Fujitsu Unveils New Regional Headquarters For The Highlands

27th August 2010

Danny Alexander, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, officiated at opening of the new Fujitsu Highland Headquarters in Inverness.

Global technology company Fujitsu is establishing a new Highlands headquarters in Inverness. The new office, which is on the Beechwood Business Park, will be home for 70 of Fujitsu's 500 Scottish employees and will lead the work the company does for The Highland Council - which currently includes modernising the Council's IT infrastructure, systems and services.

This modernisation is in line with the Scottish Government's national aims for transforming citizen services and will enable the Council to carry out its business as effectively and efficiently as possible, making the best use of its resources. The new IT platform is enabling improvements in how services are delivered and is supporting and enabling initiatives which make Council services more accessible, more convenient, more operationally efficient and cost-effective. One such service is Curriculum ICT - a Fujitsu delivered service that means 35,000 primary and secondary pupils in Highland schools can access their school work and email wherever they are connected to the Internet. Coupled with this teachers in schools across the Highlands are benefiting from a great, reliable and consistent service regardless of their size or location.

Wick councillor Bill Fernie, chairman of the Highland councils Education, Culture and Sport committee of Highland Council and who also sits on the councils ICT working group and attended the opening said, "It is really great to see the contribution that Fujitsu is making to the Highland economy by setting up a new headquarters in the Highlands and I am particularly pleased at the progress already being made by Fujitsu in our schools across the region. Soon Highland will have one of the most modern IT set ups in schools in the country and this will be replicated as the councils other systems are modernised. This new development bodes extremely well for possible future developments for IT related work in the Highlands. the commitment to community benefit is impressive as a statement of a long-term contribution to our communities."

Fujitsu has been expanding its business in Scotland over the last few years and sees the Highlands region as a key strategic base. In particular Fujitsu is keen to grow the company's broad capabilities in the region, for example by complementing the Alness service desk office with consultancy and project management roles in the Inverness headquarters.

Commenting on the opening of the office, Roger Gilbert, chief executive of Fujitsu UK & Ireland, said: "It's an exciting time to be expanding our business when many others are doing the opposite. The work with The Highland Council remains the key focus for us in the region but our ambition is to make Fujitsu the first choice IT services provider in Scotland. We already support 2,500 different customer sites in Scotland, 750 of which are in the Highlands, and are committed to bringing a world-class service to customers at a local level, from Shetland to the Borders."

Caroline Thomson, Fujitsu Scotland director, added: "To date our Highlands presence has been in the Council's offices and whilst that has been a tremendous success the time is now right for change. Our own flagship office will also put our stamp on the local community and help us continue the community benefits programme that we undertake with The Highland Council - which includes a commitment to creating employment opportunities, working with the Council to reduce its carbon footprint, and supporting a community engagement programme in conjunction with the charity ReBOOT around recycling PCs and laptops."

As part of the contract with The Highland Council Fujitsu is undertaking a five year community benefits plan which includes 40 commitments with an investment of £1.6m. The plan includes initiatives around training and recruitment; community engagement and the environment, such as:

- A 70% reduction in the Council's carbon footprint from IT

- £3.6m savings in electricity costs over the life of the contract

- Over 300 training and work experience opportunities over five years - Get Ready for Work, New Deal Programme and Highland Young Carers Programme

- Recycling 7000 pcs and laptops to community organisations, social enterprises and SMEs

Key facts about Fujitsu in Scotland and the Highlands:

- Fujitsu employs approx 500 people in Scotland, 150 of whom are based in the Highlands

- The new Inverness building is Fujitsu's sixth office - the other offices are in Edinburgh (2), Dundee, Cumbernauld and Alness

- Fujitsu's first office in Scotland opened in 1968

- Fujitsu's customers in Scotland include Scottish Water, Forestry Commission, The Post Office and Marks and Spencer

- Fujitsu started working The Highland Council in 1998; the contract was renewed in 2010 for a further five years