Accenture to Acquire Gapso to Expand Its Advanced Analytics Capabilities in Brazil

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Gapso, an advanced analytics services and solutions provider based in Brazil that specializes in solving complex supply chain and logistics challenges, mainly for companies in the natural resources and agribusiness sectors. Through the acquisition, Accenture will further expand its analytics capabilities in Brazil and provide clients with advanced analytics talent and solutions that enable data-driven decisions that can optimize operations and reduce supply chain risk and costs. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Gapso’s sophisticated advanced analytics talent, featuring data scientists, analysts and developers, along with its methodologies and planning solutions, will be integrated into Accenture Analytics, part of Accenture Digital. Complementing Accenture’s end-to-end analytics services, Gapso will help position Accenture as a key advanced analytics player in Brazil, serving clients that specialize in the oil and gas, petrochemical, mining, pulp, paper, steel, grains, sugar and ethanol industries.

“Accenture is extending its analytics reach in Brazil through the acquisition of Gapso,” said Rodolfo Eschenbach, Accenture Digital lead in Latin America. “By combining Accenture’s and Gapso’s broad analytics skills and capabilities, Brazilian companies in the natural resources and agribusiness industries will have access to the best data scientist talent and solutions in the market for driving real, data-driven, operations outcomes at scale. When businesses harness, optimize and analyze their data for insight, value in the form of improved productivity or a competitive advantage can be realized.”

Through the Gapso acquisition, companies will also be able to capitalize on the data being created through the growing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) -- the universe of intelligent industrial products, processes and services that communicate with each other and with people over a global network. Gapso’s advanced analytics capabilities can help companies more effectively transform IIoT data into insights that can solve challenging supply chain and operations problems at a time when digital supply networks are replacing traditional, linear supply networks.

“Over the past twelve years, Gapso has curated an impressive team of analytics experts and capabilities that enable faster and better outcomes in connection with a client’s most critical logistics issues,” said Oscar Porto, Gapso Business Director. “By joining Accenture, we will be able to build on our achievements and engage in a more powerful, broader-scope of analytics conversations with clients. I’m proud of the Gapso team and I am looking forward to taking our methodologies further and continuing to disrupt the resources and agribusiness industries through insight-enabled decision-making.”

Gapso’s employees will join Accenture Analytics. The acquisition is a key element of Accenture’s Brazilian strategic growth plan for Accenture Digital. Accenture Digital is currently helping companies like Unilever pursue their digital transformation strategies.

This announcement comes less than one year after Accenture acquired i4C Analytics, an advanced analytics software platform provider based in Italy that specializes in helping clients solve complex business problems through easy to use analytics applications.

Founded in 2003, Gapso is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro and offers operational planning solutions based on advanced analytics methods to enable data-driven decision making.

Completion of the acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

Accenture Analytics, part of Accenture Digital, delivers insight-driven outcomes at scale to help organizations improve their performance. With deep industry, functional, business process and technical experience, Accenture Analytics develops innovative consulting and outsourcing services for clients to help ensure they receive returns on their analytics investments. For more information follow us @ISpeakAnalytics and visit www.accenture.com/analytics.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: the company and Gapso will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties’ ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for the company; the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; the company’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions, and a significant reduction in such demand could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if the company is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; the markets in which the company competes are highly competitive, and the company might not be able to compete effectively; the company could have liability or the company’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data or information systems as obligated by law or contract or if the company’s information systems are breached; the company’s results of operations and ability to grow could be materially negatively affected if the company cannot adapt and expand its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings by new entrants; the company’s results of operations could materially suffer if the company is not able to obtain sufficient pricing to enable it to meet its profitability expectations; if the company does not accurately anticipate the cost, risk and complexity of performing its work or if the third parties upon whom it relies do not meet their commitments, then the company’s contracts could have delivery inefficiencies and be less profitable than expected or unprofitable; the company’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the company’s profitability could suffer if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful, and the company may not be able to improve its profitability through improvements to cost-management to the degree it has done in the past; the company’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; the company’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; the company might not be successful at identifying, acquiring or integrating businesses or entering into joint ventures; the company’s Global Delivery Network is increasingly concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; changes in the company’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in the company’s treatment as an Irish company, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations and financial condition; as a result of the company’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; adverse changes to the company’s relationships with key alliance partners or in the business of its key alliance partners could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; the company’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others; if the company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties, its business could be adversely affected; the company’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; many of the company’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; if the company is unable to collect its receivables or unbilled services, the company’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected; if the company is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; the company’s share price and results of operations could fluctuate and be difficult to predict; the company’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that the company makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; the company may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.