Dell urges staff to focus as EMC merger continues

Chief integration officer insists debt financing plans are not in jeopardy

Dell's chief integration officer has urged global staff members to remain focused as its merger with EMC continues, and scotched rumours that the firm's debt-financing plans are in trouble.

Rory Read sent a memo to all Dell staff globally to give an update on the $67bn (£46.8bn) acquisition, which he said is continuing according to its original timeframe - to close between May and October.

In the note, he said the EMC shareholder vote is due this spring, and added that the duo is seeking regulatory approval in "a dozen-plus" countries, as well as in the US and the EU.

Read told staff that the best thing they can do to aid the integration is to carry on as usual.

"People always ask me what they can do to help with the integration," he told staff in the email. "The number-one thing each of us can do is to focus on our customers and current business at hand. We must deliver on our current business commitments and continue helping our customers solve their problems and win. This is something you can directly control and it is the most important thing we all can all do. Stay focused."

Michael Dell took a swipe at media organisations last week, branding some reports suggesting that the Dell-EMC merger may not happen as "clickbait".

Read echoed the sentiment and insisted its financials are in good shape.

"I want to address some of the chatter over the past few weeks about possible financing headwinds with the transaction," he said. "I can assure you any suggestions our debt financing is in jeopardy are off-target and do not reflect our financing terms and the progress of our financing to date. The debt financing is fully committed and is being underwritten by many of the leading global banks."