Acquisition
Assembly Line
Once For All to Acquire Nalanda Global
Once For All, a European leader in supply chain compliance and sustainable sourcing solutions for the built environment, is excited to announce the acquisition of Nalanda Global, a leading supply chain risk and compliance management software platform in Spain.
The transaction extends Once For All’s European footprint into Spain and enhances the differentiated offering of its technology platform, adding scale and the ability to aid in providing a broader product suite to its customer base. Similar to Once For All, Nalanda operates a SaaS-based network that helps enable contractors in multiple industries to manage the compliance of sub-contractors in their supply chain. Nalanda also brings additional worker-level compliance and health & safety solutions to Once For All’s product suite.
Lincoln Electric Acquires RedViking®
Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. announced that it has acquired RedViking, a privately held automation system integrator based in Plymouth, Michigan, U.S. RedViking specializes in the development and integration of state-of-the-art autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) and mobile robots, custom assembly and dynamic test systems, and proprietary manufacturing execution system (MES) software. The company serves customers in the aerospace and defense, transportation, and general industry sectors.
SLB Announces Agreement to Acquire ChampionX in an All-Stock Transaction
SLB and ChampionX Corporation announced a definitive agreement for SLB to purchase ChampionX in an all-stock transaction. The agreement was unanimously approved by the ChampionX board of directors.
SLB’s acquisition of ChampionX comes at an important time in the industry. The production phase of oil and gas operations typically comprises the majority of an asset’s life cycle from completion through decommissioning. This places a premium on service providers’ ability to help customers address challenges across the entirety of their production system. At the same time, there is growing demand to scale emerging technologies such as AI and autonomous operations across global operations.
Nucor to Acquire Manufacturer of Data Center Infrastructure
Nucor Corporation announced that it has acquired Southwest Data Products, Inc. (SWDP), a manufacturer and installer of data center infrastructure for $115 million. SWDP’s offices and manufacturing facility are in San Bernardino, California and the company employs approximately 147 teammates. Nucor is also announcing the launch of Nucor Data Systems, a new business unit that will help better serve our customers in the data center infrastructure industry.
Specifically, SWDP and Nucor Data Systems will provide Nucor’s Warehouse Systems businesses with expanded capabilities in airflow containment structures, as well as new product capabilities that include manufacturing cabinets/enclosures and caging for data centers and installation services. SWDP’s compatibility with Nucor Warehouse Systems’ current manufacturing capabilities will create significant growth opportunities, and SWDP’s location near Nucor Warehouse Systems’ production facility in southern California will facilitate both integration and growth efforts.
Descartes Acquires OCR
Descartes Systems Group, the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, announced that it has acquired OCR Services, Inc. (“OCR”), a leading provider of global trade compliance solutions and content.
OCR specializes in solutions and content for export compliance and controlled commodities, helping customers streamline and automate processes around denied party screening, license procurement / management, and product classification. Their core platform, GlobalEASE, is used by blue-chip, multinational organizations around the world to stay current in a rapidly changing regulatory environment. Similar to Descartes, OCR monitors regulatory sources and updates their trade data content libraries daily. OCR’s controlled exports data expands Descartes’ extensive global trade content library for customers and partners, such as SAP and Oracle.
International Paper stirs up possible bidding war over DS Smith
International Paper has stirred up a potential bidding war over British paper packaging firm DS Smith making a takeover offer that sent the shares of the FTSE-100 target over a two-year high. DS Smith said it was in discussions with International Paper over an all-stock offer from the U.S.-listed company, which valued it at 5.72 billion pounds ($7.22 billion), or 415 pence per share.
ServiceNow Announces Acquisitions of 4Industry and EY Smart Daily Management Application to Drive Innovation for Smart Industrial Environments and Connected Workers
ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company making the world work better for everyone, announced it has signed an agreement to acquire 4Industry, a Netherlands-based partner whose manufacturing technology application is built on the Now Platform, and has completed the acquisition of Smart Daily Management, a connected digital worker application from EY. Together, the deals augment ServiceNow’s existing operational technology (OT) management capabilities, adding Connected Worker solutions and enhancing expertise across key industrial markets such as manufacturing, energy and transport & logistics.
This example of continued investment in European tech and talent will significantly enhance ServiceNow’s long‑term roadmap for its global customers, delivering continuity across IT, OT, and factory floor workers. ServiceNow will continue to maintain a strong alliance with EY and partnership with Plat4mation, an affiliated services company of 4Industry. It will work jointly with these companies, as innovation and implementation alliance partners for both existing OT solutions as well as future Connected Worker solutions.
Germany’s Rheinmetall acquires Dutch startup REEQ, maker of light hybrid tactical vehicles
Rheinmetall, a company specializing in security and mobility solutions, announced that it has acquired the Dutch startup — REEQ. Through this acquisition, Rheinmetall expands its range of vehicles to include innovative light hybrid vehicles.
At the start of March 2024, Rheinmetall’s Dutch subsidiary, Rheinmetall Defence Nederland, part of the Vehicle Systems Division, acquired 100 per cent of the Dutch startup REEQ shares. The acquisition will allow Rheinmetall to broaden its portfolio of lightweight tactical vehicles and move toward hybrid technology with a fully electric drivetrain in a military vehicle.
McDanel Advanced Material Technologies Expands Capabilities with Acquisition of Rayotek Scientific
McDanel Advanced Material Technologies (“McDanel”), an Artemis company, announced the acquisition of Rayotek Scientific. The acquisition of Rayotek expands McDanel’s technology portfolio of advanced material offerings and manufacturing capabilities. Together, the combined organization will use its consolidated material science expertise to better meet customer needs. In direct service and commitment to the company’s customers, employees, and community, Rayotek will continue to operate from its existing headquarters in San Diego, California.
AE Industrial Partners Completes Acquisition of Calca Solutions
AE Industrial Partners, LP (“AEI”), a private equity firm specializing in Aerospace, National Security, and Industrial Services, announced it has completed the acquisition of Calca Solutions. Calca is a leading manufacturer of hydrazine, which is used in diverse national security applications, including in-space propellant, military aircraft, pharmaceuticals, and water treatment. The Company will serve as a new AEI platform to invest in mission-critical products focused on national security.
Exyte acquires CollabraTech Solutions, a specialist in delivery systems and contract manufacturing services for high-tech facilities
Exyte, a leading company in the design, engineering, and delivery of high-tech facilities, has completed the acquisition of CollabraTech Solutions, a specialist in delivery systems and contract manufacturing services. The US-based company specializes in the design, development, and optimization of ultrahigh purity critical process equipment for highly complex semiconductor manufacturing. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, CollabraTech Solutions employs approximately 70 people. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the details of the purchase agreement.
Boeing in Talks to Buy Troubled Supplier Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit has hired bankers to explore strategic options and has had preliminary discussions with its former owner, according to people familiar with the matter. The talks might not result in a deal. Spirit is also exploring selling operations in Ireland that make parts for Boeing’s chief rival, Airbus.
A deal would be a strategic reversal. Boeing sold the Wichita plant in a push to focus on final assembly. In recent years, that facility has been plagued by production problems and quality lapses that have slowed production and left the plane maker short of jets it promised to deliver to airlines.
Yokogawa to Acquire Indian Flowmeter Manufacturer Adept Fluidyne
Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that it has finalized an agreement to acquire Adept Fluidyne Pvt. Ltd., one of the largest domestic manufacturers of magnetic flowmeters in India. The purchase process is expected to be completed by the end of March 2024. This acquisition will provide Yokogawa with an Indian manufacturing base for its lineup of high-performance magnetic flowmeters and give the company access to Adept’s product lineup, enabling more timely delivery of a broad portfolio of flowmeter products for the burgeoning India market.
Flowmeters are an essential industrial instrument that can measure the flow rates and, with some products, the density and temperature of liquids, gases, and steam. Various measurement technologies are available depending on the purpose of measurement, the type and condition of the fluid or gas, and the measurement conditions. With the rapid expansion of India’s industrial sector under the Government of India’s “Make in India” initiative, demand for flowmeters continues to grow.
Valispace Joins Forces with Altium in a Strategic Acquisition
Altium, a leading provider of design software for the electronics industry, has acquired Valispace. Valispace’s capabilities in Systems- and Requirements Engineering will complement the Altium 365 cloud platform for product and electronics design. High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), one of Europe’s leading seed investors, was the firstinstitutional investors and has been a close supporter of the team since the seed investment in 2018.
Altium and Valispace are joining forces to accelerate the execution of a shared vision for empowering engineers. Products are becoming more and more defined by their electronics: While in the 1980s a car would contain around 20 chips, this number has grown to more than 2000. At the same time there are continuously higher demands to track regulatory and other requirements down to the component level, and modern systems engineering practices are needed more than ever to manage the rising complexity of products. Engineers therefore rightfully demand modern tools that allow them to develop future products with an end-to-end solution for which Valispace at Altium will be a major building block.
Chord Energy and Enerplus to Combine in $11 Billion Transaction Creating Premier Williston-Focused E&P Company with Top-Tier Shareholder Returns
Chord Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: CHRD) and Enerplus Corporation (TSX: ERF) (NYSE: ERF) announced they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement under which Chord will combine with Enerplus in an approximately $11 billion stock and cash transaction. The combined company will have a premier Williston Basin position with deep, low-cost inventory, approximately 1.3 million net acres, combined 4Q23 production of 287 MBoepd, and enhanced free cash flow generation to return capital to shareholders.
Align Capital Partners Announces Sale of SEAM Group to ABB
Align Capital Partners announced that its portfolio company SEAM Group has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by ABB. SEAM Group is a provider of energized asset management and advisory services to over 3,000 customer sites across the industrial and commercial building markets. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and expected to close in Q3 2024.
Headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, SEAM Group provides customers holistic advisory, training and technology solutions including electrical safety, predictive maintenance programs, reliability consulting and repair services; each supported by patented software systems ensuring program metrics. ACP’s initial investment in the SEAM Group platform came via the acquisition of Lewellyn Technology in 2017. During the partnership, SEAM Group experienced strong organic growth and scaled operations through three add-on acquisitions.
KOYO Machinery USA merges with JTEKT Machinery Americas
Koyo Machinery USA, a leading provider of precision grinding machines and systems for production applications, will be integrated into JTEKT Machinery’s range of products, services, and customer support operations.
This merger is an extension of JTEKT Corporation’s global brand unification initiative launched in 2021 which is designed to strategically reshape the company for increased efficiency and greater synergy between group companies, said Michael Defer, President and CEO, JTEKT Machinery Americas Corporation. “This is a positive change that will provide higher value and benefits to our customers,” according to the company.
Renesas to Acquire PCB Design Software Leader Altium to Make Electronics Design Accessible to Broader Market and Accelerate Innovation
Renesas Electronics Corporation, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, and Altium Limited a global leader in electronics design systems, today announced they have entered into a Scheme Implementation Agreement (“SIA”) for Renesas to acquire Altium by way of a Scheme of Arrangement under Australian law (“Scheme”).
Together, Renesas and Altium, under a shared vision, aim to build an integrated and open electronics system design and lifecycle management platform that unifies these steps at a system level. The acquisition brings together Altium’s sophisticated cloud platform capabilities with Renesas’ strong portfolio of embedded solutions, combining high-performance processors, analog, power and connectivity. The combination will also enable integration with third-party vendors across the ecosystem to execute all electronic design steps seamlessly on the cloud. The electronics system design and lifecycle management platform will deliver integration and standardization of various electronic design data and functions and enhanced component lifecycle management, while enabling seamless digital iteration of design processes to increase overall productivity. This brings significantly faster innovation and lowers barriers to entry for system designers by reducing development resources and inefficiencies.
Henkel signs agreement to acquire Seal for Life Industries
Henkel has signed an agreement to acquire the US-based Seal for Life Industries LLC from Arsenal Capital Partners (USA). Seal for Life is a specialized supplier of protective coating and sealing solutions in a broad variety of infrastructure markets such as renewable energy, oil & gas, and water. The company operates globally and has generated sales of approximately 250 million euros in 2023. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
“Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is a strategic growth market for us, offering great opportunities for innovative solutions that help protecting, retrofitting and digitally-enabled condition monitoring of infrastructure and at the same time contributing to sustainability. This transaction marks another building block in creating and developing a growth platform in our MRO business. It will enable us to further expand our offering in sustainability-driven, future-oriented markets such as renewable energy and water supply,” said Mark Dorn, Executive Vice President and responsible for Henkel’s Adhesive Technologies business.
Blue Yonder Acquires Flexis, a Leader in Manufacturing and Supply Chain Planning Technology
Blue Yonder, a leading supply chain solutions provider, announced its acquisition of flexis AG, a flexible, innovative software technology provider specializing in production optimization and transportation planning and execution. With a robust customer base in the automotive and industrial original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sectors, flexis strengthens Blue Yonder’s capabilities to help companies with highly configurable products and expansive suppliers to plan and optimize their complex production facilities and network structures.
As companies continue the shift towards personalization, they are looking for ways to provide consumers with increased ability to tailor their product before it is built. flexis equips manufacturers with the ability to flexibly schedule and sequence orders on their assembly lines, as well as integrate with order management systems to balance and optimize production dates based on inventory availability, material constraints, transportation schedules, and production sequences.
BAE Systems acquires British technology business Malloy Aeronautics
BAE Systems has acquired Malloy Aeronautics – a leading company in innovative heavy lift drone and aeronautical technologies.
