Accenture Acquires Two Vertical Market Consultants, Steps Up Oil/Gas And Retail Supply Chain Offensive
Accenture stepped up its vertical market march with the planned acquisition of Schlumberger Business Consulting, an oil/gas management consultant, and the acquisition of Total Logistics, a retail supply chain consultant.
Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
The $30 billion systems integration giant Tuesday also completed its acquisition of EnergyQuote JHA, a London-based energy management and procurement services provider.
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Accenture is one of many solution providers adding vertical market talent as they move aggressively to help clients use technology as a competitive weapon to drive sales gains.
"Legacy VARs have the same problem as IT organizations within companies," said the CEO for a top CRN Solution Provider 500 company who did not want to be identified, commenting on the Accenture deal. "They are looked at it as cost centers and not business drivers. Solution providers and IT organizations need to get into a mode where they are viewed as service providers bringing business value. That requires different people and sometimes means acquiring new talent that can talk workflow, business process transformation and gap analysis."
Accenture said it will look to utilize Schlumberger Business Consulting to bolster its capabilities in the energy vertical by adding the company to Accenture Strategy. The 11-year-old company with U.S. headquarters in Houston has 250 consultants in nine worldwide offices. It provides consulting services for capital projects, operations and strategy as well as mergers and acquisitions.
All of the employees of SBC are expected to join Accenture Strategy after the acquisition closes. Accenture did not say when it plans to close the deal.
’The upstream oil and gas sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation, partly driven by oil price volatility, but also by increased regulation and technology advances,’ said Jean-Marc Ollagnier, group chief executive of Accenture’s Resources operating group, in a statement.
’Energy companies are also under pressure to improve internal performance in delivering large capital projects, reduce production costs and extend into new areas, including renewables. This acquisition will enhance our capabilities in helping clients navigate these challenges with a combination of business, digital and technology know-how that differentiates us in this global market.’
Accenture said its acquisition of Total Logistics, a 25-year-old company based in Wokingham, U.K., will open the door for the systems integrator to help retail and consumer goods companies provide interactive shopping experiences on multiple devices.
’Consumers’ expectations to shop using any channel they choose and still get fast and reliable delivery poses logistical and financial challenges for retailers,’ said Lucy Larkin, managing director in Accenture’s Retail practice in the U.K., in a statement. ’In this environment, it becomes critical for retailers to transform their supply chain models to enable a more real-time, digitally enabled service. The acquisition of Total Logistics ensures that we are well-equipped to help our clients achieve better business outcomes from their digital transformation programs.’
The Total Logistics deal, closed Monday, is the second acquisition that Accenture has made recently in the U.K. to strengthen its retail and consumer goods footprint. In June, Accenture acquired Javelin Group, a U.K.-based retail strategy consulting and digital transformation services provider.
Accenture said its EnergyQuote acquisition, which was disclosed July 21, strengthens its energy procurement capabilities in Europe and boosts its ability to deliver energy-management-as-a-service to clients.
EnergyQuote JHA provides energy risk management and strategy development, forecasting, energy contract management, portfolio management, carbon emissions reduction and utility bill validation.
PUBLISHED AUG. 19, 2015