Olivetti arm picks up a new name and identity

Olivetti UK, the UK systems and services arm of the Olivetti Group, is changing its name in an attempt to unshackle itself from its ailing parent company. The new brand will be called Olsy UK.

The UK services arm jumped at the opportunity to change its name. The move was thrown up by the recent sale of Olivetti PC to a group of investors, Piedmont International.

?We have wanted to have more of our own identity for a while now,? said Jon Wedge, director of marketing and development at Olsy UK.

?Before the sale of Olivetti PC we represented 60 per cent of the Olivetti Group?s revenues. Now we represent 70 per cent. The sale of the PC division has reinforced our desire to have a new identity.? he said.

The company, which lists Abbey National and Barclays Bank among its customers, will begin trading under its new name from April.

Wedge said the company?s specialised products, such as self-service machines, retail banking solutions and multimedia kiosks, will all be badged with the new name.

The Olivetti Group made a loss of over #300 million in its last financial year but it forecast that it will be able to turn around this year.

Robert Colaninno, chief executive at Olivetti, said that the company will now be concentrating on telecoms, services and IT solutions.