Malloy Aeronautics designs and supplies all-electric uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to both civil and military customers. Their range of uncrewed, heavy lift quadcopters are capable of lifting payloads from 68kg to 300kg over short to medium range missions.
These platforms offer interchangeable capabilities and greater flexibility at a fraction of the cost and time of more traditional methods, whilst minimising risk to more expensive assets and human life.
Arsenal Invests in Polycorp
Arsenal Capital Partners (“Arsenal”), a private equity firm that specializes in investments in industrial and healthcare companies, announced that it has completed a majority investment in Polycorp Ltd. (“Polycorp”), a leading manufacturer of engineered elastomer solutions. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Polycorp is headquartered in Elora, Ontario, and employs approximately 250 full-time staff. The company serves its global customer base with rubber- and polyurethane- based elastomer solutions, that help reduce corrosion, abrasion, vibration, and noise. Polycorp’s leading engineering and design services, combined with its robust molding, calendering, and extrusion capabilities, underpin its success serving mission-critical, infrastructure and industrial focused applications for the mineral processing, rail, and protective linings industries.
Angeles Equity Partners Acquires Acieta from Mitsui to Expand Robotics Integration Platform
An affiliate of Angeles Equity Partners, LLC (“Angeles”), a private investment firm focused on value creation through operational transformation, announced the acquisition of Acieta LLC (“Acieta”), a Midwest-based industrial robotics manufacturer and integrator, from Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (“Mitsui”). This transaction marks the fourth strategic acquisition by Angeles in the robotics integration sector, complementing its current platform consisting of RōBEX, Mid-State Engineering, and +Vantage. Acieta further expands the business’ equipment tending, welding, and palletizing capabilities across a broader set of end markets including agriculture, foundry and die, welding and fabrication, and construction and building products.
TotalEnergies Acquires Kyon Energy, a Leading German Battery Storage Developer
As part of its development as an integrated power player in Germany, TotalEnergies (Paris:TTE) (LSE:TTE) (NYSE:TTE) has signed an agreement to acquire from its three founders the entire share capital of Kyon Energy, one of the leading developers of battery storage systems in the country. The consideration consists of a €90 million upfront payment, plus some earn out payments linked to the achievement of development targets.
ABB acquires R&D engineering company to further advance AI and software-driven automation
ABB announced it has agreed to acquire a majority of software service provider Meshmind to expand its research and development capabilities in AI, Industrial IoT and machine vision. Through this acquisition ABB will integrate engineering talent, AI and software knowledge to form a new global R&D hub to further accelerate the development of innovative automation solutions within its Machine Automation division (B&R).
The integration of Meshmind’s approximately 50 employees will expand collaboration with B&R teams in a range of R&D projects, including deep learning vision systems, AI-enabled engineering tools, and IoT app development, from their office in Sarajevo, Bosnia, which will serve as B&R’s new global hub for AI and software development. Financial details of the transaction that is expected to close in Q1 2024 were not disclosed.
Maysteel Industries Acquires Star Precision Manufacturing, Inc.
Maysteel Industries, LLC (“Maysteel”), a portfolio company of Littlejohn Capital, LLC, announced today the acquisition of Star Precision Manufacturing, Inc., a full service, sheet metal fabrication, precision machining and complete finishing services company.
Star Precision specializes in the fabrication of sheet metal into complex equipment serving a diverse customer base across a wide variety of industries, including utilities, telecommunications, scientific instrument, medical, data storage, and recreational vehicles, among others. The company operates a 100,000+ sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility in Frederick, CO outside Denver and will continue to operate as Star Precision under the Maysteel family.
NewMarket Corporation Completes the Acquisition of AMPAC Intermediate Holdings, LLC
NewMarket Corporation (NYSE: NEU) today announced that it has completed the acquisition of AMPAC Intermediate Holdings, LLC, the ultimate parent company of American Pacific Corporation (AMPAC), for approximately $700 million.
Based in Cedar City, Utah, AMPAC is the leading North American manufacturer of critical performance additives used in solid rocket motors for space launch and military defense applications. AMPAC is qualified on many NASA and Department of Defense programs, and has been serving space launch and national defense programs for more than sixty years. AMPAC also manufactures Halotron BrX, a clean and environmentally friendly fire extinguishing agent that replaces legacy high ozone-depleting fire extinguishing agents. Founded in 1955, AMPAC has one operating facility and approximately 150 full-time employees. The acquisition of AMPAC expands NewMarket’s exposure to mission critical, resilient sectors.
Synopsys to buy engineering software firm Ansys in $35 billion deal
Chip design software maker Synopsys, opens new tab said it would buy Ansys, opens new tab in a $35 billion cash-and-stock deal. The transaction will create a massive new player in a sector of the business software industry that is already highly consolidated, which Wells Fargo said in a note creates regulatory uncertainty. After the news, Synopsys shares were up 3.8% to $513, but Ansys shares were down 4.8% to $329.86.
RTC Aerospace Acquires Vanderhorst Brothers Industries
RTC Aerospace LLC (“RTC”), a leading manufacturer of high-precision, difficult-to-machine components for commercial and military aircraft and varied aerospace and defense applications, announced today that it has acquired Vanderhorst Brothers Industries (“VBI”). This is RTC’s second acquisition under Stellex Capital Management (“Stellex”), a private equity firm that invests in middle market companies in North America and Europe. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
ABB acquires Sevensense, expanding leadership in next-generation AI-enabled mobile robotics
ABB announced that it has acquired Swiss start-up Sevensense, a leading provider of AI-enabled 3D vision navigation technology for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Sevensense was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from Swiss technical University, ETH Zurich.
Sevensense’s pioneering navigation technology combines AI and 3D vision, enabling AMRs to make intelligent decisions, differentiating between fixed and mobile objects in dynamic environments. Once manually guided, mobile robots with Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (Visual SLAM) technology create a map that is used to operate independently, reducing commissioning time from weeks to days and enabling the AMRs to navigate in highly complex, dynamic environments alongside people. Maps are constantly updated and shared across the fleet, offering instant scalability without interrupting operations and greater flexibility compared to other navigation technologies.
Renesas to Acquire Transphorm to Expand its Power Portfolio with GaN Technology
Renesas Electronics Corporation (“Renesas,” TSE: 6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, and Transphorm, Inc. (“Transphorm,” Nasdaq: TGAN), a global leader in robust gallium nitride (“GaN”) power semiconductors, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which a subsidiary of Renesas will acquire all outstanding shares of Transphorm’s common stock for $5.10 per share in cash, representing a premium of approximately 35% to Transphorm’s closing price on January 10, 2024, a premium of approximately 56% to the volume weighted average price over the last twelve months and a premium of approximately 78% to the volume weighted average price over the last six months. The transaction values Transphorm at approximately $339 million. The acquisition will provide Renesas with in-house GaN technology, a key next-generation material for power semiconductors, expanding its reach into fast-growing markets such as EVs, computing (data centers, AI, infrastructure), renewable energy, industrial power conversion and fast chargers/adapters.
ALTANA expands its global presence in the effect pigments business
The specialty chemicals group ALTANA has entered into an agreement to acquire the Silberline Group. The U.S. company specializes in developing and manufacturing effect pigments utilized in various applications, ranging from automotive coatings and printing inks to plastics, protective coatings, and packaged consumer goods.
Acquisition of Silberline, a leading international manufacturer of aluminum effect pigments. Strengthening of ALTANA’s ECKART division with the addition of new research and production facilities, particularly in North America and Asia.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise to buy Juniper Networks in $14 bln deal
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE.N) will buy networking gear maker Juniper Networks (JNPR.N) for $14 billion in an all-cash deal, in an attempt to spruce up the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) offerings. HPE offered $40 per share to Juniper shareholders, the companies said on Tuesday. That represents a 32.4% premium to the stock’s close on Monday, when the news of the deal first emerged.
Lectra announces the acquisition of the majority of the capital of Launchmetrics
Lectra announces the signature of an agreement to acquire the majority of the capital and voting rights of the American company Launchmetrics. As a major player in the fashion, automotive and furniture markets, Lectra contributes to the Industry 4.0 revolution by providing software, cutting equipment, data analytics solutions and associated services to brands, manufacturers and retailers.
Launchmetrics is a world-renowned technology company with an unparalleled marketing data asset in the Fashion, Lifestyle and Beauty markets, thanks to its mastery of Industry 4.0 technologies such as data, the cloud, and, in particular, artificial intelligence.
Cadence Acquires Invecas to Accelerate System Realization
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNS) announced that it has acquired Invecas, Inc., a leading provider of design engineering, embedded software and system-level solutions, headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The purchase adds a skilled system design engineering team to Cadence, with expertise in providing customers with custom solutions across chip design, product engineering, advanced packaging and embedded software.
Accelerating trends such as digital transformation of multiple vertical markets and more system companies building custom silicon continue to drive strong design activity. Additionally, with classic Moore’s law slowing down, new “More than Moore” technologies, such as advanced 2.5D/3D packaging and chiplets, are paving the way for significant performance and manufacturing efficiencies. These strategic generational trends, underpinned by advancements in AI, are ushering in a new era of design and spurring a rapidly growing customer need for skilled end-to-end engineering expertise in enabling their custom silicon and system development efforts.
Maersk Tankers and Penfield Marine to create a tanker company with unique reach
Maersk Tankers has acquired Penfield Marine to create a large-scale crude and product tanker company offering pool partners and cargo customers a wider range of services. The combined company will manage around 240 vessels, including approximately 45 vessels owned by affiliated companies.
JBT Corporation Receives Extension of PUSU Deadline for Proposal to Merge With Marel
JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT) (“JBT”), a leading global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry, announced that the Financial Supervisory Authority of the Central Bank of Iceland (the “FSA”) has granted an extension to the deadline for JBT to announce its final decision on whether to make a voluntary takeover offer for all of the outstanding common stock of Marel hf. (“Marel”) (the “PUSU Deadline”) in relation to JBT’s non-binding proposal originally submitted to the Board of Directors of Marel on November 24, 2023, and subsequently revised on December 13, 2023. In accordance with Article 102 of the Icelandic Takeovers Act no. 108/2007, JBT was required to announce its intentions by no later than January 5, 2024. This announcement follows Marel’s disclosure that the FSA has extended the PUSU Deadline to January 19, 2024.
RELEX Solutions Acquires Optimity for Unified Upstream Supply Chain Planning and Optimization Capabilities
RELEX Solutions, provider of unified supply chain and retail planning solutions, announced it has acquired Optimity, a supply chain planning and optimization provider. The acquisition will bolster the RELEX retail and supply chain platform with daily production planning, optimization and production scheduling capabilities which are crucial for the end-to-end consumer goods value chain.
Optimity, with global headquarters in Sweden and offices around the world, offers a broad supply chain planning and optimization solution specifically for manufacturers and distributors. Optimity enables customers to make optimal supply chain decisions from strategic levels to detailed production scheduling. Their offerings include demand planning, production planning and scheduling, supply planning, distribution planning, inventory optimization, and S&OP. With 80+ customers across the food and beverage, and complex manufacturing industries, Optimity’s experience augments RELEX’s expertise across retail and consumer goods markets.
Bruker Acquires Electron Microscopy Company Nion
Bruker announced that it has acquired Nion, a privately-held company that develops and manufactures innovative high-end scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM). Nion was the first company to introduce aberration correction for STEM instruments with ultra-high stability for highest resolution images, and Nion is the world leader in ultra-high energy and spatial resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). This acquisition enhances Bruker’s product offerings and technology portfolio in materials science research and provides the technology base for applications in electron diffraction crystallography. In 2023, Nion had approximately $8 million in revenue. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Danfoss completes acquisition of ENFOR’s district energy efficiency software
Danfoss has acquired ENFOR’s district energy software and will bring the solutions to the global market under the Danfoss Leanheat® suite of sustainable heating and cooling solutions. The Danfoss Leanheat® solution combines cutting-edge technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence to optimize energy consumption and improve operational efficiency of district energy and buildings. Danfoss had been a minority shareholder in ENFOR since 2020. By fully acquiring ENFOR’s district heating software business, Danfoss enhances the capabilities and accuracy of its Leanheat network suite for district energy utilities to include data-driven temperature optimization, intelligent load forecasting and micro weather forecasting, which support district energy utilities and energy companies with their green transitions.
ENFOR is an innovative spin-off from the Danish Technical University and delivers solutions for forecasting and optimization of energy production and demand, incl. optimization of district energy systems. The potential of using data and machine learning in the energy sector is massive. The latest Danfoss Impact White Paper reveals that an ambitious but realistic roll out of demand-side flexibility technology in the EU and UK can save 40 million tons of CO2 emissions each year by 2030, more than Denmark’s domestic climate footprint.
Myers Industries Announces Acquisition of Signature Systems
Myers Industries, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of industrial products, announced that it has entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger through which it will acquire Signature Systems, a leader in composite ground protection solutions. Myers will acquire Signature for a total consideration of approximately $350 million, subject to customary adjustments. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024 and to be neutral to slightly dilutive to US GAAP EPS in 2024, but then deliver EPS accretion of $0.20-$0.30 in 2025, $0.40 - $0.50 in 2026 and additional meaningful EPS accretion beyond 2026. Annualized run-rate operational and cost synergies of $8 million are expected to be fully captured by 2025.
