ABB recently announced the acquisition of B&R, a large independent provider of open-architecture solutions for machine and factory automation.
B&R, founded in 1979 by Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer is headquartered in Eggelsberg, Austria and employs more than 3,000 people, including about 1,000 R&D and application engineers. It operates across 70 countries, generating sales of more than $600 million annually.
The acquisition combines B&R's machine and factory automation offerings with ABB’s robotics, process automation, digitalization and electrification platforms.
ABB feels that adding B&R's application and software platforms, large installation base, customer access and tailored automation solutions will help grow their digital solutions. ABB will expand its industrial automation offerings by integrating B&R's PLCs, industrial PCs and servo motion, as well as its software and solution suite.
B&R has more than quintupled their revenues since 2000 with a global customer base of more than 4,000 machine manufacturers. On closing the transaction, B&R will become part of ABB’s Industrial Automation division as a new global business unit – Machine & Factory Automation – headed by the current Managing Director, Hans Wimmer.
Both parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price. ABB will finance the acquisition in cash, with the transaction expected to close this summer.
