STEP GmbH is pleased to announce the formation of a new company based in the UK. The company will be based in Swindon and starts operations on July 1, 1999. The name of the new company has not yet been finally decided, but it will reflect the fact that all the employees of the new STEP company come from the former DPSL (Database Publishing Systems Limited). STEP deeply regrets that DPSL has ceased business due to unfortunate circumstances and been forced to lay off all its staff. For many years DPSL has been the UK center of excellence in the SGML/XML industry, and the UK STEP operation intents to take over this mantle. Its core business will be SGML/XML based consulting, DTD design, software services and system integration, as well as providing services, training and support for all major SGML/XML tools and last but not least being a premium SigmaLink service provider. The highly skilled and experienced personnel will be able to deliver services tothe market from day 1, since it is an existing team since years that enjoys great esteem in the market. The STEP Group is proud to have won the confidence of the former DPSL employees and to have become what is probably Europe’s largest player in the SGML/XML area, with over 90 employees. As part of Bertelsmann Industrial Services the STEP Group has a strong backbone for long-term business relationships with its customers. www.step.de