Luxshare Acquires Leadership of Pegatron’s Kunshan Plant, Challenging Foxconn’s Dominance on iPhone Assembly?
Chinese iPhone assembly contractor Luxshare Precision is set to officially acquire the controlling stake of Pegaglobe (Kunshan), the iPhone assembly plant under Pegatron. This series of acquisitions will provide Luxshare with a stronger competitive advantage against Foxconn. Concurrently, Luxshare is reinforcing its component layout to enhance its capability to expand iPhone orders.
Following the acquisition of Wistron’s Jiangsu and Kunshan plant, Luxshare has now secured the controlling stake of Pegaglobe (Kunshan), a subsidiary of Pegatron. This marks another acquisition of China’s plants involved in manufacturing iPhone for Taiwanese companies.
Synopsys seeks to acquire engineering software company Ansys
Synopsys Inc, a maker of software used in chip design, has submitted an offer to acquire Ansys Inc, an engineering software vendor with a market value of $30 billion. Synopsys is one of the companies that has been in talks with Ansys about a potential deal, the sources said. Ansys has also attracted other suitors, and there is no certainty that Synopsys’ bid will prevail.
ADM Adds New Capabilities to Its Industry-Leading Flavor Business with Agreement to Acquire Revela Foods
ADM (NYSE:ADM), a global leader in human and animal nutrition, announced it is adding to its flavors capabilities with an agreement to acquire Revela Foods, a Wisconsin-based developer and manufacturer of innovative dairy flavor ingredients and solutions. Revela, with projected sales of almost $240 million in 2023, would add new capabilities to ADM’s global flavors portfolio in the $1.8 billion global dairy flavors segment, as well as the $3.2 billion savory flavors segment. Revela, a portfolio company of New Heritage Capital since 2019, has delivered rapid growth, driven by its innovative enzyme technology, which powers a broad range of clean-label dairy flavor formulations for multiple applications, from snacks and frozen meals to sauces, dressings, soups, seasonings and desserts. Revela’s approximately 400 colleagues operate three state-of-the-art production facilities in the U.S. Midwest.
Japan's Nippon Steel to acquire U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion
The acquisition of U.S. Steel will help Nippon, the world’s fourth largest steel maker, move toward 100 million metric tons of global crude steel capacity, while significantly expanding its production in the United States, where steel prices are expected to rise as automakers ramp up production following their recent deals with labor unions to end strikes.
Nippon did not give any projection on the value of the synergies that will arise from the deal, to justify the price it agreed to pay. It said the synergies will come from pooling advanced production technology and know-how in product development, operations, energy savings and recycling.
IBM to Acquire StreamSets and webMethods Platforms from Software AG
IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Software AG (FRA: SOW), a company majority owned by Silver Lake, to purchase StreamSets and webMethods, Software AG’s Super iPaaS (integration platform-as-a-service) enterprise technology platforms, for €2.13 billion in cash.
The acquisition of StreamSets and webMethods is further evidence of IBM’s deep focus and investment in AI and hybrid cloud. StreamSets will add data ingestion capabilities to watsonx, IBM’s AI and data platform, while webMethods will give clients and partners additional integration and API management tools for their hybrid multi-cloud environments.
LIG Nex1 to buy quadruped robot maker Ghost Robotics for $240 mn
LIG Nex1 Co., a South Korean weapons system developer, has agreed to buy a 60% stake in Ghost Robotics Corp (GRC), a Philadelphia-based robot developer, for $240 million to advance into the US defense industry. Founded in 2015, Ghost Robotics is a spinout of an engineering lab at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).
LIG Nex1 will inject $142.2 million into the deal and Korea Investment Private Equity will fund the $96 million remainder via a special purchase company (SPC) to be established for the acquisition.
Zilliant Acquires In Mind Cloud to Deliver Full Pricing Lifecycle Capabilities With CPQ Purpose-Built for Manufacturing
Zilliant, the leader in price and revenue optimization and management, announced that it has closed its acquisition of In Mind Cloud, a digital sales platform purpose-built for manufacturers. This combination will enable companies to manage the full pricing lifecycle from one platform by adding In Mind Cloud’s next-generation Configure, Price, and Quote (CPQ) and commerce technology to Zilliant’s pricing management and optimization solutions.
With an intuitive Amazon-like user experience that includes 3D/2D configuration, a highly performant configuration engine and integrations into SAP and Salesforce, In Mind Cloud’s next-generation CPQ has challenged the market status quo. Easy configuration experiences and market-leading SAP integration have enabled customers to unlock value in weeks to months – as opposed to years – and have significantly derisked CPQ implementations. Businesses can even get their hands on the product right away through a web-based free trial, which is unprecedented in the CPQ market. As Cuske and the team have scaled the business, they’ve also recognized that the market is evolving.
Equistone portfolio company Andra Tech Group continues growth journey with acquisition of Lemmens Metaalbewerking
Andra Tech Group, a leading group of companies specialising in the manufacturing of high-precision, complex components, has acquired Netherlands-based Lemmens Metaalbewerking, a company specialised in large-scale milling and post-processing of complex welded assemblies. This is the Group’s third successful acquisition in the last 12 months and represents a further expansion of its presence in its home market of the Netherlands. The parties have agreed not to disclose details of the transaction.
OpenText to Divest Application Modernization and Connectivity (AMC) Business to Rocket Software for $2.275B
Open Text Corporation (NASDAQ: OTEX), (TSX: OTEX), today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to divest its AMC business to Rocket Software, Inc., a Bain Capital portfolio company (“Rocket Software”), for US$2.275 billion in cash. OpenText’s AMC business provides market leading mainframe modernization and connectivity software to more than 10,000 customers enabling them to run mission-critical business applications in hybrid cloud environments.
Schaeffler AG and Vitesco Technologies Group AG Sign Business Combination Agreement
By joining forces, Schaeffler and Vitesco will be able to complete and broaden their business and technology portfolios along four focused “pure-play” divisions with leading positions in their respective end markets. The combined company will offer a complete range of products, particularly in the area of electrification, to leverage the accelerated growth potential of e-mobility.
JBT Corporation Confirms Non-Binding Proposal to Acquire Marel
JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT), (“JBT” or the “Company”) a leading global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry, issued the following statement. JBT confirmed that it has submitted a non-binding initial proposal to the board of directors of Marel hf. (“Marel”), whose shares are listed on Nasdaq Iceland and Euronext Amsterdam, in respect of a potential voluntary takeover offer for the entire share capital of Marel in accordance with Chapters X and XII of the Icelandic Takeovers Act no. 108/2007. JBT has received an irrevocable undertaking and entered into exclusivity with respect to the shares owned by Eyrir Invest hf., which holds 24.7% of the shares in Marel. This announcement follows Marel’s disclosure that it had received a potential offer to acquire all shares in the company.
American Battery Solutions announces agreement to be acquired by Komatsu
American Battery Solutions (ABS), a leader in the design, development and manufacturing of advanced lithium-ion batteries, is excited to announce plans for its acquisition by Komatsu, a leading manufacturer of construction, mining, forestry and industrial heavy equipment. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Komatsu is planning to close the acquisition once all necessary procedures for the closing are completed.
Novanta announces agreement to acquire Motion Solutions
Novanta Inc., a trusted technology partner to medical and advanced technology equipment manufacturers, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Motion Solutions, a leading provider of highly engineered integrated solutions, for cash consideration of $189 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments and closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.
Motion Solutions is a trusted engineering partner to market-leading original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) in medical, life sciences, and advanced industrial applications. Motion Solutions designs and manufactures high-precision, customized subsystems and components, specializing in proprietary precision motion and advanced motion control solutions. The business has over 110 employees and is headquartered in Irvine, California.
GM snatches key Tesla gigacasting supplier TEI
For years, a little-known company called Tooling & Equipment International (TEI) has helped Tesla push back the frontiers of “gigacasting”, the process it pioneered to cast large body parts for cars in one piece to save time and money. Until 2023, that is. TEI is now part of General Motors after agreeing a deal that may have flown under the radar but is a key part of the U.S. automaker’s strategy to make up ground on Tesla, four people familiar with the transaction said.
By snapping up a specialist in sand casting techniques that accelerated the development of Tesla’s gigacasting molds and allowed it to cast more complex components, GM has jump-started its own push to make cars more cheaply and efficiently at a time when Tesla is racing to roll out a $25,000 EV, the people said.
With TEI gone, Tesla is leaning more heavily on three other casting specialists it has used in Britain, Germany and Japan to develop the huge molds needed for the millions of cheaper EVs it plans to make in the coming decade, the four people said.
Safetykleen agrees to acquire majority control of Metalwash
We believe that Safetykleen and Metalwash both provide best-in-class solutions to their customers, and that there are significant synergies to unlock as we harness the skill-sets and dedication of both sets of employees to serve more customers better and to further us in our ambition to make our planet Safer and Kleener.
Nexa3D Announces Intent to Acquire Essentium; Adds High Speed Extrusion to its Product Portfolio
Nexa3D, the ultrafast 3D printing leader, has taken a significant step in staking its leadership position in the industrial additive manufacturing space by signing a letter of intent to acquire Essentium, a prominent manufacturer of HSE 3D printers and materials, widely adopted for high requirement, precision applications in aerospace, military, and defense. With this acquisition, Nexa3D would add high-speed extrusion (HSE) to its current product portfolio.
Essentium, renowned for its broad materials portfolio, award-winning high-speed extrusion 3D printers and true independent dual extruders (IDEX), has carved a niche in the industry by providing solutions for complex polymer production applications that are 5 to 15 times faster than competing extrusion technologies. The company’s commitment to innovation and reliability has made it a go-to choice for manufacturers and government users worldwide.
This marks the beginning of an exciting collaboration that promises to revolutionize the 3D printing landscape. The combination of Nexa3D’s expertise in ultrafast 3D printing with Essentium’s mastery of high-speed extrusion technology will result in a powerhouse of production technologies, ultimately benefiting industries ranging from aerospace and defense to medical devices and consumer goods.
Flexport buys Convoy’s tech
Freight company Flexport has acquired technology and a few dozen employees from Convoy, the one-time giant of the Seattle startup world that abruptly shut down last month. “We’ve acquired Convoy’s technology stack and are planning to retain a small group of team members from their core product and engineering team,” Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen wrote in a memo. “We are not acquiring Convoy the company or any of its liabilities and our expenses will be limited to what’s necessary to maintain the tech.”
Autodesk signs definitive agreement to acquire FlexSim
Autodesk has signed a definitive agreement to acquire FlexSim, a provider of simulation technology that enables factory and logistics center operators to optimize their processes. Through discrete event simulation, or DES, FlexSim’s technology brings the design of a factory or logistics center to life. It puts production flow analysis at the fingertips of operations leaders to surface fundamental business insights that help achieve time and cost objectives.
FlexSim’s factory simulation technology complements Autodesk’s existing factory design solutions. It provides in-depth model analysis, layout scenarios, and process simulation to users of Autodesk Inventor, Revit, Autodesk Construction Cloud, AutoCAD, and Autodesk’s Product Design and Manufacturing Collection. FlexSim will initially be offered in conjunction with Autodesk’s Design and Make Platform, closely aligned with Autodesk Fusion, which integrates CAD, PCB design, CAM, CAE, PLM, and MES software into a single, cloud-based solution.
Rockwell Automation Signs Agreement to Acquire Verve Industrial Protection
Rockwell Automation announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Verve Industrial Protection, a cybersecurity software and services company that focuses specifically on industrial environments, expanding the offerings of Rockwell with an industry-leading asset inventory system and vulnerability management solution.
Dover to Sell DESTACO Business Unit
Dover announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its De-Sta-Co business (“DESTACO”), which is part of Dover’s Engineered Products segment, to Stabilus SE for $680 million enterprise value. DESTACO designs, manufactures, and markets workholding and automation components for industrial automation applications, and generated revenue of $213 million in 2022. DESTACO was acquired by Dover in 1962.
Vitesco shares hit all-time high on $3.8 billion Schaeffler deal
Vitesco (VTSCn.DE) shares reached a record high on Monday on news that family-controlled Schaeffler AG (SHA_p.DE) will launch a tender offer valuing the German powertrain supplier at 3.64 billion euros ($3.83 billion). Schaeffler aims to eventually merge the two groups to create a more competitive supplier in the electric vehicle segment, as well as simplifying the Schaeffler family’s empire, which includes stakes in Vitesco and Continental AG.
Dover to Acquire FW Murphy, a Leading Supplier of Control and Optimization Solutions for the Reciprocating Compression Industry
Dover (NYSE: DOV) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the business of FW Murphy Production Controls, LLC (“FW Murphy”) (a subsidiary of privately-owned Genisys Controls LLC) for $530 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. Following the closing of the transaction, FW Murphy will become part of the Dover Precision Components (“DPC”) operating unit within Dover’s Pumps & Process Solutions segment (“DPPS”).
Founded in 1939 and headquartered in Rosenberg, Texas, FW Murphy is a leading provider of control, remote monitoring, digital-twin-based predictive maintenance, and adaptive performance optimization components, solutions, and instrumentation for reciprocating compressors and associated drive systems. FW Murphy’s solutions are used in natural gas production, transportation, and industrial use markets, as well as in emerging hydrogen and carbon capture applications.
