Optimus, an IT equipment producer and distributor, expects to achieve a net profit for the current year, according to a statement by Tomasz Lewandowski, the company’s president.

Optimus generated a consolidated loss for the whole of 2007 of PLN 22.5m (?6.9m). Lewandowski’s forecast is grounded in the fact that the firm exceeded its sales plan in July and in his optimism regarding the company’s new strategy. Optimus plans to launch business process outsourcing (BPO) operations, initially providing services to insurance companies and then expanding to travel agencies and airlines, including those from abroad.

At first the new move will not entail any investment spending by the company, as existing infrastructure and servers are to be used. Optimus will probably launch its foreign activity even before the end of this year: in co-operation with its strategic partner, ABC Data, it will open offices or branches in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Within three months or so the firm hopes to launch sales to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

In Q1 2008 the producer noted an operating profit of PLN 204,000 (?60,300) which was a PLN 3m (?0.89m) improvement on its operating loss in Q1 2007.