Bimbo USA growing info infrastructure

Grupo Bimbo, S.A, generally regarded as the third biggest baker in the world, is expanding geographically, and technologically. This summer, the company announced a major deal to shore-up information technology sytems in the United states.

The company's U.S. subsidiary, Bimbo Bakeries USA, signed a contract with EDS of Plano, Texas, to outsource information technology services including infrastructure, network and desktop operations management and enterprise resource planning operations support. The initial contract announcement came from EDS on July 28.

The terms of the contract were not disclosed, however, Bakery Online reported earlier that the company is spending $200 million this year to expand its international plants, distribution and information technology systems this year. (See related article, Bimbo's Growth Fuels $200 Million in Expansions, Upgrades in 2000).

Bimbo Bakeries USA sells products under the Bimbo, Mrs Baird's, Tia Rosa, Marinela and Weber brands. Headquartered in Fort Worth, TX, Bimbo Bakeries USA operates 11 bread and cake plants and six tortilla bakeries in Texas and California. Grupo Bimbo is Mexico's largest food company and the third largest baking company in the world with approximately $3 billion in sales and 65,000 employees.

In other growth-related news, Lorenzo Servitje, the company's president, was quoted as saying that the company plans to move into the Brazilian marketplace by 2001, saying "Now we want to enter Brazil with our baking business." He said this to the press in a late August press briefing in Guadalajara, according to Reuters News service.

In recent weeks and months, Grupo Bimbo has been rumored to be negotiating an acquisition of Interstate Bakeries (denied by Interstate); reported to be shopping for another baking plant in California; began operations in Tijuana and resurfaces in other stories involving the world's leading bakeries.

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Edited by Bob Sperber