Public sector contracts worth more than £1million during the past year highlight ongoing diversification at Aberdeen-based business software consultancy Absoft.
The company, which specialises in the range of products sold by German software giant SAP, has been working with three local authorities across the UK.
It is also expanding into other sectors as it, like many other north-east firms in the wake of the oil price slump, broadens its horizons.
The firm is supplying information technology products and services to pharmaceutical firms, manufacturers, higher education establishments, transport companies and utilities, as well as the hospitality, retail and oil and gas industries.
Absoft integrated services director Keith Davidson said: “As an important strand of our business, we are very pleased to see our presence and work within the public sector continue to grow.
“The nature of our technical and managed services is highly transferable across many industries.
“Together, with almost three decades of SAP experience, this has been instrumental in securing ongoing work within the public sector.”
He added: “We understand that local authorities and county councils are under mounting pressure to streamline processes and achieve cost efficiencies.
“Helping local authorities to augment existing SAP processes has amounted to cost savings in the region of £300,000.”
Absoft – once named as one of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies – has carried out projects in more than 40 countries since it was founded in 1991.
The firm had a turnover of £140,000 in its first year, when its only employees were the three founding directors.
Two of them, managing director Ian Mechie and finance director Derek Reid, are still with the business.
In the early years, 90% of Absoft’s clients were in the oil and gas industry and the firm had just a small presence in higher education and manufacturing.
Accounts for the 12 months to April 30, 2016, showed pre-tax losses narrowed to £73,200, from about £1million the year before, on turnover that was down by 18% at £5.7million.
The company employed 62 people, on average, in the latest period, which was down from 85 the year before.