Smurfit Kappa and WestRock Announce Transaction to Create a Global Leader in Sustainable Packaging
Smurfit Kappa and WestRock to combine, creating Smurfit WestRock, a global leader in sustainable packaging with unparalleled scale, quality, product and geographic diversity. Both companies have complementary portfolios with unique product diversity and innovative sustainability capabilities, with breadth and depth across renewable, recyclable and biodegradable packaging solutions. Discussions between the parties remain ongoing regarding the Potential Combination. Smurfit Kappa and WestRock are engaged in a mutual due diligence process. The definitive terms and conditions of any transaction will be set out in a further announcement.
The Transaction will involve the creation of a new holding company for the combined Smurfit WestRock. Smurfit WestRock will be incorporated and domiciled in Ireland with global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and its North and South American operations will be headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Subject to shareholder approvals, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, the Combination is expected to close in the second quarter of calendar year 2024.
Under the terms of the Agreement, for each share of common stock of WestRock the common stockholders of WestRock will receive one new Smurfit WestRock share and $5.00 in cash.
Anduril Industries Acquires Blue Force Technologies
Defense technology company Anduril Industries announced its acquisition of Blue Force Technologies, a developer of autonomous aircraft with an integrated aerostructures division serving a wide range of defense and commercial customers. This transaction will expand Anduril’s existing autonomous fleet to now include large high performance, group 5 aircraft and significantly increases Anduril’s reach and impact within the Department of Defense. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Blue Force Technologies designs and manufactures high-end composite aircraft and their components at its factories in North Carolina. Blue Force Technologies has been developing Fury, a group 5 autonomous air vehicle with fighter-like performance since 2019. Fury leverages proprietary rapid prototyping, digital engineering and an open architecture that is designed to deliver next-generation flight performance with the flexibility to integrate heterogenous sensors and payloads to support air dominance missions.
SAP to Acquire LeanIX, Delivering Customers a Comprehensive Solution Suite for Continuous Business Transformation and a Foundation for AI-Enabled Process Optimization
SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) and LeanIX GmbH today announced that SAP has entered into an agreement to acquire LeanIX, a leader in enterprise architecture management (EAM) software. The planned acquisition helps SAP expand its business transformation portfolio, giving customers access to the full suite of tools required for continuous business transformation and facilitating AI-enabled process optimization. LeanIX, a privately held company, has been a strategic partner of SAP and for SAP® Signavio® solutions for 10 years. Many CIOs rely on LeanIX’s offerings as part of their digital transformation with the RISE with SAP solution.
Rockwell Automation signs agreement to acquire autonomous robotics leader Clearpath Robotics
Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ontario, Canada-based Clearpath Robotics Inc., a leader in autonomous robotics for industrial applications. Combined with Rockwell’s strong continuing partnerships in fixed robotic arms, solutions such as Independent Cart Technology, and traditional leadership in programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the addition of OTTO Motors’ AMR capabilities will create a complete portfolio of advanced material handling solutions unmatched in the industry.
The acquisition will be funded by a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Rockwell’s investment in PTC.
Squeeze out registered with the Company register. Name changed to Nikon SLM Solutions AG
Nikon SLM Solutions AG (formerly “SLM Solutions Group AG” and in the following, the “Company”) was informed on September 1, 2023, that the resolution to transfer the shares of the minority shareholders to Nikon AM. AG as the main shareholder 3 has been registered, and thus became effective today. Concurrently, the merger of the Company with Nikon AM. AG (in the future operating under “Nikon SLM Solutions AG”), has been registered and thus also became effective today.
IFS to acquire Falkonry AI
IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Falkonry, Inc. a California-based Industrial AI software company that provides automated, high-speed data analysis to the manufacturing and defense industries. The AI-based, self-learning solution continuously monitors large volumes of data for assets, machines, systems, and industrial processes to discover and analyze unusual behavior and causes of failures.
Headquartered in California, USA, and regional presence in Mumbai, India, Falkonry was founded in 2012 by CEO Nikunj Mehta. The company has customers across North America, South America, and Europe, including the US Navy and Air Force, Ternium, North American Stainless, Harbour Energy, and SSAB, demonstrating its focus on industries in industrial manufacturing and Defense agencies.
Saab acquires BlueBear
Saab has today acquired BlueBear Systems Group Ltd based in the United Kingdom.
As emerging and disruptive technologies such as AI, machine learning and autonomous systems have the potential to reshape entire industries, Saab embraces a proactive strategy of selected acquisitions. By acquisitions and strategic partnerships with companies that specialise in new technologies, Saab‘s capabilities are enhanced, thereby increasing the comprehensive solutions offered for a wider range of defence needs. AI will enable Saab to further improve system capabilities and increase efficiency across our world-leading product portfolio.
🎛️ Fluke Reliability Acquires AI-Powered Vibration Analytics and Remote Condition Monitoring Solution Azima DLI
Fluke Reliability, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortive Corporation [NYSE: FTV], which empowers reliability and maintenance teams with the hardware, software, and services they need to optimize asset performance, has acquired Azima DLI, a market leader in subscription-based remote condition monitoring and AI-powered vibration analytics software.
Luxion Enhances Its Digital Capabilities Through Acquisition of Digizuite
Luxion Group ApS (Luxion), the company behind KeyShot, the industry-preferred 3D visualization software, is thrilled to announce its acquisition of Digizuite A/S (Digizuite), a leading provider of Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions. This strategic move marks a significant step towards revolutionizing the digital supply chain landscape, offering innovative products that empower businesses to streamline asset management, collaboration, and content delivery across all channels.
Bakelite Synthetics Announces Agreement to Acquire LRBG Chemicals, Inc.
Bakelite Synthetics announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase and acquire LRBG Chemicals, Inc., a Canadian resin manufacturer and developer, with facilities in Longueuil (Montreal) Quebec.
With the completion of this acquisition, Bakelite Synthetics adds to its strong portfolio of products and customers, as well as builds on its growth strategy of sustainably delivering innovative solutions to customers. LRBG Chemicals manufactures high-quality resins and derivative products that are used in a wide variety of applications serving the building and construction, transportation, industrial and chemical intermediate markets worldwide. Its plants, knowledge and experience have been developed over the last 80 years and it has a customer-driven research and development focus with strong technical knowledge and support, closely aligned to Bakelite Synthetics business model.
Chinese carmaker BYD to buy US firm Jabil's mobility business for $2.2 bln
Chinese automaker BYD (002594.SZ) said on Monday its electronics unit has struck a deal with U.S.-based manufacturer Jabil Inc (JBL.N) to buy its mobile electronics manufacturing business in China for 15.8 billion yuan ($2.2 billion). The deal will expand BYD Electronic’s (BE) (0285.HK) customer base, product portfolio and its smartphone components business as it looks to capture Jabil’s potential growth in the sector.
Singapore-based Jabil Circuit, which manufactures printed circuit boards, established a unit this month that absorbed its product-manufacturing businesses in Chengdu and Wuxi, which will now be sold to the Chinese group.
AMD Acquires Mipsology to Deepen AI Inference Software Capabilities
We welcome the talented team from Mipsology, a leader in AI software and long-standing AMD partner based in Palaiseau, France, to the AMD family.
Mipsology’s highly skilled software team has proven expertise in delivering AI software and solutions running on top of AMD adaptive computing silicon, and will join the AMD AI Group to help further accelerate our customer engagements and expand our AI software development capabilities. Specifically, the team will help develop our full AI software stack, expanding our open ecosystem of software tools, libraries and models to pave the way for streamlined deployment of AI models running on AMD hardware.
Trive-Backed Forward Slope Acquires Soar Technology
Soar Technology, Inc. (“SoarTech”) has partnered with Forward Slope Incorporated (“Forward Slope” or “FSI”), backed by Trive Capital (“Trive”), the Dallas-based private equity firm. The addition of SoarTech represents another acquisition that expands the platform’s core competencies and customer base in a strategic way to deliver more comprehensive solutions to marquee defense and national security customers. The SoarTech team invested alongside Trive and will continue to serve as senior leaders of the platform.
SoarTech is a leading provider of advanced artificial intelligence solutions to address complex Department of Defense mission requirements. SoarTech’s AI solutions act as a force multiplier to enable quicker, better decisions and simplify human-machine interaction. By leveraging machine learning technologies built on computational cognitive designs, SoarTech creates autonomous agents to analyze large amounts of data and assist in human decision-making.
AeroVironment, Inc. to Acquire Tomahawk Robotics
AeroVironment has announced its anticipated acquisition of Tomahawk Robotics, a leader in AI-enabled robotic control systems. The acquisition will enable deeper integration of both companies’ technology, leading to enhanced interoperability and interconnectivity of unmanned systems through a singular platform with similar control features. This will ultimately enable warfighters to operate various connected robotic solutions in the battlefield and share information between multiple domains with one common controller. The two companies entered into a definitive agreement under which AeroVironment will acquire 100% of Tomahawk Robotics equity for a total purchase price of $120 million to be paid in a mix of cash and stock.
Hypergiant Industries Partners with Trive Capital
Trive Capital, a Dallas-based private equity firm, announces the acquisition of AI defense platform and solutions company Hypergiant Industries, to complement its current portfolio company Forward Slope. The acquisition is a natural partnership for the two organizations who believe in the future of next-generation, AI-enabled technology solutions to secure both America’s defenses across all military domains and critical infrastructure. Mike Betzer, CEO of Hypergiant, will continue leading the company into its next phase of accelerated growth.
Over the past five years, Hypergiant has emerged as a leader in AI-enabled, cloud-based command and control technologies and deployed solutions. The company created a world-class core geospatial data visualization and actions platform, Command Center. In addition to ingesting large amounts of information, this platform applies real-time threat analysis, makes AI-generated recommendations, and delivers intelligent insights and actions across all domains. Hypergiant has won numerous innovation awards for its AI-enabled defense solutions and is now focused on scaling this joint-all domain spatial intelligence and actionable command center software package.
🦾 Emerson Accelerates Factory Automation Capabilities With Agreement to Acquire Afag
Emerson (NYSE: EMR) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Afag Holding AG (“Afag”), an innovative leader in electric linear motion, feeding and handling automation solutions. The transaction will enhance Emerson’s capabilities in factory automation, one of the Company’s four priority adjacencies, and create a leading motion portfolio combining Afag’s electric linear motion solutions with Emerson’s pneumatic motion technology. Afag serves customers in attractive, growing end segments including battery manufacturing, automotive, packaging, medical, life sciences and electronics.
✈️ Ball Announces Agreement to Sell Aerospace Business to BAE Systems for $5.6 Billion
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BALL) the world’s leading producer of circular aluminum packaging for global beverage and household brands, announced that it has reached an agreement to sell its aerospace business to BAE Systems for gross proceeds of $5.6 billion in cash, which represents 19.6x Ball Aerospace’s LTM comparable EBITDA (as of June 30, 2023). The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions and adjustments, is projected to close in the first half of 2024.
BAE’s existing strong presence in the US allowed it to use a tax benefit to bring down the actual economic cost of the business, in effect reducing the price to $4.8bn.
Emerson Expands Automation Leadership With Agreement to Acquire Flexim
Emerson (NYSE: EMR) announced a definitive agreement to acquire FLEXIM Flexible Industriemeßtechnik GmbH (“Flexim”), a global leader in clamp-on ultrasonic flow measurement for liquids, gases and steam. Flexim brings highly differentiated, complementary technology and strong customer relationships to Emerson, with an installed base of more than 100,000 flowmeters, as well as approximately 450 employees. Flexim provides highly accurate, low-maintenance clamp-on ultrasonic flow measurement technology for a broad range of attractive end markets, including chemical, water & wastewater, life sciences, food & beverage, and power generation.
Occidental Enters into Agreement to Acquire Direct Air Capture Technology Innovator Carbon Engineering
Occidental (NYSE: OXY) today announced that a wholly owned subsidiary has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire all the outstanding equity of Carbon Engineering Ltd. for total cash consideration of approximately $1.1 billion, to be made in three approximately equivalent annual payments, with the first at closing. This transaction is expected to close before the end of 2023, subject to Canadian court reviews, Canadian and U.S. regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
Occidental has been working with Carbon Engineering on direct air capture (DAC) deployment since 2019. Acquiring Carbon Engineering aligns with Occidental’s integrated net-zero strategy and provides Occidental, through its 1PointFive subsidiary, the opportunity to rapidly advance DAC technology breakthroughs and accelerate deployment of DAC as a large-scale, cost effective, global carbon removal solution. Carbon Engineering’s DAC-based climate solutions utilize standardized processes and proven industrial equipment.
Nano Dimension Acquires Additive Flow Technology to Drive Software Excellence in 3D Design Simulation and Optimization
Nano Dimension Ltd. (Nasdaq: NNDM, “Nano Dimension” or the “Company”), a leading supplier of Additively Manufactured Electronics (“AME”) and multi-dimensional polymer, metal & ceramic Additive Manufacturing (“AM”) 3D printers, announced today that it is acquiring the technology and intellectual property of the U.K.-based company Additive Flow (“Additive Flow”), which supplies solutions for 3D design simulation and optimization.
Allegro MicroSystems to Acquire Crocus Technology to Accelerate Innovation in TMR Sensing Technology
Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. (“Allegro”) (Nasdaq: ALGM), a global leader in power and sensing semiconductor technology for motion control and energy efficient systems, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Crocus Technology (“Crocus”) for $420 million in cash.
