Friendly takeover strengthens BAS offering.

A friendly public takeover offer of Robot S.A., a Spanish building automation specialist with a strong position in the hotel sector has been announced by HMS INdustrial Networks. The planned acquisition aims to broaden HMS’ Building Automation offering and create new business opportunities focusing on hospitality vertical. Igualada, 10 September 2026

Robot S.A. is based in Palma de Mallorca and has been active in building automation since 1983. The company develops and delivers Building Management Systems (BMS) that help hotels and other large buildings control energy resources, room comfort, lighting, water and common areas. Robot currently employ 65 persons.

The signing team from Robot, HMS and legal counsels - LtoR: José Alberto Antiche Pieras, Robot; Lorenzo Ramón Vaquer, Robot; Jaume Simonet Pou, Robot; Martin Hoffert, HMS; Bernat Bonnín Pons-Estel, Robot; Carlos Lopez, Guestion Partners; Josep Maria Piñol Fañanas, HMS; Nicolau Fuster, Lex2B

Widening the Building Automation offering for HMS
For HMS, the business potential is clear. Robot’s products complement Intesis, HMS’ current Building Automation product brand, by adding guest room management and broader building management capabilities for the hospitality market. Together, the two offerings can give hotels and system integrators a more complete solution — from communication gateways and HVAC integration to room control, energy optimization and management of common areas.

Robot’s long experience in hotel automation is especially valuable. The company has developed solutions for building owners, hotel operators and guests since 1983. Their systems support technical staff in controlling energy production and distribution while allowing guests to manage comfort functions such as temperature and lighting in their rooms. This strengthens HMS’ ability to support customers who want smarter, more energy-efficient and easier-to-manage buildings.

The acquisition also creates growth opportunities beyond Robot’s current markets. HMS sees potential to leverage its global sales and support footprint to bring Robot’s proven hospitality solutions to more regions, including established HMS markets such as APAC and the Middle East.

At the same time, Robot brings additional know-how, customer experience and product capabilities into HMS’ Building Automation division.

“Robot’s products and technology beautifully complements our current product offer in Building Automation and will provide an excellent platform for HMS to provide greater value to our customers in the hospitality sector. We also see great opportunity to leverage HMS global footprint to expand Robot’s offering, thereby accelerating the growth path for the well-established and proven products on the market today. Intesis and Robot products together will provide a unique offering in the Building Automation vertical for our hospitality customers, and we can’t wait to welcome all Robot employees to the HMS family once the offer has been settled formally” says David Garces, VP of Building Automation division.

Accelerate growth for Robot
“Over the years, Robot has developed a unique technology, a talented team and a strong market position. Together with HMS, a global leader in industrial communication and information solutions, we can accelerate growth, expand further internationally, and unlock new opportunities for employees that would be difficult to achieve alone. We believe that HMS has presented a very strong offer for Robot’s shareholders and together with the aligned long-term vision of the two companies we believe this is the next right step to take for Robot.” says Bernat Bonnin, Executive Chairman of Robot SA

Next steps – delisting process
Robot S.A. is a listed company in Spain, which means that the settlement of the offer and the delisting process will take some time still. HMS has announced the public takeover offer and will continue the formal process according to the applicable Spanish requirements. Expected completion is around December 1st. Once completed, the acquisition is expected to strengthen HMS’ position in Building Automation and support the BA division’s growth ambitions in attractive verticals such as hotels and other energy-intensive buildings.

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@hmsnetworks @mepaxIntPR #PAuto #BAS

Shaping the Future of managing electrical assets.

Two of the most respected brands in the electrical industry, Doble Engineering and Megger, have announced their strategic merger under the umbrella of ESCO Technologies Inc.

Together, these brands bring an unrivalled reputation of innovation, expertise, and trust by their customers to deliver a unified platform for holistic electrical asset management on a global scale. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close within the next six to nine months.

This merger represents the integration of extensive and complementary portfolios and capabilities combining advanced offline test equipment and data, continuous online monitoring, and engineering analytics. The new entity creates a cohesive ecosystem that offers a single source of truth for predictive, condition-based maintenance, setting new benchmarks for operational resilience.

By uniting their diverse strengths, the merged organisation delivers true end-to-end asset lifecycle visibility. Megger’s long-standing focus on portable offline test equipment and multi-asset field instrumentation, supporting everything from factory acceptance testing to periodic maintenance as well as its acclaimed Asset Lifecycle Management Software Platform, opens up opportunities to connect with Doble’s leading offerings in substation testing, condition monitoring, diagnostics, laboratory analytics, and engineering services.

