Digitech, a provider of billing services and technology for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) industry in the United States, has announced plans to establish a global services centre in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Digitech was established in 1984 as a technology and consulting firm specializing in business analytics software, with early projects focused on predictive analysis systems for financial institutions. Within several years, founder and CEO Mark Schiowitz decided to focus the company on technology for the medical transportation market, an industry he had learned about in the family-owned ambulance company and which he saw as ripe for disruption and automation. By the 1990s, Digitech’s proprietary ambulance billing and dispatch software was being used by much of the New York City ambulance industry. Today, the company provides revenue cycle management and technology services for private, municipal, and hospital-based EMS providers in 38 states across the US. Digitech’s third-party billing service handles all aspects of claims processing for clients through the company’s integrated technology platform, Ambulance Commander. “Our EMS billing service is centred around superior technology, responsive customer support, integration expertise, and maximized revenue for our clients,” says Mr. Schiowitz. “We look forward to working with our Lithuanian branch to produce great business results to continue our growth trajectory.” When searching for the location for the new GBS centre, Digitech prioritized a country’s reputation and experience in offering global business support functions in a cost-effective, competent, and efficient manner. In Kaunas, Digitech is planning to have a team of specialists managing various components of the unique revenue cycle management services the company offers. Digitech’s Lithuanian division will perform crucial ancillary functions in Operations, HR, Management, Training, IT, and other fields. The company will be hiring experienced specialists and will also create opportunities for Lithuania’s talent to utilize Digitech’s training programs to learn new skills and competencies. “At the heart of Digitech’s business is a mission to serve those who save lives,” says Mr. Schiowitz. “Out of this mission comes a strong commitment to social responsibility, continuing education opportunities, and community involvement. Our commitment to these important goals will remain strong in Lithuania.” “Shaping the face of our future” was the theme of the annual conference organized by ABSL (Business Service Leaders Association) between 16 and 18 November 2021. The event was attended by over 500 participants. This year’s theme refers to the individual contribution of each player in the creation and development of the industry during this difficult period.
In the first part of the conference, ABSL launched the annual report of the business services industry, which presents an image of the sector and its trends. Romania is currently one of the best, well-known business services destinations in the world, the industry here quickly adapting to the pandemic context. 79% of the companies that participated in the report believe that their turnover will increase in the next period (2022), while 21% consider that it will remain at the same evel of 2020. The business services industry closed 2020 with revenues of over 9 billion euros. For 2021, an increase of up to 5% is estimated. Although the pandemic did not produce visible effects on revenues or other economic indicators, 53% of companies in the industry say they have been affected by the health and economic crisis, which increased competition between companies. For 59% of the surveyed companies, the turnover increased in 2020 compared to 2019, 27% of the companies registered similar revenues and 14% of the companies registered a decrease in turnover. The growth comes mainly from new business areas and from the increase in external demand, as well as the plans of restructure in large companies. This information comes to confirm statistically what we have noticed during the last year, respectively that many companies bring new processes in Romania and more and more investors are interested in us. At the same time, we need to already think about the next step for the development of the industry, by increasing the share of complex services, with higher added value, in the portfolio of companies.” says Ciprian Dan, President of ABSL83% of the companies consider Romania an important destination for this industry and 98% of those who responded would recommend our country to potential investors. Among the biggest risks perceived by the companies are the availability of the necessary staff, the economic and socio-political environment, the tax legislation and policy, as well as the competition. “Finding qualified employees is the biggest challenge even now, during the pandemic. Foreign languages, especially German or the ones less spoken (Dutch, Nordic languages) remain the