Nearshore Americas
Umvel NTT Data

NTT Data Snaps up Meixcan Digital Firm Umvel

Japan’s IT services giant NTT Data wrapped up an agreement to acquire Mexican digital engineering firm Umvel in an apparent bid to gain access to technology talent in a Nearshore country.

Mexico City-based Umvel employs around 140 people and provides digital product development and design services for companies such as Viva Aerobus, Cinemex and Bone Marrow.

Umvel will soon be combined with NTT Data’s subsidiaries involved in digital design and engineering, such as Nexient, Vectorform and Postlight, stated NTT Data in a press release.

“Our talented team of digital design experts deliver end-to-end capabilities to help our clients excel in the digital economy,” said Frank van de Ven, Chief Strategy Officer at Umvel.

“By joining forces with a global brand, we can help make a bigger impact for our clients and an equally exciting opportunity for our team,” he added.

NTT Data is not new to Mexico, nor is it a stranger to the Latin American market. It has operations in more than a dozen countries across the region, including Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Brazil.

The Japanese firm got access to the Mexican market in 2013 when it purchased a majority stake in Madrid-based Everis, which has a significant presence in the region, particularly Mexico.

Its biggest expansion, however, came in 2016, when it acquired Dell’s services unit for around US$3 billion.

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Over the past couple of years, NTT Data appears to have accelerated its hunt for Latin American tech talent. Earlier this year, it installed a mega innovation center in the Brazilian city of Recife, offering to train 22,000 Brazilians in developing tech solutions.

Narayan Ammachchi

News Editor for Nearshore Americas, Narayan Ammachchi is a career journalist with a decade of experience in politics and international business. He works out of his base in the Indian Silicon City of Bangalore.

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