Kantar Picks Cross-Tab Group as Outsourcing Partner

Kantar has chosen Cross-Tab Group to be its outsourcing partner in India, in a four-year deal worth up to $25m. Ashwin Mittal, Cross-Tab Group President, described the contract as a 'significant milestone' in the firm's fifteen-year history.

The Group is made up of four specialist agencies - mobile metering software firm Informate Mobile Intelligence; emerging markets researcher Borderless Access; analytics and insights provider Blueocean Market Intelligence; and MR outsourcing company Cross-Tab Marketing Services. Capabilities include data collection, categorization, integration, warehousing, analytics and creative visualization; and it also develops technology platforms customized for research and analytics managers in large organizations.

As part of the newly signed agreement, Cross-Tab Group will launch a dedicated facility for Kantar in Airoli, Navi Mumbai, where it will provide a range of services, test new technologies and methodologies, and develop technology-based solutions. Kantar will outsource certain processes to Cross-Tab Group and will also be able to access the group's technology. In preparation for taking on the contract, Cross-Tab Group has already begun hiring staff for the new facility.

Sharon Potter, Kantar's Chief Officer, Global Operations, says of the deal: 'We wanted a partner capable of meeting our stringent requirements around deep knowledge of the research and analytics domain; and the ability to drive technology and process innovation for higher productivity, faster turnaround and greater scalability in our operations. The deal was awarded to Cross-Tab through a very competitive process in view of their capabilities matching our evaluation criteria'.

Web sites: www.cross-tab.com and www.kantar.com .