The software services and solutions provider NTT DATA Romania (formerly EBS Romania), part of the Japanese group of the same name, with a turnover of about 78 million Euro in 2019, is looking for specialists in various technologies to occupy over 75 vacancies.
In the current context of the health crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the digitalization of all economic sectors, the company registered an increase in software development and application management projects, Daniel Metz – CEO of NTT DATA Romania – told ZF.
"We have adapted to the new context, and after an initial decline in the number of projects, we are now seeing a significant recovery. If four months ago we had 30 open positions for recruitment, now we have over 75", said Daniel Metz.
NTT DATA Romania has a total of 7 branches, of which six are in Romania – in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, Timisoara, Iasi, Sibiu, Brasov – and one in Serbia – in Novi Sad. Also, NTT DATA Romania team currently numbers over 2,000 employees and external collaborators.
"Except for the Embedded Systems testing and development teams, all other teams have been teleworking. We will keep this model for the next months. During the summer period, approximately 150-200 colleagues came to work at the company's offices."
Operating expenses, especially those with staff salaries and wages, have a share of over 80% in the total costs of NTT DATA Romania, said the company's CEO. Thus, considering the pandemic context, the company took measures to adapt the bonusing system to the current context and tried to maintain salaries at the same level.
"It is important that in these periods of markets and price contractions, we manage to calm the increase in operating expenses. We need to consider that the negative impact of the crisis on our customers will lead to negative effects on companies activating in this industry."
The Japanese giant continued to attract new customers on the local market, given companies' desire to implement digitalization solutions of business processes amid the pandemic.
"We have implemented solutions in several companies with industrial activities. We also had several projects to implement RPA (Robotic Process Automation) solutions, to automate the business processes, especially within some large companies in the Finance & Banking as well as Telecommunications sectors."
As far as the external markets are concerned, the company focused on cross-selling and upselling activities. The limitations in outbound traveling have led to a slowdown in sale processes on international markets, added Daniel Metz.
Although customers generate most of the local revenues registered by the Japanese company from outside Romania, the share of contracts on the domestic market is increasing, reaching 30% of total revenues.
"In Romania, we implement end-to-end solutions, automation solutions of business processes. On the international markets we operate especially in Western Europe, in the German-speaking countries and Great Britain", said the NTT DATA Romania executive.
He mentioned that the Japanese giant is preparing to expand on the CIS of Central Asia.
In the current reality outlined by the pandemic and sanitary crisis, Daniel Metz considers that the companies need new leadership, with a hybrid character, in the context of the definitive change of the "office" type of work model from the past.
"The first challenge is to preserve the team's cohesion and the consistency of the organizational culture in the context of the virtualization of project teams in telework regime. The second challenge is to reshape the sales processes and the overall relationship with the customers. We need to master the art of convincing clients remotely."
Also, the CEO of NTT DATA Romania considers that the pandemic will lead to more significant pressure towards the economy's digitalization. The authorities must further dynamize infrastructure investments and the digitalization of the local administration.
"The IT companies in Romania need to assume their role as agents of digitalization of the national economy and administration. It is an opportunity for them. The Romanian IT companies can be confidently involved in the digitalization programs of the education system, health system as well as in everything that defines the public life in Romania."
Daniel Metz also said that the IT market will regain its intensity no sooner than the following spring. At the same time, the other economic sectors will need a longer time horizon, between 6 and 36 months, depending on the specifics of each industry.
"That is why we decided to begin a process of consolidation and optimization of internal structures and processes so that, when market activities restart, we have an agile and flexible organization, ready for new challenges."
The company estimates a total business turnover of 110 million Euro in the current fiscal year (01.04.2020-31.03.2021), a 40% increase compared to the previous year.
"We currently have some large-scale sale processes underway. We hope to successfully conclude some of them and thus to break the 100 million Euro barrier. The target for the current fiscal year is about 110 million Euro. Achieving this goal also depends on the possible limitations that may occur in the context of this pandemic".
Article published in the printed edition of Ziarul Financiar dated 24.11.2020.