Crocus is a privately held company and a leader in advanced Tunnel Magnetoresistance (“TMR”) sensor technology. This acquisition brings unique technology and products well suited to serve high-growth applications in e-Mobility, Clean Energy and Automation, supported by more than 200 patents. The magnetic sensing market is expected to increase to over $5 billion by 2030, with TMR representing the fastest growing segment and expected to approach $1 billion in addressable market by 2030. Automotive and Industrial applications are expected to fuel TMR’s estimated 30% CAGR, which significantly exceeds the growth of the overall magnetic sensing market.
Renesas to Acquire Cellular IoT Technology Leader Sequans Through Tender Offer
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723, “Renesas”), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, and Sequans Communications S.A. (NYSE: SQNS, “Sequans”), a leader in 5G/4G cellular IoT chips and modules, today announced that the two companies have entered into a memorandum of understanding (the “MoU”). Pursuant to the terms of the MoU, Renesas will, following consultation of the Sequans’ works council and favorable recommendation by the Sequans Board, commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding ordinary shares, including American Depositary Shares (ADS) of Sequans for $3.03 per ADS (each ADS representing four ordinary shares) in cash. The transaction values Sequans at approximately $249 million, including net debt, and is expected to close by the first quarter of calendar year 2024, subject to confirmation of tax treatment from relevant authorities, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
Upon closing of the transaction, Renesas intends to integrate Sequans’ breadth of cellular connectivity products and IP into its core product lineup, including microcontrollers, microprocessors, analog and mixed signal front ends. The acquisition will allow Renesas to immediately expand its reach to the Wide Area Network (WAN) market space encompassing a broad range of data rates. It will also enhance Renesas’ already rich portfolio of Personal Area Network (PAN) and Local Area Network (LAN) connectivity products.
HEICO Corporation Completes Wencor Group Acquisition
HEICO Corporation (NYSE:HEI.A and HEI) today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Wencor Group (“Wencor”) from affiliates of Warburg Pincus LLC and Wencor’s management for $1.9 billion in cash and $150 million in HEICO Class A Common Stock[1] paid at closing, or $2.05 billion in the aggregate. Wencor has joined HEICO’s Flight Support Group.
HEICO stated that it expects the highly synergistic acquisition to be accretive to its earnings within the year following the closing. Further, HEICO anticipates it will continue to achieve its often-articulated growth objectives in the years following the closing. Wencor’s parts and repairs are found in hydraulic, pneumatic, electronic and electro-mechanical, cockpit and galley systems throughout numerous aircraft models and provide Wencor’s customers with significant cost savings.
Nidec Completes Acquisition of Automatic Feed Company and Related 2 Companies, US-based Press Machine Equipment Manufacturers
Nidec Corporation (TSE: 6594; OTC US: NJDCY) (the “Company” or “Nidec”) today announced that the Company has acquired full ownership of Automatic Feed Company, Lasercoil Technologies LLC, and Automatic Leasing Company, privately- owned US companies (collectively the “Target”), from its founding family on August 1, 2023 (the “Transaction”). As a result of the Transaction, the Target became a consolidated subsidiary of Nidec.
Standex Acquires Minntronix
Standex International Corporation (NYSE:SXI) today announced that it has acquired privately-held, South Dakota-based Minntronix for approximately $30 million in cash. The transaction is being financed from Standex’s existing cash balance. In its first year of ownership, the Company expects the acquisition to be accretive to its earnings and to achieve a double-digit return on invested capital.
Minntronix designs and manufactures customized as well as standard magnetics components and products including transformers, inductors, current sensors, coils, chokes, and filters. The products are used in applications across cable fiber, smart meters, industrial control and lighting, electric vehicles, and home security markets.
MiddleGround Capital’s European Office Makes First Platform Acquisition with Close of UK-Based Automotive Transmission Systems Manufacturer Xtrac
MiddleGround Capital, an operationally focused private equity firm that makes control investments in middle market B2B industrial and specialty distribution companies globally, today announced that its European office has completed its first platform acquisition with the purchase of Xtrac (“the Company”), the leading manufacturer and supplier of high performance transmissions for top-level professional motorsport and specialist high performance automotive applications.
Techmer PM Announces the Acquisition of Advanced Color Technologies
Techmer PM, a global leader in polymer materials design, announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire color and additive compounder Advanced Color Technologies (ACT). The combined technology and capabilities of the two organizations will expand Techmer’s position as the innovation leader for colorants and additives in the synthetic fibers segment. The deal is expected to close by August 31. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Altair Expands Digital Engineering Technology with Acquisition of OmniV
Altair (Nasdaq: ALTR), a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI), acquired OmniV, a technology out of XLDyn, a product development software company based in southeast Michigan. OmniV empowers open model-based systems engineering (MBSE) practice across systems, simulation, test, product development, and controls engineering by formalizing the development, integration, and use of models to inform enterprise and program decision-making.
OmniV eliminates the silos that occur between high-level system modeling and simulation, as well as detailed, domain-specific modeling and simulation. OmniV is vendor agnostic and can connect to various enterprise data stores and verification and validation methods – including those from third-party vendors – to support program goals. OmniV brings together cross-domain product development activities using the MBSE methodology in a fully integrated and easy-to-use tool.
Group14 Technologies Acquires Schmid Silicon in Milestone European Expansion
Group14 Technologies, the leading global manufacturer and supplier of advanced silicon battery technology, acquired Schmid Silicon Technology Holding GmbH (Schmid Silicon), the most technologically advanced silane producer in Europe, in a landmark move to strengthen the global battery supply chain and meet demand for silicon battery technology worldwide. As part of the acquisition, Group14 will bring online Schmid Silicon’s state-of-the-art silane factory in Spreetal (Schwarze Pumpe), Germany, to support its expanding European operations. The milestone serves to insulate Group14’s customers and partners from potential supply chain disruptions – particularly in the automotive industry – and sets up the company to localize integrated silicon battery technology manufacturing in Europe.
Safran agrees to buy Collins flight controls business for $1.8 billion
France’s Safran (SAF.PA) said on Friday it had agreed to buy a supplier of critical cockpit functions from Collins Aerospace in a cash deal valuing it at $1.8 billion, as it prepares for the next generation of increasingly computerised aircraft. The deal to buy Collins’ actuation and flights controls business marks the French engine and aircraft equipment maker’s biggest acquisition since the 2018 purchase of seat maker Zodiac.
It targets a growing market for actuators, which convert electronic instructions from the cockpit to the physical movement of parts to help control aircraft, for example by providing extra lift during landing.
Johnson Controls to expand OpenBlue digital buildings capabilities through acquisition of workplace management software leader FM:Systems
Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, has acquired FM:Systems, a leading digital workplace management and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider for facilities and real estate professionals. The base purchase price for the transaction is $455 million, plus additional payments to be made subject to the achievement of post-closing earnout milestones.
John Deere Acquires Smart Apply
Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) has acquired Smart Apply, Inc., a precision spraying equipment company based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The company developed the Smart Apply Intelligent Spray Control System™, an upgrade kit that can improve the precision and performance of virtually any air-blast sprayer used in orchard, vineyard, and tree nursery spraying applications. Smart Apply helps growers reduce chemical use, airborne drift, and run off, while optimizing high-value crop yields and meeting sustainability objectives.
John Deere has worked with Smart Apply since 2020.
Smart Apply’s precision spraying helps achieve up to 93% less chemical runoff and up to 87% reduction in airborne drift, while reducing chemical use an average of 50%. With less chemical use, growers also average a 50% reduction in water use.
nVent Acquires TEXA Industries
nVent Electric plc (NYSE: NVT) (“nVent”), a global leader in electrical connection and protection solutions, today announced it has acquired TEXA Industries, which will operate within its Enclosures business segment. The acquisition of TEXA Industries and its highly complementary portfolio strengthens nVent’s position as a global systems provider. TEXA Industries provides advanced cooling technologies with innovative industrial air conditioners and chillers to help customers better solve for increasing heat loads when designing systems.
Honeywell To Acquire SCADAfence, Strengthening Its Cybersecurity Software Portfolio
Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) today announced it has agreed to acquire SCADAfence, a leading provider of operational technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) cybersecurity solutions for monitoring large-scale networks. SCADAfence brings proven capabilities in asset discovery, threat detection and security governance which are key to industrial and buildings management cybersecurity programs.
Honeywell to Acquire SCADAfence, Strengthening its Cybersecurity Software Portfolio
Honeywell today announced it has agreed to acquire SCADAfence, a leading provider of operational technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) cybersecurity solutions for monitoring large-scale networks. SCADAfence brings proven capabilities in asset discovery, threat detection and security governance which are key to industrial and buildings management cybersecurity programs.
The SCADAfence product portfolio will integrate into the Honeywell Forge Cybersecurity+ suite within Honeywell Connected Enterprise, Honeywell’s fast-growing software arm with strategic focus on digitalization, sustainability and OT cybersecurity SaaS offerings and solutions. This integration will enable Honeywell to provide an end-to-end enterprise OT cybersecurity solution to site managers, operations management and CISOs seeking enterprise security management and situational awareness. The acquisition strengthens existing capabilities in cybersecurity and bolsters Honeywell’s high-growth OT cybersecurity portfolio, helping customers operate more securely, reliably and efficiently.
Univercells Technologies Acquired by Donaldson Company
Gamma Biosciences, a life sciences platform created by global investment firm KKR to address the advanced therapy bioprocessing market, today announced that its operating company, Univercells Technologies (“UT”), a leading provider of novel biomanufacturing technologies for flexible and scalable advanced therapies and vaccine production, has been acquired by Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI).
Arkema broadens its range of high performance polymers with the acquisition of a controlling stake in PI Advanced Materials
Proposed acquisition of Glenwood Private Equity’s 54% stake in the listed South Korean company PI Advanced Materials (PIAM), for €728m enterprise value. The company will be fully consolidated in Arkema’s accounts.
With more than 30% global market share, PIAM, based in South Korea, is the global leader of polyimide films for flexible printed circuit boards and graphite sheets used in the high growth and high margin markets of mobile devices and electric vehicles. PIAM’s ultra-high performance polyimides are cutting-edge materials offering exceptionally high temperature resistance, dimensional stability, flexibility and electric insulation. They are increasingly used in attractive markets such as electric vehicles, consumer electronics, semiconductor manufacturing and other advanced industrial applications. They benefit from the growing need for miniaturization, higher thermal management and increased safety and durability.
Nordson Corporation Announces Agreement to Acquire ARAG, Expanding its Core Dispense Capabilities into the Attractive Precision Agriculture Market
Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq NDSN) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ARAG Group and its subsidiaries (“ARAG”) in an all-cash transaction that values ARAG at an enterprise value of €960 million.
“The acquisition of ARAG emphasizes Nordson’s disciplined capital deployment strategy, which is focused on high-quality niche leaders serving attractive growth markets that are additive to Nordson’s existing lines of business and support long-term shareholder value creation,” said Joseph Kelley, executive vice president and chief financial officer. “The transaction is expected to close in Nordson’s fourth quarter fiscal 2023, funded through a combination of cash on hand and financial debt.”
Accenture Completes Acquisition of Flutura
Accenture (NYSE ACN) has completed its acquisition of Flutura, an industrial artificial intelligence (AI) company, headquartered in Bangalore, India. Terms of the transaction, which Accenture announced on March 21, 2023, were not disclosed. Flutura strengthens Accenture’s industrial AI services for clients in the energy, chemicals, metals, mining, and pharmaceutical industries.
Rivian Acquires 'A Better Routeplanner' to Enable a Seamless Route Planning Experience
Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN) has today announced the acquisition of Swedish mapping company Iternio, developer of the ‘A Better Routeplanner’ (ABRP) app. ABRP is an industry leader in EV trip planning and has a strong community of EV drivers in both North America and Europe. ABRP gives EV drivers the ability to plan and compare routes and charging stop options.
🧑🏭 IFS Acquires Poka
IFS announces it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Poka, Inc. (Poka) the market leading Quebec based provider of a connected worker platform. Poka enables factory and field workers to be more efficient across all aspects of their jobs from training and development to troubleshooting. This capability enables businesses to measure productivity across machinery and operators globally and therefore provides a clear insight into profitability. Poka also provides actionable insights for companies to stay compliant and provide safer working conditions as part of their ESG goals.
The acquisition puts IFS at the nexus of this trend as it now combines its ERP / FSM / EAM technology with Poka and extends its value all the way to the actual user empowering them at every step.
Proposed Tender Offer From SoftBank Group to Acquire Balyo’s Shares
Through its portfolio of automated robotic forklift technologies, Balyo is complementary to SoftBank’s existing investments in the Transportation and Logistics industries. This acquisition will also provide access to SoftBank’s global network of 470+ technology-led companies with scope to develop new commercial relationships for mutual benefit. Balyo’s Board of Directors believe that through this partnership, the Company will benefit substantially from SoftBank’s technological and commercial expertise while also securing the necessary financial resources to reach its full potential.
Daimler Truck, Mitsubishi Fuso, Hino and Toyota Motor Corporation conclude an MoU on accelerating development of Advanced Technologies and merging Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino Motors
Daimler Truck Holding AG (“Daimler Truck”) Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (“MFTBC”), Hino Motors Ltd. (“Hino”) and Toyota Motor Corporation (“Toyota”) today concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on accelerating the development of advanced technologies and merging MFTBC and Hino. Daimler Truck, MFTBC, Hino, and Toyota will collaborate toward achieving carbon neutrality and creating a prosperous mobility society by developing CASE technologies (Connected / Autonomous & Automated / Shared / Electric) and strengthening the commercial vehicle business on a global scale.