main employment criteria. In companies in the industry, 8 languages are used, on average, to deliver services, but their number may increase. We also have companies that speak 30 languages. Digital skills (for example SAP for customer operations, JAVA for IT or CRM and ERP for HR) are essential knowledge for future employees. Last but not least, the so-called soft skills and the ability to adapt to a constantly changing world matter.” adds Ciprian Dan.65% of the surveyed companies will return to office in 2022, 12% planned to return in the last quarter of 2021, prior to the arrival of wave 4, while 22% had already returned to office in the third quarter of 2021. The criteria for returning to the office include the increase in the vaccination rate and the decrease in the number of cases, the end of the state of emergency, as well as other legal issues. Those who will work from home will come to the office for team meetings, company events or training programs. 64% of respondents who now work from home said that they will work from the office between 5 and 10 days a month, 25% – more than 10 days a month, 11% of companies – less than 5 days a month. Regarding telework, 70% of the surveyed companies said that it can only be carried out in Romania, 22% allow work from anywhere, with certain restrictions, 5% – without any restrictions, while 3% of companies say they do not have a telework policy. 67% of the companies in the industry will continue to work in a hybrid system, with a well-established plan, 30% of companies will continue in a hybrid system, letting the employees choose the days when they will work from the office. Currently, 84% of companies work from home, 12% – from the office, 4% – from anywhere. 46% of companies in the industry find that the online recruitment process is more difficult and takes more time, while 36% of companies rate online recruitment as superior. The benefits of online recruitment include streamlining processes, access to more potential candidates and increased flexibility due to remote work. “Business services companies continue to be among the most sought after employers. Thus, even if it was a pandemic year, 80% of companies increased their salaries in 2021, with the average increase being 6.4%. Over 50% of companies offer fixed bonuses, and 67% of them offer performance bonuses”, says Francesca Postolache, Vicepresident of ABSL. 70% of the companies kept the office spaces from the beginning of the pandemic, 23% decreased the surface, and 7% registered increases. Office spaces have adapted to the rules imposed by the pandemic and have been used mainly for team meetings. Regarding the services provided by the business services industry, 32% of the employees offer customer operations services, 26% – IT, 18% – financial accounting services, 4% – supply management, 4% – telecommunications, 3% – HR, 2% – banking, 10% – other services. In 87% of the companies in the industry, the average age of employees is between 25 and 34 years. The pandemic increased employee loyalty (attrition rate), with 17% of employees leaving the company in the first 7 months of 2021, compared to the average rate of 26% recorded in 2019. A new trend is that 43% of companies in the industry use subcontractors or freelancers for situations when the workload increases (an atypical or seasonal increase), due to the need for less common professional skills or a reduction in costs. “We are at a turning point of the world we operate in. This transformation is far from being over and it is much more profound than it seems. We have yet to understand and manage the long-term effects of the new working environment in a way that would preserve the intrinsic efficiency of our industry while retaining talent by offering meaningful development opportunities. One aspect is clear though, the pre-pandemic serenity and predictability of our working environment are things of the past. At the same time, the human species cannot continue to exist predominantly in a virtual environment, and we will continue to need direct, physical interaction to evolve. The ones who refuse to adapt suffer, while the ones seizing opportunities will thrive according to the inexorable law of evolution. Looking back at the ascension of the past years, I am optimistic, and I have great trust in our industry’s ability to adapt.” says Cătălin Iorgulescu, Vicepresident of ABSL. The ABSL study was conducted together with PwC, between August and September 2021 on a sample of 68 companies with over 47,000 people and a cumulative turnover of 1.4 billion euros. The business services industry has 179,000 employees in Romania. The partners of the event are: ACCA, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants – CIMA, Deloitte, Valoris Center. The revenues of Bulgarian companies operating in the outsourcing sector are expected to grow in double digits in 2021, after increasing by 11.2% in 2020, Bulgaria's Association for Innovation, Business Excellence, Services and Technology (AIBEST) said on Thursday.
