Denmark-headquartered language service provider (LSP) LanguageWire is back on the M&A trail with its acquisition of WhP International. The terms of the transaction, which was completed on April 5, 2024, were not disclosed.
WhP was founded 30 years ago and has offices in Quebec and London in addition to its France headquarters. The company specializes in providing translation services for software, e-learning, and technical documentation and has a strong focus on XML and DITA.
LanguageWire’s CEO, Søren Bech Justesen, told Slator the WhP acquisition is aligned with the company’s growth and M&A strategy and will “enhance LanguageWire’s scale and competitive position in the LSP market.”
WhP is LanguageWire’s third France-based acquisition in two years; the company bought Agency Walker Services (AWS) in 2022 and A.D.T. International in 2023, expanding its footprint in France further after the acquisition of Belgian-headquartered rival Xplanation in 2018.
On this occasion, more so than its location, WhP’s “advanced capabilities in DITA is what drew our attention to WhP International,” Justesen said.
Drawn to DITA
As Justesen explained, “DITA, Darwin Information Typing Architecture, is an XML based content architecture standard used by most global corporations for their technical documentation in software, healthcare, automotive, automation and manufacturing industries.”
WhP’s DITA technology will be integrated into LanguageWire’s ecosystem. For example, “we will expand our CAT-tool Smart Editor with WhPs proprietary technology, Augmented Review,” Justesen said.
Meanwhile, WhP Academy, which includes a course of localization for DITA documentation standards, “could therefore very likely be continued and expanded as an offering to both existing and new customers who are interested in learning about and using DITA,” he added.
WhP’s Dominique Trouche has served as CEO to the company and its ca. 25 full-time employees (FTEs) since 2005. He will now join LanguageWire and report to Justesen, who told Slator, “Where Dominique is WhP’s DITA expert, WhP’s daily business has for some years now de facto been headed by WhP’s Managing Director, Christian Dyrlund.”
According to Justesen, WhP was jointly owned by its management and a private equity fund prior to its acquisition by LanguageWire. In time, WhP will be integrated fully under the LanguageWire brand.