Customers will benefit from this unified approach, gaining access to a comprehensive suite that transforms fragmented data points into actionable insights. Asset owners will realise both enhanced investment planning and significant risk reduction as improved asset health indicators drive more reliable, efficient operations and mitigate unplanned outages across their networks.

The combined company’s monitoring and analytics solutions are engineered to go beyond current industry standards. A heightened focus on safety and operational excellence ensures teams and infrastructure remain protected through early warning systems and proactive strategies.

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@MeggerUK @doble #PAuto #TandM

Acquisition bolsters machine vision capability.

The Headwall® Group (“Headwall”) has acquired EVK DI Kerschhaggl GmbH (“EVK”), an Austria-based technology company specializing in industrial sensor-based sorting and inspection systems. This strategic acquisition marks a significant step forward in Headwall Group’s mission to enhance its portfolio and bolster its presence in the industrial machine vision market.

Mark Willingham, CEO of Headwall (left),
and Matjaz Novak, CEO of EVK 

The integration of EVK into the Headwall Group is a natural extension of Headwall Group’s strategy to diversify its product offerings and deepen its capabilities in delivering comprehensive, high-value imaging solutions. EVK’s innovative hyperspectral and inductive sensor technologies as well as data analysis expertise align seamlessly with Headwall Group’s existing products and commitment to advancing hyperspectral imaging applications and AI-driven interpretation software in machine vision and remote sensing markets.

“We are thrilled to welcome EVK into the Headwall family,” said Mark Willingham, CEO of Headwall Group. “Their proven track record in sensor-based solutions and industrial inspection complements our vision of providing integrated, next-generation hyperspectral technologies at the speed and scale needed by the industry. This partnership will drive further innovation and accelerate our ability to meet the increasing demand for more advanced, application-focused imaging solutions.”

Matjaz Novak, CEO of EVK, stated, “Joining forces with Headwall presents a tremendous opportunity to combine our expertise and technologies. Together, we can offer our customers enhanced solutions and expand our reach in the industrial imaging market. We look forward to a collaborative future that leverages the strengths of both organisations.”

EVK’s cutting-edge technology, which spans a range of industries including food processing, plastics recycling, and material sorting, will empower Headwall Group to broaden its market reach and foster new growth opportunities in both machine vision and remote sensing applications.

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@headwall @__EVK__ #PAuto #Photonics

Looking after the optics.

The Endress+Hauser subsidiaries SpectraSensors Inc. and Kaiser Optical Systems Inc. have joined forces to form a new company: Endress+Hauser Optical Analysis Inc. By consolidating its expertise in the field of laser-based measurement technology, the Group is strengthening its focus on laboratory and process analysis and positioning itself to provide customers with even better support for analysis tasks in the future.

John Schnake

“Our customers expect easy-to-use, robust measurement instruments that fit their applications,” says Managing Director John Schnake, who leads the new unit. With laser-based measurement technologies, Endress+Hauser offers an integrated product portfolio for analysis that supports industrial customers from product and process development through to quality control and production.
 

Endress+Hauser has placed a strategic focus on process and laboratory analysis for years. The company supports customers from product and process development to production, bringing advanced analysis and quality measurements to process engineering applications. Success in its core markets confirms this approach, with the Group generating nearly one-fourth of its sales through analysis technology.

Consolidation under one umbrella
In order to bundle the Group’s expertise in laser-based measurement principles and create a basis for sustainable growth, SpectraSensors and Kaiser Optical Systems merged under the new name Endress+Hauser Optical Analysis on 1 January 2022. Both companies boast a long history of innovation and offer market-leading product lines for optical analysis.

The acquisition of these two US-based companies in 2012 and 2013, brought innovative technologies on Endress+Hauser board. The Group strengthened its position in gas analysis with tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) technology from SpectraSensors. Kaiser Optical Systems, a global leader in Raman spectroscopy, brings expertise in solid, liquid and gas analysis across a wide range of applications, including vaccine production.

Offerings from laboratory to process

Dr Manfred Jagiella

“We want to further develop and expand our portfolio for laboratory and process analysis. Together with Endress+Hauser Liquid Analysis and the Analytik Jena subsidiary, Endress+Hauser Optical Analysis forms an important element of our Group’s analysis strategy,” says Dr Manfred Jagiella, who is responsible for the analytical business on the Endress+Hauser Executive Board.

Endress+Hauser Optical Analysis is headquartered in Ann Arbor, (MI USA), where Raman spectroscopic instruments are also developed and manufactured. TDLAS instrumentation continues to be produced in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The new company, with around 200 employees, will remain a wholly owned subsidiary of the Endress+Hauser Group.

