PDMS, the Isle of Man’s largest software development company were delighted to welcome Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism to their Glasgow office in Hillington yesterday, at a breakfast reception to mark the expansion of the software company's operations in Scotland.
The reception was attended by customers and partners from the Glasgow business community who were there to get an update on PDMS' activities following the company's recent acquisition of certain parts of the business and assets of Maxima Information Group.
Business Minister Fergus Ewing said:
“The ICT and digital technology sector is a key driver of economic growth in Scotland, contributing roughly ?3 billion to our economy each year. We recognise that Scotland has high quality skills and expertise in areas of ICT that are recognised internationally and we will continue to work closely with companies like PDMS, and academia to drive forward further innovation.
“Scotland can offer the right people, the right skills and a competitive infrastructure for business. PDMS’s presence in Scotland is indicative of a mutually beneficial strengthening of ties between both sectors, ties which will undoubtedly stimulate increased tourism and business opportunities.”
At the event, PDMS were able to announce two major new clients - boosting not only their local customer base but also significantly growing their export business.
The first announcement relates to an exciting new partnership with the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). PDMS will be working closely with the University's Information Services team on UWS's investment in technology as part of its ambitious strategy based around three themes - Dreaming, Believing and Achieving.
PDMS and the University are also looking at how their joint collaboration can help benefit Information Technology and Computing students through work placements and graduate apprenticeships.
Commenting on this new partnership, Chris Gledhill, Managing Director said
"We are delighted to be working with the University of the West of Scotland as one of their technology partners. UWS is a progressive and evolving university whose growing influence not only extends to the West of Scotland, but also to a national and, an increasingly, international level.”
Jim O’Donnell, Chief Information Service Officer at UWS added:
“The University is making significant investment in IT across its campuses and we look forward to collaborating with PDMS as part of this exciting initiative.”
In addition to growing their client base in Scotland, PDMS have also recently had significant success in the global market. Their Compass ferry reservation and ticketing solution, already used by a number of Scottish ferry operators, will now be used in warmer climates - with a new contract win in the Seychelles.
Earlier this month, PDMS started working with Seychelles based ferry operator Cat Cocos to install a new online reservations system which will help increase revenue on their catamaran boats. PDMS will be showcasing Compass, in April, at the 2015 Shippax Ferry Shipping Conference in Rotterdam.
Photo - Left to right: Cathy Craig – Commercial Director at Caledonian MacBrayne, Fergus Ewing - MSP, Chris Gledhill – Managing Director of PDMS, David Johnston – Assistant Director ICT Support at the University of West Scotland, Professor Paul Martin – Deputy Principal at the University of West Scotland.