PVcase acquires Anderson Optimization
Vcase, the global leader in solar project design software, announced today it has acquired Anderson Optimization, the world’s most popular solar siting software platform. The “software as a service” (SaaS) firm said it is making the acquisition to streamline the process of designing utility-scale solar power plants in E.U. markets.
🦾 Blackford Capital Acquires Industrial Automation Leader PACIV
Blackford Capital (“Blackford”), a leading lower middle market private equity firm, announced today the acquisition of PACIV which specializes in industrial automation solutions. PACIV is a leading full-service provider of industrial process automation and systems integration primarily for manufacturers in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. The company was founded in 1997, and operates offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Indianapolis, Indiana, and in Cork, Ireland. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
🦾 KKR to take machinery maker Circor private in $1.6 billion deal
KKR & Co Inc (KKR.N) will buy industrial machinery maker Circor International Inc (CIR.N) in a $1.6-billion deal and take it private, as the private equity firm looks to double down on investments in the flow-control market. “KKR will help us expand our presence in the flow-control space,” Circor’s Chief Executive Officer Tony Najjar said.
✈️ AE Industrial Partners Makes a Significant Investment in Yingling Aviation
AE Industrial Partners, LP (“AEI”), a U.S-based private equity firm specializing in aerospace, defense & government services, space, power & utility services, and specialty industrial markets, announced today that it has acquired a majority interest in Yingling Aviation (the “Company”), a leading provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and fixed-base operator (FBO) services to business aviation and government customers throughout the United States. Yingling Aviation Chairman and CEO Lynn Nichols and President Andrew Nichols will remain active leaders and investors in the Company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Anuvia Plant Nutrients suspends operations and will liquidate assets
Anuvia Plant Nutrients ceased operations, effective 15 May 2023, according to a statement on the company’s website. The company, which has been in business for 8 years, has taken the decision to suspend operations and liquidate assets, according to a note from the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Hugh MacGillivray.
Anuvia had been successful in raising capital, over $307 million, with a Series D raise of $65.5 million being the most recent in April of 2022, co-led by Riverstone Holdings LLC and Piva Capital.
🖨️ Stratasys to Combine with Desktop Metal in Approximately $1.8 Billion All-Stock Transaction
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq SSYS) (“Stratasys”) and Desktop Metal, Inc. (NYSE DM) (“Desktop Metal”) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby the companies will combine in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $1.8 billion. The transaction unites the polymer strengths of Stratasys with the complementary industrial mass production leadership of Desktop Metal’s brands, creating an additive manufacturing company that is expected to be well-positioned to serve the evolving needs of customers in manufacturing.
Stratasys and Desktop Metal are expected to generate $1.1 billion in 2025 revenue, with significant upside potential in a total addressable market of more than $100 billion by 2032.
Arkema acquires Polytec PT, specialized in adhesives for batteries and electronics
With the planned acquisition of Polytec PT, Arkema will strengthen Bostik’s product offer to serve the fast-growing batteries and electronics markets. This bolt-on acquisition is part of the Group’s strategy to become a full system provider and support its customers to develop sustainable solutions for the batteries and electronics markets.
Polytec PT, a company based in Germany, develops thermal interface materials for batteries and engineering adhesives for the electronics market. It delivers around €15 million sales with one main production site in Karlsbad, Germany.
Arconic to Be Acquired by Apollo Funds
Arconic Corporation (NYSE ARNC) (“Arconic” or the “Company”) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE APO) (“Apollo”), in an all-cash transaction that values the Company at an enterprise value of approximately $5.2 billion. The transaction includes a minority investment from funds managed by affiliates of Irenic Capital Management (“Irenic”).
The agreement provides that Arconic shareholders will receive $30.00 per share in cash, which represents a premium of approximately 36% to the Company’s undisturbed closing stock price on February 27, 2023. Upon completion of the transaction, Arconic’s shares will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and Arconic will become a private company.
Ocado Group Announces An Agreement To Acquire 6 River Systems
Ocado Group (“Ocado”) is delighted to announce it has reached an agreement with Shopify to acquire 6 River Systems. 6 River Systems is a collaborative AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) fulfilment solutions provider to the logistics and non-grocery retail sectors, based in Massachusetts, USA. It was founded in 2015 and developed an Autonomous Mobile Robot product called ‘Chuck’ that provides automated assistance to pickers in a warehouse, working collaboratively with human operators.
DuPont to Acquire Spectrum Plastics Group from AEA Investors
DuPont (NYSE DD) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Spectrum Plastics Group (“Spectrum”) from AEA Investors. The purchase price will be paid from existing cash balances. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions
Spectrum is a recognized leader in advanced manufacturing of specialty medical devices and components, serving 22 of the top 26 medical device OEMs with a strategic focus on key fast-growing therapeutic areas such as structural heart, electrophysiology, surgical robotics and cardiovascular.
AMETEK Acquires Bison Gear & Engineering Corp.
AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE AME) today announced the acquisition of Bison Gear & Engineering Corp. (Bison), a leading manufacturer of highly engineered motion control solutions serving diverse markets and applications.
Bison designs and manufactures custom motion control solutions for use in demanding and high precision applications within the automation, power, food and beverage, and transportation markets. With a strong focus on innovation, quality, and customer service, Bison has established a reputation as a trusted and reliable provider of highly engineered products and solutions.
Arsenal's Automation Solutions Platform Rebranded as Invio Automation
Arsenal Capital Partners (“Arsenal”), a leading private equity firm that specializes in investments in industrial growth and healthcare companies, today announced the rebranding of its advanced automation solutions platform to Invio Automation (“Invio”). Formed through a combination of Eckhart, Inc. and Innovative Products & Equipment, Inc., Invio Automation provides high-value solutions to help customers accelerate growth in specialized markets including medical device, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing.
With its scaled engineering resources and end-to-end expertise in complex automation, the company aims to serve a targeted portfolio of growth markets supported by recognized and sustainable macro tailwinds. Invio works closely with innovative companies to design, build, implement, and maintain automation solutions in high-precision applications, leveraging a proven design library and over 500 experienced team members across 9 sites in North America and a global network of collaborative partners.
Honeywell to Acquire Compress Controls Corporation, Driving the Energy Transition Through Leading Automation and Control Portfolio
Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) today announced it has agreed to acquire Compressor Controls Corporation (CCC) from INDICOR, LLC, which is owned by funds affiliated with private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC and Roper Technologies, Inc., for $670 million, which represents ~15x 2023E EBITDA on a tax adjusted basis, in an all-cash transaction. CCC is a leading provider of turbomachinery control and optimization solutions, including control hardware, software and services, and primarily serves the LNG, gas processing, refining and petrochemical segments.
Rising demand for SiC chips: Bosch plans to acquire U.S. chipmaker TSI Semiconductors
Bosch is expanding its semiconductor business with silicon carbide chips. The technology company plans to acquire assets of the U.S. chipmaker TSI Semiconductors, based in Roseville, California. With a workforce of 250, the company is a foundry for application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs. Currently, it mainly develops and produces large volumes of chips on 200-millimeter silicon wafers for applications in the mobility, telecommunications, energy, and life sciences industries. Over the next years, Bosch intends to invest more than 1.5 billion USD in the Roseville site and convert the TSI Semiconductors manufacturing facilities to state-of-the-art processes. Starting in 2026, the first chips will be produced on 200-millimeter wafers based on the innovative material silicon carbide (SiC).
Everstream Analytics Acquires BlueNode to Expand Intermodal Analytics Solutions for Global Supply Chain Execution
Everstream Analytics, the global supply chain insights and risk analytics software company, announced today the acquisition of BlueNode. BlueNode automates the enrichment of intermodal logistic data with an AI-powered cleansing and integration engine that helps streamline logistics and facilitates carbon emission measurement and reporting. BlueNode aligns the flow of information with the flow of goods to deliver improved data transparency, reliability, and availability, powering confidence that underpins time-sensitive strategic decision-making.
Carrier Announces Portfolio Transformation to Create Global Leader in Intelligent Climate and Energy Solutions
Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR) today announced strategic actions that will transform the Company’s business portfolio and establish Carrier as a pure-play, global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions.
Carrier will acquire Viessmann Climate Solutions, the largest segment of Viessmann Group, in a cash and stock transaction valued at €12 billion, subject to working capital and other adjustments. The value represents approximately 13X synergized projected 2023 EBITDA. A privately held company with a 106-year legacy of innovation, Viessmann Climate Solutions provides Carrier with an iconic, premium brand in the highest growth segment of the global heat pump and energy transition markets. In addition, Carrier announced plans to exit its Fire & Security and Commercial Refrigeration cabinet businesses.
💰 Emerson Electric to buy National Instruments for $8.2 bln to deepen automation push
U.S. industrial conglomerate Emerson Electric Co (EMR.N) on Wednesday agreed to buy National Instruments Corp (NATI.O) for $8.2 billion, capping a nearly yearlong pursuit of the measurement equipment maker. The $60-per-share cash offer represents a premium of nearly 50% to National Instruments’ closing price on Jan. 12, the day before it announced a strategic review. Austin, Texas-based National Instruments’ shares rose nearly 10% to touch a record high of $57.65, while Emerson’s shares fell more than 1% to $83.1. Emerson, which had first approached National Instruments with an offer of $48 per share last May, beat out rival bidder Fortive Corp (FTV.N) in a tightly contested process late on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter.
Nexa3D acquires Addifab
Nexa3D, a specialist in ultrafast polymer 3D printing hardware, has completed the acquisition of Addifab, the originator of Freeform Injection Molding, a proprietary and patented digital tooling process that couples the design freedom of 3D printing with the mechanical performance of injection molding using thousands engineering materials.
Berkshire Grey Enters into Definitive Merger Agreement with SoftBank Group for Go-Private Transaction
Berkshire Grey, Inc. (Nasdaq: BGRY), today announced that the Company has entered into a definitive merger agreement with SoftBank Group Corp. and its affiliate. Under the agreement, SoftBank will acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of the Company not currently owned by SoftBank for $1.40 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $375 million. SoftBank, a strategic investment holding company with stakes in AI, smart robotics, IoT, telecommunications, internet services, and clean energy technology providers, has been an investor in Berkshire Grey since 2019.
AAR acquires Trax, a leading provider of aircraft MRO and fleet management software
AAR CORP. (NYSE: AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs, and OEMs, has acquired Trax USA Corp., a leading independent provider of aircraft MRO and fleet management software.
The Trax acquisition accelerates AAR’s strategy to offer digital solutions focused on its core aviation aftermarket customers. Trax adds established, higher-margin aviation aftermarket software offerings with recurring revenue to AAR’s portfolio, and its complementary customer base provides opportunities to cross-sell products and services.
🚜 Augmenta acquired by CNH Industrial
Augmenta Agriculture Technologies announced on Monday, March 13 that it has been acquired by CNH Industrial, a world-class equipment and services company. This acquisition will accelerate Augmenta’s growth and offer a unique opportunity to expand its state-of-the-art perception and automation capabilities, broaden its global market reach, and increase its impact on thousands of farms worldwide. With this integration, Augmenta will amplify its impact, while CNH Industrial will provide a seamless offering of the deepest technology in its farm input automation vertical.
Rockwell Automation Announces Acquisition of Knowledge Lens
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced that it acquired Knowledge Lens. Based in Bengaluru, India, Knowledge Lens is a services and solutions provider that delivers actionable business insights from enterprise data, combining digital technologies with deep data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and engineering expertise. Knowledge Lens will join Rockwell’s premier digital services business, Kalypso, to accelerate transformational outcomes for more manufacturers around the world.
Agile Robots AG acquires robotics specialist Franka Emika
Agile Robots, a leading provider of robotics solutions for complex automation, headquartered in Munich, is taking over the business operations of Munich-based robotics specialist FRANKA EMIKA GmbH. The creditors‘ committee of insolvent FRANKA EMIKA had previously approved the corresponding agreement. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Following the transaction, Agile Robots plans to continue the operations of Franka Emika with its approximately 100 employees and to invest in the further growth of the company in Bavaria. This includes expanding the product portfolio, strengthening global sales, and continuing R&D activities.
Texada Software and Uptake Canada, Inc., Merge, Creating a New SaaS Platform for the Equipment Dealership and Rental Industry
Texada Software, creators of leading SaaS rental and mobile applications for the equipment industry, today announced a merger with Uptake Canada, Inc. (also known as “Uptake Dealer,”), the equipment dealer software subsidiary of Uptake Technologies, which acquired what was formerly Canam Solutions in 2016.
Yokogawa Acquires Fluence Analytics, a Pioneer in Digitalizing the Monitoring of Polymerization Reaction Processes
Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces the acquisition of Fluence Analytics, Inc., a US-based startup that provides real-time analytics solutions to polymer and biopharmaceutical companies worldwide. Since signing investment and collaboration agreements in August 2021, the two companies have been exploring potential business opportunities. Through this acquisition, Fluence Analytics will integrate its operations with Yokogawa’s existing business and further enhance its technological capabilities. Starting today, Fluence Analytics will operate as Yokogawa Fluence Analytics.
