SDL plc ("SDL International" or "the Company"), a leading provider of globalization solutions, today announces that it has concluded negotiations and agreed with Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated ("Sykes") (Nasdaq: SYKE), a global leader in providing outsourced customer management solutions and services, to acquire the assets of its localization business. The assets being acquired include the intellectual property rights for Sykes' multilingual content management system and localization business that provides testing facilities, web translation, engineering and project management to a broad range of clients.

 
Strategy for Acquisition

The market for globalization infrastructure solutions combining both software technology solutions and service solutions is consolidating rapidly. In order for SDL International to continue to be the leading player in this market, the Directors believe it is a combination of new technology and service offerings are of crucial importance, and SDL International intends to continue to be at the forefront of this consolidation. The technologies acquired will improve existing product solutions, such as SDLWebFlow, and the services element will allow SDL International to continue to deliver the additional services that corporate companies require when developing their global web strategies.

The increased infrastructure and technology will enable SDL International to continue to lead the market offering a wider range of globalization solutions to its customers.

Details of the acquisition and background to the acquired businesses

• Boulder Colorado 50 staff - product development, testing facilities, web translation, engineering and publishing
• McQueen International Limited – 20 staff engineering and project management and publishing services for clients such as Adobe
• Traffic 30 staff– Web Consultancy, financial translation, engineering and publishing services

Commenting on the acquisition, Mark Lancaster, Chief Executive of SDL International, said:

"We believe that the additional technologies and infrastructure being acquired will allow SDL International to widen the gap between us and our competitors in offering greater product, service capabilities. We are increasingly seeing the larger corporations increase their investment in e-business solutions, and require a complete solution of both technology and services. SDL is ideally positioned in this fast growing market."