Bulgaria's outsourcing sector generated 3.3 billion euro ($3.82 billion) in 2020, AIBEST said in its annual report, citing data from a SeeNews study. The report comprises data for 677 local companies engaged in information technology sourcing (ITO) and business process sourcing (BPO). The sector generated 6.6% of Bulgaria's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020, up from 5.5% in 2019, according to the report. In 2024, this share is expected to expand to 11.2% of GDP. The industry reaffirmed its position as a preferred employer, as evidenced by the stable number of people working in the sector, around 77,000, AIBEST added. "With the career start and career path opportunities that we offer, we achieve one of our key priorities - to regain and retain talent in Bulgaria," llia Krustev, Chairman of the AIBEST Managing Board and CEO of A Data Pro, said. "We continue to develop our partnerships with universities, local and state authorities because this is the way to maintain our sustainable growth and to develop the knowledge industry in Bulgaria." The Polish IT sector is developing dynamically and providing professional support for dozens of industries and companies operating in the country and around the world. Its strong position is associated with successive developing points on the IT map of the country, where talented specialists can easily find a job and develop by implementing original and innovative projects. Tricity is without a doubt one of them. This is where the new office of GlobalLogic, a Hitachi group company, will be established to help brands around the world design and create innovative products, platforms and digital experiences. The company’s headquarters is located in Silicon Valley, it has offices and Engineering Centers across the world, including several Polish cities: Wrocław, Kraków and Szczecin. The Gdansk office will be the next big step in the company’s expansion in Eastern Europe. Kamil Swiadek, Program Director, said GlobalLogic will be mainly focusing on developing projects related to IoT (Internet of Things). Because of the high-level competencies of local developers, Tricity will also provide strong support for projects in other trending areas such as embedded systems, cloud services, mobile applications, automotive etc. Tailent, a Romanian technology company known for democratizing access to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions, and Encorsa, a digital transformation partner through automation technologies such as low-code and no-code, RPA robots and virtual assistants equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), have partnered to develop “digital employees”.
Tailent has an extensive expertise in developing platforms for specialized software robots that take over repetitive tasks and allow employees to focus on more relevant work. Tailent software robots are affordable and can be put to work in a short time in any company. Meanwhile, Encorsa, which has also used UiPath solutions in the past, will add Tailent to its portfolio of solutions to create accessible digital environments where people and software robots collaborate. ”Encorsa is a technology integrator that joins Tailent’s ecosystem of partners to bring more value to their customers. Tailent will provide RPA technology, Encorsa will develop integrated services using it, and together we will deliver affordable and easy-to-use software robots. Encorsa has extensive experience in providing automation technologies and together we have a shared vision of how software robots should become loyal assistants to people and companies in their day-to-day work, without cost barriers. In this way, we democratize companies’ access to innovative solutions tailored to their needs regardless of their size and field of activity and support the creation of the digital employees of the future, with skills that are tailored to the specific needs of each individual company and who are ready to integrate immediately into the team”, explains Mario Popescu, Tailent CEO.With over 10 years of technology consulting, Encorsa brings together technologies such as low-code and no-code, AI, RPA, Chatbots or Business Process Management (BPM) solutions to provide tools that allow any company to maintain part of their workflows and update their business rules in real time without external support and extensive technical knowledge within the organization. So far, Encorsa has successfully implemented more than 50 complex digital transformation projects in companies and organizations such as Impetum Group, Green Group, Electrica Furnizare, Agenția Națională pentru Ocuparea Forței de Muncă (ANOFM), BCR Asigurări de viață, PwC or Deloitte. Dover, a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider, recently opened an office for its Business Services (DBS) function in Bucharest’s Globalworth Plaza. The 1,170 square meter space will enable DBS to continue providing value-added services to Dover operating companies in the areas of finance, information technology and human resources.
Recognized for its entrepreneurial approach for over 65 years, Dover has a team of over 24,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue of approximately $7 billion. The company delivers innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software & digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Fueling Solutions, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Refrigeration & Food Equipment. Palfinger Produktionstechnik Bulgaria, a unit of Austrian crane manufacturer Palfinger, will invest over 4.4 million levs ($2.6 million/2.2 million euro) in a new shared services centre in the capital Sofia, the economy ministry said.
The investment will result in 200 new jobs, the economy ministry said in a statement in late November. Palfinger Produktionstechnik Bulgaria has a plant for cranes and crane components in the town of Cherven Bryag, in northern Bulgaria. EY Global Delivery Services (EY GDS) is establishing a new global service centre in Budapest, where services related to tax consultancy will be in focus. The Budapest centre of EY GDS will primarily support EY companies operating in EMEIA countries. By the end of 2024, the company is planning to hire 500 employees to the new headquarters, in connection with which it will implement a training programme in the value of more than EUR 2 million.