QAD Acquires Redzone, the World’s #1 Connected Workforce Platform, to Fortify its Vision of the Adaptive Enterprise
QAD Inc., a Thoma Bravo portfolio company delivering next-generation manufacturing and supply chain solutions in the cloud to enable the Adaptive Enterprise, has closed the acquisition of Redzone, the top connected workforce solution for manufacturing. Over 1,000 plants and 300,000 frontline workers worldwide rely on Redzone’s solutions to create a better employee experience for frontline teams and transform productivity by energizing and arming teams with the digital workflows and collaboration tools to get the most out of every shift.
MiddleGround Capital Announces Acquisition of Megatech
MiddleGround Capital, an operationally focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American middle market B2B industrial and specialty distribution companies, today announced it has acquired Megatech (the “Company”), a new digital manufacturing platform investment focused on computerized numerical control (“CNC”) machining of highly-complex, highly-precise, low volume engineered parts.
Xylem To Acquire Evoqua in $7.5 Billion All-Stock Transaction
Xylem Inc. (NYSE: XYL), a leading global water technology company (“Xylem”), and Evoqua (NYSE: AQUA), a leader in mission-critical water treatment solutions and services, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Xylem will acquire Evoqua in an all-stock transaction that reflects an implied enterprise value of approximately $7.5 billion.
AVEVA announces the completion of its acquisition by Schneider Electric
AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, today announced the completion of its acquisition by Schneider Electric, a leading global industrial company specializing in digital automation and energy management. Since its foundation, AVEVA has grown from a niche design software developer to a leading global industrial software company with a value of more than £10bn.
Grid Dynamics Acquires Mutual Mobile to Deepen Expertise in Experience Design, Mixed Reality, and Cloud Edge for Global Brands
Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDYN) (Grid Dynamics), a leader in enterprise-level digital transformation services and solutions, today announced the acquisition of Mutual Mobile, an innovation leader that brings digital experiences to life through an integrated approach to design and technology. With around 200 employees across India and North America, Mutual Mobile will contribute significantly to supporting Grid Dynamics’ objective of diversifying its global client base and enabling quality engineering talent to join the company.
Defense Contractor L3Harris Plans to Buy Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.7 Billion
Defense firm L3Harris Technologies Inc. said it agreed to buy Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. in a $4.7 billion deal that would cement L3Harris’s role as one of six prime defense contractors for the Pentagon. Aerojet is a major maker of engines used in missiles, such as the Javelin deployed in Ukraine. Its products also help power National Aeronautics and Space Administration rockets and U.S. military hypersonic systems designed to deter China’s military expansion. Aerojet was put back up for sale after federal regulators in January sued to block its planned $4.4 billion purchase by Lockheed Martin Corp. on antitrust grounds, sparking a bitter internal board battle.
South Korea's Hanwha inks $1.5bn deal to buy Daewoo Shipbuilding
Daewoo Shipbuilding, which announced the deal in a regulatory filing Friday, will issue new shares to six Hanwha Group companies through a private placement, giving the group a 49.3% stake to become the largest shareholder. Hanwha Aerospace will invest 1 trillion won and Hanwha Systems, a defense equipment company, will invest 500 billion won. Hanwha, a defense contractor, is looking to expand its scale using Daewoo Shipbuilding’s naval and submarine businesses.
Fast Radius assets acquired by SyBridge Technologies in $15.9m deal
The sale comes a month on from Fast Radius filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy and nine months after its public listing. The sale to SyBridge is subject to bankruptcy court approval and is expected to close before the end of 2022. SyBridge is acquiring most of the operating assets of Fast Radius and says that it intends to make offers of employment to a majority of current Fast Radius employees.
According to SyBridge, Fast Radius will continue to operate and build its digital manufacturing and software business under its new owner and will go to market under the Fast Radius brand name. This acquisition is SyBridge’s fourteenth since the company’s inception in 2019.
Dutch semiconductor company Nexperia acquires Delft-based energy harvesting firm Nowi: Here’s why
Nijmegen, the Netherlands-based Nexperia, a company specialised in high-volume chip production, announced on Friday, November 11, that it has acquired Delft-based startup Nowi. However, the Dutch company did not disclose the financial details of the deal. With this acquisition, Nexperia aims to broaden its portfolio of power management products to include energy-harvesting solutions. Further, this deal is part of Nexperia’s shift into producing more integrated chipsets as well as its discrete power devices.
Founded in 2016, Nowi is a private semiconductor firm that has developed energy-harvesting power management IC (PMIC) that combines the smallest PCB (Printed Circuit Board) footprint with the lowest BOM (Bill of Material) cost and the best average harvesting performance. As a result, it simplifies the design process and lowers the threshold for any company to develop ‘Plug & Forget’ products.
Nordson Corporation Completes Acquisition of CyberOptics Corporation
Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq: NDSN) has completed the acquisition of CyberOptics Corporation, a leading global developer and manufacturer of high-precision 3D optical sensing technology solutions. The completion of the transaction follows the Company’s August 8, 2022, announcement that it had entered into an agreement to acquire the business. The acquisition enhances Nordson’s test and inspection platform, providing differentiated technology that expands Nordson’s product offering in the semiconductor and electronics industries.
Blackstone, Emerson Electric Strike $14 Billion Buyout Deal
Emerson Electric Co. is selling a majority stake in its climate-technologies business to Blackstone Inc. in a transformational deal for the industrial company that would value the unit at $14 billion including debt and mark the biggest private-equity buyout in months at a time when such activity has been choked off by market volatility.
The deal, announced Monday, would give Blackstone a 55% stake in the unit, which sells compressors and other HVAC products and services used in commercial and residential heating and cooling as well as cold storage. Emerson would retain a 45% stake.
Stratasys acquires quality assurance software firm Riven
Stratasys has announced the acquisition of quality assurance software company Riven for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was closed in October 2022 and includes all intellectual property associated with Warp Adaptive Modeling (WAM) and Predive WAM (PWAM), as well as members of the Riven team.
Riven, already a Stratasys connectivity software partner, will now be fully integrated into Stratasys’ GrabCAD Additive Manufacturing Platform. It represents Stratasys fifth acquisition in the last two years, following the takeovers of Origin, RPS, Xaar 3D and Covestro Additive Manufacturing. By integrating Riven’s software into GrabCAD, Stratasys believes it will further enhance the potential for customers to scale their shipments of 3D printed end-use components, while also reducing waste via a reduced number of iterations.
Epicor Acquires MES Provider eFlex Systems
Epicor, a global leader of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today announced it has acquired eFlex Systems, a provider of cloud-based Manufacturing Execution System (MES) technologies. The acquisition expands the Epicor portfolio of Advanced MES capabilities to help manufacturers increase productivity by modernizing their production environments through digital work instructions, advanced process control, and real-time visibility. Financial terms were not disclosed.
UL Solutions Acquires Cimteq Limited
UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science, today announced its acquisition of Cimteq Limited (“Cimteq”), a leading design support and manufacturing software provider for the global wire and cable manufacturing industry based in the U.K.
The acquisition of Cimteq strengthens UL Solutions’ software capabilities to better serve small and large wire and cable customers across the product life cycle. Powered by state-of-the-art technology, Cimteq’s innovative enterprise-level software enables manufacturers across the globe to be more efficient through improved productivity and streamlining of product development and manufacturing processes.
Cimteq’s technology also helps simplify the complex management of cable design data, from the initial concept to delivering a full bill-of-materials directly to enterprise resource planning systems. With Cimteq software, UL Solutions is now able to provide wire and cable manufacturers tools to effectively plan, manage and control every aspect of the development and manufacturing process by utilizing the latest industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technology to optimize cable manufacturing operations.
Amazon is buying Cloostermans, a mechatronics specialist in Belgium, to ramp up its robotics operations
Amazon has made a string of startup acquisitions over the years to build out its robotics business; now, the e-commerce leviathan is taking an interesting turn in that strategy as it expands its industrial warehouse capabilities. Amazon is acquiring Cloostermans, a company out of Belgium that is a specialist in mechatronics. It’s been building technology to move and stack heavy palettes and totes, and robotics used to package products for customer orders. Amazon has been using those products as a customer of Cloostermans’ since 2019 for e-commerce operations; it’s making the acquisition to ramp up its R&D and deployment in that area.
Hitachi Acquires Key Industry 4.0 Systems Integrator – Flexware Innovation
Hitachi, Ltd. announced that it acquired Flexware Innovation, Inc. which has been a leading manufacturing Systems Integrator (SI) since 1996. Flexware Innovation was a strategic acquisition for Hitachi due to its focus on the TOTAL SEAMLESS SOLUTION that links “shop floor” and “top floor” with data and digital technology.
With this acquisition of Flexware Innovation, Hitachi will strengthen and enhance its business in the domain of MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems), SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), Software Development, Business Intelligence (BI), and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementation capabilities in North America, and accelerate the digitalization with JR Automation which engages in the robotic SI & automation. Further, through cooperation with Hitachi Vantara which has expertise in building and deploying Enterprise and Cloud applications, Hitachi will be able to provide TOTAL SEAMLESS SOLUTION from robotic SI & automation, MES, SCADA, BI, and ERP and help manufacturing leaders increase corporate value.
SLM and Nikon enter into Investment Agreement – Nikon to launch public takeover offer for SLM
SLM Solutions Group AG (“SLM Solutions”, “SLM” or the “Company”) and Nikon Corporation (“Nikon”) have entered into an Investment Agreement in relation to a voluntary public takeover offer that Nikon intends to launch for all outstanding shares of SLM at a cash consideration of EUR 20 per share.
With SLM becoming part of Nikon’s digital manufacturing strategy, SLM management is convinced this transaction will further enhance SLM’s ability to stay at the forefront of metal Additive Manufacturing and enhance its leadership position in delivering superior products and solutions to its customers.
Terex MP Acquires ZenRobotics, a ‘Green’ Investment
Terex Materials Processing (MP), a global leader in aggregate, environmental, concrete, lifting, and handling machinery, has acquired the assets of ZenRobotics Ltd., a company that designs and creates robots that pick, sort, and recycle waste material. ZenRobotics is a global leader in smart robotic recycling. Its robots, powered by proprietary AI software, make recycling more efficient, accurate and profitable. The company’s ambition is to make the circular economy a reality by turning global waste into clean raw materials. ZenRobotics, based in Helsinki, Finland, will retain its name and become a Terex brand, with the unit reporting to Tony Devlin, who leads the Terex MP environmental businesses.
A new chapter for Intrinsic
I’m thrilled to share that Intrinsic and Vicarious are now one team with an ambitious mission to unlock the creative and economic potential of industrial robotics for millions more businesses and developers.
Over the last few years, Vicarious has carved a unique path in the robotics as a service (RaaS) space, serving market-leading customers with turnkey solutions for high-demand tasks like kitting and palletizing, among others. They also built a passionate and multidisciplinary team in the process, including folks from their recently acquired subsidiary, Akasha Imaging — a computational imaging company offering perception capabilities and a proprietary vision system enabling robots to ‘see’ with the help of AI.
EV maker Electric Last Mile Solutions files for bankruptcy
U.S. commercial electric vehicle maker Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc (ELMS) (ELMS.O) said on Sunday it is planning to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, after a review of its products and commercialization plans. The move comes after the Troy, Michigan-based company disclosed a probe by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and withdrew all its previously issued business outlook in March.
Emerson and AspenTech Complete Transaction, Creating New AspenTech
Emerson (NYSE: EMR) and AspenTech announced the successful closing of the combination of Emerson’s industrial software businesses – OSI Inc. and its Geological Simulation Software business – with AspenTech to create a global industrial software leader (“new AspenTech”). With the close of the transaction, Emerson owns 55% of new AspenTech on a fully diluted basis and AspenTech shareholders own the remaining 45%. Shares of new AspenTech will begin trading on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “AZPN” (previously AspenTech’s ticker symbol) starting May 17, 2022.
Intel quietly acquires private 5G software provider Ananki
Intel has acquired private 5G network provider Ananki, several months after the startup spun out of the non-profit Open Networking Foundation (ONF) to commercialize open-source network technologies. The acquisition was confirmed Monday on LinkedIn by Guru Parulkar, PhD, who was co-founder and CEO of Ananki and executive director of the Open Networking Foundation. Intel declined to comment on the Ananki acquisition and instead only confirmed a development that Parulkar said was related, that the ONF’s development team has joined Intel’s Networking and Edge Group.
AUVESY and MDT Software join forces to create AUVESY-MDT
Hg, a leading software and services investor, invested in both AUVESY and MDT Software earlier in 2021. Recognising the high quality and complementary solutions provided by both companies, AUVESY and MDT Software have come together, positioning the business as a global leader to support the industrial sector’s rapid digitalization. From today, AUVESY-MDT moves forward with a joint product roadmap and under one brand. AUVESY-MDT now serves more than 2,500 leading manufacturers across more than 50 countries. The companies’ Never Stand Still mission is to ensure that customers around the world experience less down time in their production.
Johnson Controls acquires FogHorn, expanding leadership in Smart and Autonomous Buildings
Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, has completed the acquisition of FogHorn, the leading developer of Edge AI software for the industrial and commercial Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. FogHorn’s technical team will be integrated into the OpenBlue Solutions organization. FogHorn’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California will function as an ‘AI Hub’ for Johnson Controls.
