Integration of Williams Communications Solutions
and Milgo Solutions Creates New Voice And Data Convergence Operations
LOS ANGELES (April 3, 2001) – Platinum Equity, a leader in acquiring
and growing technology companies, announces today that it has completed
the acquisition of Williams Communications Solutions (WCS). Platinum
is fulfilling its acquisition strategy to integrate WCS and Milgo Solutions,
another Platinum Equity company and provider of mission-critical networking
solutions. The integration creates an operation with clear market leadership
in the deployment of converged voice and data solutions. With headquarters
in Houston, Texas, the combined companies will operate under the new
name of Nextira. The Milgo office in Sunrise, Florida, will remain a
critical component as a key solutions support center, as well as maintaining
significant sales, marketing, and administrative functions. With over
$1.5 billion in combined year 2000 revenues and over 6,500 employees,
the operation will deliver services and solutions to enterprises, equipment
manufacturers, carriers and network service providers, and government
agencies directly within North America and, via partnerships, throughout
the world.
"This is a powerful combination of experience and capability," said
Tom T. Gores, chairman and CEO, Platinum Equity. "With its management
team, partners, customers and employees, Nextira will lead the industry
into the next generation of communications networking."
Drawing on the operational experiences of WCS and Milgo, Nextira will
continue the legacy of delivering world-class solutions and life cycle
services from planning and design, through the implementation, support,
and management of voice, data, and converged communications networks.
It will also be a nation-wide service organization that carries an extensive
portfolio of certifications and product expertise, and will provide
best-in-class technologies from leading partners, such as Nortel Networks
and Cisco Systems. Nextira will offer consultation and solutions development
ranging from contact center applications to network infrastructure outsourcing.
"Nextira is built upon a solid foundation of quality and excellence,
which supports our relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction. However,
our own satisfaction is realized when our efforts contribute to our
customers attaining their business objectives," said Bob Wentworth,
president and CEO of Milgo Solutions, and the new president and CEO
of Nextira.
Platinum Equity
Platinum Equity (http://www.peh.com/)
is one of the largest and fastest growing, private equity firms in the
United States. Platinum is a multi-billion dollar organization specializing
in the acquisition and operation of global, mission-critical technology
companies. Based in Los Angeles, Platinum is a unique company recognized
as a hybrid financial and strategic buyer with deep financial resources
and broad operational expertise. Due to their highly skilled executive
management team, Platinum is able to stimulate and help drive the value
of their portfolio companies. Since the company’s founding in 1995,
Platinum has acquired more than 25 technology-driven companies and several
billion dollars of revenue from leading Fortune 500 Corporations including
WorldCom, AT&T, Viacom, Dow Jones & Company and IBM. Platinum has an
established infrastructure in North America, Europe, Asia and South
America and a workforce of more than 10,000 employees serving tens of
thousands of customers throughout the world. All Platinum companies
operate as stand-alone entities and are lead by their own management
teams.
Milgo Solutions
Milgo Solutions (http://www.milgo.com/,
headquartered in Sunrise, Fla., is a leader in the field of networking
solutions and services. It benefits from the blending of assets from
Racal-Datacom and the TimePlex Group, each with a 40-year history of
success in communications. Milgo brings its clients strong service and
consultative expertise, complemented by strategic relationships with
industry leaders such as Nortel Networks, Cisco Systems, and AT&T. These
relationships, along with our over 1,200 person international infrastructure,
enable Milgo to install and maintain world-class technology solutions.
Milgo has installed more than 9,000 multi-vendor networks in over 100
countries, and manages many of them from network support centers in
the United States and the United Kingdom. Milgo Solutions, LLC is owned
by Platinum Equity.
Williams Communications Solutions
Williams Communications Solutions, headquartered in Houston, Texas,
is an established North American business communications provider that
offers a full range of enterprise network services and products to accommodate
every life-cycle phase of a business network. Solutions combines end-to-end
enterprise network services with its diverse, vendor-independent portfolio
of data, voice, video, IP and multimedia products to provide businesses
with a total solution. Offering everything companies need to operate
their mission-critical data and voice networks at peak efficiency, Williams
Communications Solutions' comprehensive professional and managed services
include enterprise engineering for complex contact centers and converged
networks, as well as North American maintenance and field operations.
For more information, visit the Communications Solutions section of
http://www.williamscommunications.com/.
CONTACT:
Platinum Equity
Alanna Chaffin 310.712-1850
achaffin@peh.com
For NextiraOne:
Shannon DeYoung
Director, Marketing
713-307-4743
Shannon.DeYoung@NextiraOne.com
Leadership