The London-based EY is a member of Big 4, one of the four outstanding auditing and business consulting companies in the world with more than 700 offices in over 150 countries worldwide. EY GDS is an important element of EY's leading services. EY, which has been present in Hungary since 1993, has decided to establish a new Budapest Global Service Centre. The company plans to hire 500 employees to the new centre by the end of 2024. Services related to tax consultancy will be in the focus of activity. In connection with the establishment of the new centre, the company will implement a training programme with 282 participants in the amount of approximately HUF 770 million. The Budapest centre of EY GDS will primarily support EY companies operating in EMEIA countries. The office in Budapest is the fifth European office of GDS, which is an important milestone for the expansion on the continent. As part of the GDS tax team, colleagues of EY GDS Hungary will work closely with EY's international associates, having access to company assets and network, in order to help global customers beyond Hungary in comprehensive business and tax issues. The Aebi Schmidt Group, a global leader of smart product systems and services for the treatment of mission-critical infrastructural and agricultural areas, is setting up a Corporate Service Centre in Katowice, Poland, from 1 September 2021.
In Poland, the Aebi Schmidt Group already employs around 300 people in production and sales at its Kielce location; now, a new Corporate Service Centre is being established, which will initially support the group in the areas of IT, finance, software engineering and master data management. The plan is to expand the service centre over time with additional services and positions. The changes in the workplace – digitalisation, market consolidation and growing demands in terms of sustainability – were accelerated and accentuated by the pandemic. Today, the technical possibilities allow networked work at different locations and thus the global talent pool is growing. At the same time, however, the "battle for talent" is intensifying – good employees are being recruited around the globe. Against this background, the management of the Aebi Schmidt Group has decided to establish a Corporate Service Centre that can provide sufficient resources to further standardise and automate the group's processes. Thus, the group is prepared for the challenges of the future. Barend Fruithof, Group CEO, says about the choice of the location in Katowice: "In recent years, we have had very good experiences in Poland in terms of infrastructure and workforce. This was the decisive factor in choosing Poland as the location for the Corporate Service Centre." "Aebi Schmidt's Corporate Service Centre is unique in Katowice. Katowice gives access to excellent specialists with knowledge of German and English who are the foundation of our center" – says Wojciech Puch Head of the Corporate Service Centre. The Corporate Services Centre is located in the newly opened CitySpace serviced office, located in Katowice, in the modern Face2Face business building. Keywords Studios, the international technical and creative services provider to the global video games industry, today announces the expansion of its Katowice facility in Poland, which aims to provide more than 300 new jobs locally in 2021.
The office in Katowice was established in 2018 with 200 staff in the Player Support department (PS). The studio quickly ramped up capacity – driven largely by growth in its Functionality Quality Assurance (FQA) offering and stable growth within Player Support and Localization Quality Assurance (LQA). Keywords currently has 700 employees in Katowice, working to provide Functionality QA, Localization QA as well as Player Support to video games publishers and developers. Now Keywords is seeking to hire 300 additional player support and customer service specialists as well as video games testers, who share their passion for games, technology and content to build better digital experiences for people throughout the world. Keywords is also recruiting for support function teams, including IT, HR, Finance and Administration. "The gaming market has been experiencing growth in value for a long time worldwide. The city of Katowice has also noticed the importance and power of this industry and decided to cooperate with the Intel Extreme Masters. Thanks to the collaboration Katowice emerged on the world map of e-sports and over time gained strong position. We believe that our engagement in this cyclical event facilitated the establishment and development of computer game companies based in Katowice, such as Keywords Studios. I would like to congratulate Keywords Studios on their dynamic development, both in terms of the number of employees and lines of business. This investment is of significant importance to us because it generates employment and professional development opportunities. Moreover, as a vast majority of people working for Keywords Studios are passionate gamers their job is a perfect combination of work and hobby. I wish everyone had such possibility of self-fulfilment at work."- says Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice. Katarzyna Zareba, Branch Director at the Katowice studio, about the expansion: “Despite the pandemic and difficulties related to COVID-19 in 2020, we continued to develop very dynamically and created new jobs by successfully recruiting new employees in remote mode. In Katowice, in 2021, we plan to further increase the size of the team by at least 300 people, reaching approximately 1,000 employees and associates.” The choice of the location of the Katowice studio was originally partly influenced by access to the pool of local talent and university graduates. Lukasz Szewczyk, QA Manager at Keywords Studios in Katowice, said about the expansion: “Smart growth has been a major factor in the success of our Functionality QA offering. As we continue to expand our capacity and capabilities, the service line’s success can be attributed to the amazing, hard-working and dedicated staff that create the foundation of what we do.” |
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