BioNTech to Acquire InstaDeep to Strengthen Pioneering Position in the Field of AI-powered Drug Discovery, Design and Development
BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, “BioNTech”) and InstaDeep Ltd. (“InstaDeep”) today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which BioNTech will acquire InstaDeep, a leading global technology company in the field of artificial intelligence (“AI”) and machine learning (“ML”). The transaction includes a total upfront consideration of approximately £362 million in cash and BioNTech shares to acquire 100% of the remaining InstaDeep shares, excluding the shares already owned by BioNTech. In addition, InstaDeep shareholders will be eligible to receive additional performance-based future milestone payments up to approximately £200 million. The transaction follows BioNTech’s initial equity investment as part of InstaDeep’s Series B financing round in January 2022.
The acquisition supports BioNTech’s strategy to build world-leading capabilities in AI-driven drug discovery and development of next-generation immunotherapies and vaccines to address diseases with high unmet medical need. The transaction will combine two organizations with a common culture and is expected to add approximately 240 highly skilled professionals to BioNTech’s workforce, including teams in AI, ML, bioengineering, data science, and software development. Through the acquisition, BioNTech will grow its network of global research collaborators in the field and expand its footprint in key talent hubs across the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
NTT DATA Completes Acquisition of Chainalytics, Expanding Supply Chain Consulting Capabilities
NTT DATA Services, a global digital business and IT services leader, successfully completed its acquisition of Chainalytics on Dec. 30, 2021, strengthening its supply chain consulting and analytics capabilities. Chainalytics, which will operate as Chainalytics, an NTT DATA company, offers end-to-end supply chain transformation and consulting expertise that aligns a company’s supply chain to its corporate strategy to capture maximum value. The acquisition expands NTT DATA’s digital and consulting business by adding approximately 200 supply chain specialists globally.
Symphony Industrial AI Acquires Connected Frontline Worker Innovator Proceedix
Symphony Industrial AI announced the acquisition of connected frontline worker (CFW) platform developer Proceedix. This acquisition extends Symphony Industrial AI manufacturing industrial software solutions further into plant and factory processes. Together, Proceedix’s CFW solution and Symphony Industrial AI applications and technologies will help process and discrete industry customers improve process efficiency and quality.
Peter Verstraeten will continue running Proceedix as an independent unit of Symphony Industrial AI, preserving its unique selling proposition of digital technology leveraged by deep industrial knowledge and customer intimacy.
Refiner Eneos to buy Japan Renewable Energy for $1.8 bln
Japan’s biggest refiner, Eneos Holdings Inc (5020.T), said it would buy Japan Renewable Energy (JRE) for about 200 billion yen ($1.8 billion) to expand its low-carbon business, joining a list of major global companies moving away from climate-changing fossil fuels.
ABB to acquire ASTI Mobile Robotics Group to drive next generation of flexible automation with Autonomous Mobile Robots
ABB announced it will acquire ASTI Mobile Robotics Group (ASTI), a leading global autonomous mobile robot (AMR) manufacturer with a broad portfolio across all major applications enabled by the company’s software suite. This will expand ABB’s robotics and automation offering, making it the only company to offer a complete portfolio for the next generation of flexible automation.
AMRs will support an unprecedented degree of flexibility, from production, logistics, intralogistics and fulfillment through to retail and healthcare environments. This will enable ABB’s and ASTI’s common vision to help customers replace today’s linear production lines with fully flexible networks, where intelligent AMRs autonomously navigate materials, parts and finished products between smart connected workstations, in factories, logistics centers, laboratories, shops or hospitals.
SparkCognition Acquires Industrial Knowledge Management Company Maana, Expanding Fortune Global 100 Portfolio
SparkCognition, the world’s leading infrastructure-focused artificial intelligence (AI) company, is pleased to announce it has acquired Maana, a leading digital knowledge platform company. Through this acquisition, SparkCognition gains Maana’s computational knowledge graph technology, its industrial expertise and customers such as Chevron, Shell, Aramco, and Airbus, expanding its Fortune Global 100 footprint with multi-year software agreements. SparkCognition’s AI platform combined with Maana’s digital knowledge technology will accelerate customers’ time to value in adopting AI-driven decision making across the enterprise.
Planon extends Hyper-Connected Building offering with acquisition of Axonize
With the acquisition of Axonize, the Israel-based developer of a market-leading cloud-based IoT Platform, Planon is taking a further step in realising its ambition of enabling connected buildings at scale. Additionally, the acquisition will help Planon to further strengthen its market leading position in smart building systems.
Axonize’s Internet of Things (IoT) Platform will play a critical role in Planon’s 360-degree building digitisation strategy. Axonize complements Planon’s ‘Open Platform’ approach by providing out-of-the-box connections with smart devices and data sources across a plethora of vendors. Moreover, the acquisition supports Planon’s strategic partnership with Schneider Electric and other strategic technology partners, fuelling joint ambitions for the future.
project44 Acquires ClearMetal
project44 announced that it will acquire San Francisco-based ClearMetal, a market leader in international supply chain visibility and predictive analytics for enterprises. ClearMetal’s patented artificial intelligence (AI) enables organizations to optimize their supply chains and provides customers with easy access to trusted, live information about their orders and shipments. project44’s acquisition of ClearMetal is the latest growth milestone preceded by building on tremendous 135% YoY growth, crossing the $50M ARR mark, and being named a Leader in the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant,. This acquisition places project44 on the cutting edge of logistics AI, enabling customers to improve agility, and resiliency across their global and multi-modal supply chains.
Announcing TELUS Agriculture
Decisive Farming joined the TELUS family in December 2019. Today, we are excited to announce the coming together of eight companies to create a global leader in AgTech: TELUS Agriculture.
One of the biggest social challenges we face today is the access to quality and safe food that can be traced back from its origin to our dinner tables. With TELUS Agriculture, we are making a commitment to everyone in the Agri-Business and Agri-Food, Consumer Goods and Retail value chain to create a better flow of information across the food system.
Cisco Completes Acquisition of Fluidmesh Networks
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced it has completed the acquisition of Fluidmesh Networks, a leader in resilient wireless backhaul systems. Fluidmesh extends Cisco’s industrial wireless offerings to industries with on-the-move assets and mission critical applications in situations where zero data loss is critical to uptime and business resiliency.
Cisco’s scale, combined with Fluidmesh’s solution-based offerings and relationships with systems integrators, accelerates Cisco’s industrial IoT business, and enables wireless deployments within industrial envionrments. The combined offering addresses emerging use cases including remote operation of equipment and deploying autonomous robots to maximize productivity.
Tesla quietly acquired automated manufacturing firm to design factories
Back in 2017, Electrek has now learned that the automaker made an until-now-unreported deal to take over Compass Automation, a firm specializing in making equipment for automaker manufacturing. We started digging, and we were able to confirm that Tesla purchased Compass Automation in December 2017. The company completed its contracts with other customers and started working exclusively with Tesla at some point in 2018.
Zoetis Acquires Performance Livestock Analytics to Expand Its Digital and Data Analytics Offering to Livestock Producers
Zoetis today announced the acquisition of Performance Livestock Analytics to enhance its animal health solutions across the continuum of care for beef producers. The addition of Performance Livestock Analytics, a technology company that simplifies data and analytics for the livestock industry, will help Zoetis to accelerate progress in precision livestock farming and improve sustainability of producers’ operations. Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.
CropX Acquires CropMetrics to Expand U.S. Market Presence
CropX, a leading global soil sensing and agricultural analytics company, today announced the acquisition of Nebraska-based CropMetrics, a prominent provider of cloud-based, precision-irrigation tools. Current CropMetrics and CropX partners and customers will now have access to an unmatched combination of in-soil data, advanced farm management analytics and decision-support tools.
CropMetrics adds more than 500,000 acres under management and over 10 years of in-depth U.S. farm data to the CropX farm management platform. With a vast distribution network, best-practice service model, user-friendly decision support platform and a patented Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) platform for pivot systems, CropMetrics has earned a reputation for providing exceptional quality, service and irrigation results.
ABB augments Asset Performance Management solution with prognostic capabilities
ABB’s industry-leading Ellipse® Asset Performance Management (APM) solution (part of the company’s Digital Enterprise portfolio) has been enriched with strengthened prognostic capabilities. The new functionality enables customers to more accurately forecast when their critical assets are likely to fail and model alternative planning pathways. The new prognostic capabilities are a result of ABB’s acquisition of the software company, Cassantec.
The advanced software analytics have been integrated into the ABB Ability™ Digital Enterprise portfolio and deliver value to ABB’s industrial customers spanning the power, transportation, telecommunications, natural-resources sectors and other asset-intensive industries.
NVIDIA to Acquire Mellanox for $6.9 Billion
NVIDIA and Mellanox announced that the companies have reached a definitive agreement under which NVIDIA will acquire Mellanox. Pursuant to the agreement, NVIDIA will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Mellanox for $125 per share in cash, representing a total enterprise value of approximately $6.9 billion. Once complete, the combination is expected to be immediately accretive to NVIDIA’s non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP earnings per share and free cash flow.
The acquisition will unite two of the world’s leading companies in high performance computing (HPC). Together, NVIDIA’s computing platform and Mellanox’s interconnects power over 250 of the world’s TOP500 supercomputers and have as customers every major cloud service provider and computer maker
Adobe Acquires Allegorithmic, the Leader in 3D Editing and Authoring for Gaming and Entertainment
With this acquisition, Creative Cloud will benefit from Allegorithmic tools that are already helping top gaming, entertainment, retail, and other brands create the textures and materials that give 3D content detail and realism. Allegorithmic’s Substance family of tools are used in the vast majority of AAA games, including Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, and _Forza. _They’re increasingly being used for visual effects and animation in entertainment, including in award-winning, popular movies like Blade Runner 2049, Pacific Rim Uprising, and Tomb Raider. And they’re being adopted in the fields of design, product visualization, retail and marketing, architecture, and manufacturing, where 3D content is transforming traditional workflows into fully digital ones.
Plex Systems Acquires DATTUS to Accelerate IIoT Adoption
Plex Systems, the leader in cloud ERP and MES for manufacturing, today announced it has acquired DATTUS, Inc. a leader in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connectivity technologies. DATTUS solutions connect manufacturing equipment and sensors to the cloud, manage high-volume data streams, and analyze in-motion equipment data to optimize performance, reduce costs, and ensure uptime. The acquisition is expected to accelerate Plex’s IIoT strategy, extending the Plex Manufacturing Cloud to new streams of machine data and the underlying intelligence. The acquisition was completed in July 2018.
Tesla buys automation equipment maker Perbix
Tesla agreed to buy privately held Perbix Machine Co Inc, which designs automated manufacturing equipment. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Deere to advance machine learning capabilities in acquisition of Blue River Technology
Deere & Company (NYSE DE) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Blue River Technology, which is based in Sunnyvale, California and is a leader in applying machine learning to agriculture. As an innovation leader, Blue River Technology has successfully applied machine learning to agricultural spraying equipment and Deere is confident that similar technology can be used in the future on a wider range of products, May said. Blue River has designed and integrated computer vision and machine learning technology that will enable growers to reduce the use of herbicides by spraying only where weeds are present, optimizing the use of inputs in farming – a key objective of precision agriculture.
ABB completes acquisition of B&R
ABB today announced that it has completed its acquisition of B&R (Bernecker + Rainer Industrie-Elektronik GmbH), the largest independent provider focused on product- and software-based, open-architecture solutions for machine and factory automation worldwide.
This transaction marks another important milestone in ABB’s Next Level strategy. With the acquisition of B&R, ABB strengthens its position as the second-largest industrial automation player globally. ABB is now uniquely positioned to seize the tremendous growth opportunities created by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. B&R’s industry-leading products, software and services in Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Industrial PCs and servo motion-based machine and factory automation ideally complement ABB’s industrial automation portfolio for utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure providers.
Through the acquisition of B&R, ABB is taking another major step in expanding its digital offering by combining its industry-leading portfolio of digital solutions, ABB Ability™, with B&R’s strong application and software platforms, its large installed base, customer access, and tailored automation solutions.
Siemens closes Mentor Graphics acquisition
With the recent closing of its acquisition of electronic design automation (EDA) software leader, Mentor Graphics Corporation (Mentor), Siemens sets out to underscore the significant customer value it envisions for both Electronic Systems and Integrated Circuit (IC) design tools. Mentor is now part of Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software business, making the combined organization the world’s leading supplier of industrial software used for product design, simulation, verification, testing and manufacturing. As today’s products – from smart phones and household appliances, to automobiles, aircraft and machinery – continue to increase the use of sophisticated embedded electronics, Siemens has uniquely positioned itself to provide a seamless and comprehensive software solution to the companies that develop these products.
Altium to acquire Octopart
Electronics design software company, Altium (ASX:ALU), has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire electronic parts data and specialised inventory search company, Octopart.
Octopart will be the basis for Altium’s next generation smart content creation and delivery platform, where part information, design data and supply chain intelligence will come together to accelerate and inform the design process for engineers.
Amazon Acquires Kiva Systems for $775 Million
Amazon announced that it is acquiring Kiva Systems, a North Reading, Mass.-based company that invented a revolutionary way of managing vast warehouses by using fleets of mobile robots to sort, organize, and transport inventory. Amazon agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Kiva for approximately US $775 million in cash. The companies expect to close the acquisition in the second quarter of 2012.
And what does Kiva do that got Amazon so interested? Basically, Kiva has reinvented the centuries-old warehouse business, transforming distribution centers – which previously relied on slow-moving humans to walk around picking and packing goods – into a buzzing hive of superefficient, tireless robotic workers.