Tue, 04/04/2017 - 11:39

ZURICH, Switzerland (April 4, 2017) -- ABB on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Bernecker + Rainer Industrie-Elektronik GmbH, an Austria-based independent provider focused on product- and software-based, open-architecture solutions for machine and factory automation worldwide. A purchase price was not disclosed, but the deal is expected to close by the end of summer 2017. B&R, founded in 1979 by Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer, employs more than 3,000 people, including about 1,000 R&D and application engineers. The company operates across 70 countries and generated more than $600 million in sales in 2015/2016. Through the acquisition, ABB expands its leadership in industrial automation and will be uniquely positioned to seize growth opportunities resulting from the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In addition, ABB takes a 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. “B&R is a gem in the world of machine and factory automation and this combination is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This transaction marks a true milestone for ABB, as B&R will close the historic gap within ABB’s automation offering. This is a perfect fit and will make us the only industrial automation provider offering customers the entire spectrum of technology and software solutions around measurement, control, actuation, robotics, digitalization and electrification,” ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer said in a release. “This acquisition perfectly delivers on our Next Level strategy. With our unique digital offering and our installed base of more than 70 million connected devices, 70,000 control systems and now more than 3 million automated machines and 27,000 factory installations around the world, we enable our combined global customer base to seize the huge opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” “This combination offers fantastic opportunities for B&R, its customers and employees. We are convinced that ABB offers the best platform for the next chapter of our growth story. ABB’s global presence, digital offering and complementary portfolio will be key for us to further accelerate our pace of innovation and growth,” Josef Rainer, co-founder of B&R, said in a release.