Pick chooses to expand and move

Pick Systems UK will become a full limited company and move to Berkshire next month under new general manager Rudge Bowan, who has replaced Glyn Yarnall.

Bowan is also reconsidering a deal whichYarnall signed in December, giving Dudley College the rights to run the training of Pick Vars and developers. 'We are setting up full companies in the UK and France from March 1, seeing distributors in Europe and making a $2 million investment on the startup,' Bowan said.

'In the UK we have strong distribution but in France we have decided to act as our own distributor.' Bowan, formerly general manager of Pick Systems South Africa, has doubled the number of UK staff to eight and will move the company from Warwick to Berkshire.

'To handle Europe we need premises near Heathrow airport,' Bowan said. 'Some staff have chosen not to come with us - including Glyn Yarnall - and those people were involved with the Dudley College deal.' The agreement with Dudley College may still be honoured despite Pick's move away from the Midlands, Bowan said. Brian Patterson, head of computing at Dudley College, remained hopeful that the pact would go ahead.

He said: 'We were happy to be involved with the training and the implementation of Pick Systems here, but suddenly they cancelled. Now I have spoken to the new MD the impression I got was favourable but we'll have to wait and see.' Bowan said that the company does need a training deal but admitted that Dudley will not be the ideal location for its training partner.