Sunday, February 7, 2010

Piece of Wang remains in Tewksbury building.

Worldwide TechServices rebrands itself to reflect global footprint

By Dan O’Brien

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

TEWKSBURY - What was taken apart has now been rebuilt.

The newly named Worldwide TechServices is in a familiar place, with a familiar business strategy. And the common theme is the company¹s link to the legendary Wang Labs.

“This is the first manufacturing building Wang Labs used,” said Worldwide TechServices CEO Brendan Keegan during an interview in his office just off North Road last week. “We think it¹s neat that a piece of Wang is still here.”

 Indeed, it was in 1951 that An Wang built the plant, the first he used for mass manufacturing. By 1963, the rapidly growing Wang Labs ‹ until that point based in Cambridge - moved its headquarters there.

The computer maker grew so rapidly that a generation later, it filled three 12- to 14-story newly-built towers at the junction of Route 3 and Interstate 495 - now Cross Point.

But as many area residents of a certain age can tell you, as the so-called “Massachusetts Miracle” of the 1980s petered out, so did Wang. It filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992, re-emerged as Wang Global, and then was sold to Dutch-based Getronics N.V. for $2 billion in 1999.

Getronics decided a year later that its computer-services division, still headquartered at the 495 Business Park off North Road, was not part of its long-term strategy. The unit was spun off and became its own entity, called QualxServ LLC.

QualxServ has been selling computer technology services ever since, but until recently on a relatively small scale.

That changed a little more than a year ago. QualxServ merged with a division of BancTec, forming a company that offers infrastructure and professional services to leading technology providers all the way down to individual consumers.

It has 3,000 employees who offer service in more than 50 countries.

“We service computers, servers, printers and LCDs (liquid crystal TVs), and we do it all over the world,” said Keegan, a former BancTec employee who took over to lead the combined company. “The relaunch, the name change, reflects that.”

Keegan said the company¹s clients have included industry heavyweights including Dell, IBM and Sony. Of its 3,000 worldwide workers, the company employs from 150 to 200 people at its headquarters, plus as many as 50 field technicians in this region alone.

“We¹re always looking for field technicians,”Keegan said. “These are people who are real problem-solvers and who have strong people skills.”

 Some of the services offered include technology installation, maintenance and support, deployment, on-site repair, and warranty management services, he said.

Keegan wouldn¹t reveal revenues of the private company, other than to say they¹re “in the $250 million range.”

“With this merger, we¹ve grown our revenues 50 percent,” he said, adding that organic growth would have been roughly flat, even through the recent deep economic recession. “We were able to transition seamlessly, though.”

 The company held a formal relaunching ceremony at its headquarters last month.