ACS name fades into Xerox

Affiliated Computer Services Inc. officially has adopted the Xerox name.

Xerox Corp. chief executive Ursula Burns on Wednesday morning announced the name change in a conference call about the company’s fourth-quarter earnings.

In early 2010, Xerox bought outsourcer Dallas-based ACS for $6.2 billion, the last of the three big local outsourcing companies (with Electronic Data Systems Corp. and Perot Systems Corp.) to end their independent lives. ACS was founded in 1988.

Xerox and ACS said initially little would change at ACS, but that was two years ago.

Xerox chief marketing officer Christa Carone wrote Wednesday in a company blog post that having one company name will be “simpler” for clients.

“ACS was this big company with a quiet presence,” Carone wrote. “We turned up the volume. During our transformation, we learned that the Xerox brand, known around the world, is a great asset for ACS. We increasingly see the value of going to market as one Xerox, one voice, demonstrating to clients that our services-led, technology-driven strategy offers value through the very strength of our brand.”

So, Xerox decided to retire the ACS brand.

The name change is immediate, but it may take a few weeks for the name to be changed on all ACS buildings, websites, letterhead, etc., said spokesman Kevin Lightfoot.

The former ACS unit employs about 85,000 people, including about 1,950 in Dallas. Overall, Xerox has more than +140,000 employees.