It is reported that Outokumpu has awarded Accenture a 5 year application outsourcing contract to provide Outokumpu with application development and application management services for its enterprise resource planning system on a global basis.

The agreement extends a contract signed in 2005 under which Outokumpu outsourced to Accenture the management and development of its finance, human resources and logistics applications on its SAP based ERP system. The new agreement extends the scope of the work to include NET applications for sales order management.

Mr Mikael Dahl VP for IT procurement at Outokumpu said that "Accenture’s strong competence in SAP has helped us streamline our core processes over the last 3 years. The added combination of Accenture’s .NET capabilities and its global network of professional resources led us to extend the scope and length of our relationship."

Accenture will provide the application management services for Outokumpu’s existing SAP platform and for its .Net applications from its delivery center in Hyderabad, which is part of Accenture's global network of more than 50 delivery centers.

Mr Nils Erik Thudén senior executive in Accenture’s Metals & Mining industry practice said that "The steel industry is undergoing major change, and we are pleased to have been able to play a role in supporting Outokumpu’s corporate transformation. Our application outsourcing services will continue to enable Outokumpu to harmonize processes and achieve cost-efficient IT operations in multiple markets."

(Sourced from news.moneycentral.msn.com)