ABB announces the acquisition of B&R, specialized supplier of machine and factory automation, with product and software-based, open-architecture solutions. The highly complementary portfolio of both companies will result in a comprehensive offering for customers of industrial automation: ABB will expand its offering by integrating B&R’s innovative products in PLC, industrial PC and servo motion, as well as its software and solution suite, also further strengthening ABB’s digital offering of ABB Ability with B&R’s software and IoT solutions.
With perfect fit, the integration will allow ABB to provide industrial automation customers’ an entire spectrum of technologies and software solutions, around measurement, control, actuation, robotics, digitalization and electrification. B&R delivered a revenue CAGR of 11% over the last two decades, with 2016 annual sales of more than $600 million, more than quintupled since 2000. The B&R headquarter of Eggelsberg, Austria, will become ABB’s global center for machine and factory automation, and on closing of 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 companies consider the continuity of the B&R’s management and employees as a key driver of future growth of the company, which will be able to further accelerate its pace to innovation and growth leveraging ABB’s global presence, digital offering and complementary portfolio. The co-founders of B&R, Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer, will act as advisors during the integration phase, in order to ensure continuity, and ABB underlines its clear commitment to continuing the B&R growth story by articulating a mid-term sales target to exceed $1 billion.