For the last year, Belcan has been part of Cognizant. The acquisition has enriched both companies with additional capabilities and broader market coverage.
In June 2024, Cognizant announced that it would pay $1.3 billion for Belcan. Belcan is a specialist in Engineering Research & Development (ER&D) for the Aerospace & Defense (A&D) market. That field of expertise aligns with what Cognizant customers are doing, but does not directly overlap with Cognizant’s own offerings. What is the vision behind the acquisition, and what does it mean for companies worldwide?
Compatible expertise
Mark Kizzar, VP overseeing synergy between Belcan and Cognizant, has led the Belcan synergy sales actions for nearly a year. “Belcan has been a strong brand for over 60 years in the A&D industry,” he says. “We are combining Belcan’s deep A&D industry knowledge with Cognizant’s technology expertise to serve the aerospace sector in new ways, and bring the knowledge and experience from Belcan to other industries as well.”
Kizzar clarifies exactly where the synergy arises. “Belcan is a leading provider of product development, software verification & validation and manufacturing & supply chain expertise. On your next flight, chances are that Belcan had some stake in the development, integration and/or testing of the engines, structures, wings or other components.”
Cognizant also has R&D capabilities, But Belcan brings the deep and extensive ER&D capabilities specific to A&D.
Mark Kizzar, VP Cognizant
“Cognizant also has R&D capabilities via our IoT practice,” he continued. “But Belcan brings the deep and extensive ER&D capabilities specific to A&D. We are combining Belcan’s 6,000+ engineers with Cognizant’s 340,000 experts worldwide.”
Engineers and IT
Kizzar explains exactly what is possible with that combination. “Cognizant is one of the leading and largest global system integrators. The company helps implement and operate IT systems in the cloud or on-prem; we deliver security services and offer deep experience in the implementation of software packages like Workday, SAP, Oracle, ServiceNow and others.”
“Belcan works in the product development and product support areas, helping companies design new products, test existing designs or certify them for operation. Cognizant handles the implementation of the IT and OT environments, and Belcan is on the side of actually using that environment for design and development. With Belcan joining Cognizant, the Belcan engineers may now have a role in developing the environments in which they will work, which brings a unique perspective where we are designing these IT-OT systems with input from Belcan super users that use the environments.”
New openings
For Cognizant, Belcan opens the door to the A&D sector and aerospace. The company also has a lot of experience in the maritime sector. Belcan’s engineers provide insights for Cognizant’s IT specialists.
The reverse is also true. Kizzar: “Belcan is mainly active in the U.S. and the U.K. Cognizant has a global presence in many more business sectors. Belcan’s expertise is directly translatable to other markets and some principles of A&D can immediately be applied within the automotive, industrial and medical device sectors.”
There are also opportunities regarding digital twins. Kizzar is convinced that every production site will have a digital copy in the near future. Implementing this technology again combines the strengths of Belcan and Cognizant.
European Synergy
The combination of Cognizant’s global scale and Belcan’s specialized engineering expertise comes in handy at a time when defense and aerospace investments in Europe are increasing. Whereas Belcan has traditionally focused on the U.S. and U.K., Cognizant’s strong presence in continental Europe opens the door to a broader European customer base.
By linking Belcan’s domain expertise with Cognizant’s existing customer relationships, the collaboration is intended to accelerate both innovation and execution for customers across the region.
Jeroen Caré, MD Manufacturing Logistics, Energy & Utilities, Netherlands Cognizant
“Together, the companies are uniquely positioned to respond to the growing demand within the EU for advanced engineering, digital twins and integrated IT/OT solutions in sectors such as defense, automotive, manufacturing and industrial systems”, says Jeroen Caré, MD Manufacturing Logistics, Energy & Utilities, Netherlands at Cognizant. “By linking Belcan’s domain expertise with Cognizant’s existing customer relationships, the collaboration is intended to accelerate both innovation and execution for customers across the region.”
Additionally, Belcan recently opened an office in Toulouse, France, which enables the company to better support the growing demands of the global A&D industry, as well as local original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
As one company
Cognizant is seeking to enrich its own offerings in the new sectors with Belcan knowledge. For now, that will be done under the Cognizant name. In the A&D sector, Belcan is a very familiar name, so Cognizant teams there will participate under the Belcan banner. “Clients will work with one party either way,” Kizzar emphasizes. “Everyone will walk in with the same hat on, and customers will effectively be working with one company with comprehensive capabilities, regardless of the brand name.”
The integration is thus an essential component of the acquisition. “The biggest learning curve is in the language,” Kizzar believes. “Belcan associates are accustomed to interacting with the VP of Engineering or engineers. Their Cognizant equivalents at the same customers are more likely to talk to IT professionals, CIOs and VPs of Infrastructure or Applications. We have to learn each other’s language and terminology, but that’s going well.”
A question of culture
Furthermore, Kizzar sees mostly cultural similarities between the two companies. “Actually, the overlap is spectacular,” he points out. “Both companies have a strong entrepreneurial culture and deep technical expertise. Our client teams are empowered to make their own business decisions. Team leaders are CEOs of their business, at Belcan and at Cognizant.”
Actually, the overlap is spectacular.
Mark Kizzar, VP Cognizant
“That’s not a given with other companies,” he adds. “Recently we won a client engagement precisely because that approach set us apart from competitors.”
Kizzar further refers to the strong listening culture at both companies. Neither Cognizant’s nor Belcan’s people are in the habit of walking up to a customer with a one-size-fits-all offer. “We listen first, then generate the right solution and approach.”
More than 100 opportunities
Cognizant clearly feels empowered with the acquisition of Belcan. The company has expanded its broad offerings with niche expertise that opens doors. Cognizant’s IT and IoT expertise is thus finding traction with new customers in the Belcan world.
Conversely, with Belcan’s knowledge, Cognizant has a new differentiator under its belt. Even in classic markets where Cognizant is strong, the company can now offer more comprehensive and deeply integrated solutions. “We are one company with many capabilities, including expansive ER&D capabilities,” smiles Kizzar. “The acquisition, thanks to that excellent synergy, has opened up more than 100 opportunities around the world.”