such as finance, insurance, healthcare and commercial graphics industries.

Ayala said the company plans to focus on BPO companies in the US, Philippines and India that have the potential to leverage the Philippines’ large pool of skilled professionals.

Fresh from its purchase of an 11-percent stake in call center firm eTelecare Global Solutions Inc., LiveIT has also acquired full ownership of Los Angeles-based Integreon Managed Solutions Inc. for P900 million.

Integreon is a leading provider of high-value, complex BPO solutions to the world’s largest law firms, investment banks, consultancies, and print and media firms, and several Global 2000 corporations in both the US and Europe. It specializes in document, content, knowledge and legal services.

In addition to its two delivery centers in Mumbai and its facility in New York, Ayala said Integreon is opening a fourth delivery center in New Delhi and a fifth in the Philippines by the first quarter of 2007.

According to Ayala, the Philippine-based facility, which will be located within Metro Manila, will accommodate 300 to 500 seats. Funding for the acquisition of Integreon will come from internally-generated cash.

Integreon is expected to pioneer the knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), document process outsourcing (DPO), and legal process outsourcing (LPO) sectors in the Philippines.

Ayala said the entire management team of Integreon, led by its president and chief executive officer Liam Brown, will remain with the company. "We are confident that the team will be able to profitably deploy the capital resources we are providing and continue its growth, both organically and through acquisitions," Ayala said.

"We believe that Integreon represents the next generation of BPO companies with a focus on complex functions requiring very high levels of analytical, problem solving and communications skills," he added.

Integreon is now on the hunt for experienced managers and professionals to man its center in the Philippines.

Integreon’s Brown, for his part, said LiveIT’s acquisition would enable the US-based company to add new on-site offerings and delivery centers.

"LiveIT will be of particular help in building out our Philippine operation given the Ayala Group’s reputation as one of the leading conglomerates in the country," Brown said.

The Ayala conglomerate has interests in property, telecommunications, banking, electronics and water utilities, among others.