The Ann Arbour Plant

@Endress_Hauser @Endress_US @Endress_UK #PAuto #Optics

Communications buyout to benefit IIoT.

HMS Industrial Networks has acquired all shares in the German company Beck IPC GmbH located in Wetzlar (D). Beck IPC is a leading provider of technology and solutions for embedded control and industrial M2M communication, including solutions for the Industrial Internet of Things, IIoT.

The base technology IPC@CHIP® is the core of Beck IPC’s product offering for industrial OEMs. With IPC@CHIP®, Beck offers a compact embedded programmable platform solution in the form factor of a chip. Tailormade for embedded IIoT applications, IPC@CHIP® can be used as a PLC, a communication controller or a combination of both, enabling OEMs to create IIoT solutions with reduced development efforts and fast time to market.

Beck IPC’s portfolio also includes the comprehensive com.tom® gateway series and the associated cloud portal. The com.tom® gateways form an extensive line of industrial networking and Edge gateways for IIoT applications, targeting factory and process automation. The cloud portal provides all elements needed to easily set up an industrial IoT application, where the com.tom® cloud broker manages all inbound and outbound data, including all configuration and security aspects.

“Beck IPC’s knowledge, hardware and software products for IIoT, especially within the embedded offering, are important building blocks to strengthen HMS’s strategy within IIoT,” says Staffan Dahlström, CEO of HMS Industrial Networks. “Beck IPC´s product and service portfolio complements our existing Anybus®, IXXAT® and eWON® solutions, and strengthens our position as a leading supplier of communication solutions for industrial applications.

“We are excited to be joining HMS. Thanks to our complementing technologies we will together be able to offer some really attractive solutions within IIoT, and HMS’s worldwide sales organization will ensure a global market reach,” says Thomas Schumacher, Managing Director of Beck IPC GmbH.

#IoT @hmsnetworks #PAuto 

Merger to provide sensors, data acquisition, preparation, evaluation & engineering services.

HBM is to merge its activities with BKSV (Brüel and Kær Sound and Vibration) from 1 January 2019. Both owned by the British entity Spectris Plc, the new company will be named HBK (Hottinger, Brüel and Kjær).

“Brüel and Kjær and HBM are both premium hardware providers in measurement with a strong focus on software. By combining their activities, the two companies can deliver an integrated offering, combining sensors, data acquisition, preparation, evaluation and engineering services into one solution for its customers” says Eoghan Ó Lionaird, Business Group Director responsible for the Test and Measurement segment.

They are global leaders in their respective disciplines and have complementary expertise across the measurement chain. By leveraging their respective strengths, the aim is to create a business with the capabilities, breadth and scale to deliver differentiated customer value, for example, in the domains of propulsion, durability, safety and noise, vibration and harshness.

“This merger losely with the Spectris strategy of focusing on the provision of complete solutions combining hardware, software and related services and will enable us to provide a broader service with increased value to BKSV and HBM customers,” according to Ó Lionard.

In preparation of the merge, a new management team has been selected, drawing on the strengths and expertise from both HBM and BKSV. Merger preparation activities will be undertaken from now through to the end of 2018, and during this phase, both companies will operate in existing structures. All existing HBM agreements, points of contact, procedures, partnerships etc. will continue as normal.

@HBMmeasurement #PAuto #TandM @bruelandkjaer

Computing and communication unite!

MEN Mikro Elektronik GmbH and duagon Holding AG are merging to become a provider of software and hardware solutions for data processing and communication. The two companies expect their complementary product range and expertise as well as perfectly complementary sales structures to give them a leading position as manufacturers of safe computer and communication solutions in critical embedded applications.

The previous investor of MEN, HQ Equita, has decided to sell MEN Mikro Elektronik with its subsidiaries in China, France, and the USA to Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG) in the course of the merger. duagon Holding was already a company in the DBAG portfolio.

The integration and further development of the newly created group will be accompanied by MEN founder Manfred Schmitz. He will retain his shares in MEN and will remain available to the company as a shareholder and as a member of the Board of Directors of the superordinate new group.

With the joint expertise of MEN and duagon, new products and complete solutions are to be developed. The focus is on automatic safety systems and technological trends such as autonomous driving.

Dr. Markus Dilger, former CEO of duagon and future CEO of the Communication business unit, comments: "We are pleased with the new perspectives that the merger of MEN and duagon opens up for both companies. For duagon, these include access to MEN's hardware expertise, for example in terms of reliability standards, and to new markets such as aerospace and medical".

Bernd Härtlein, former CEO of MEN and future CEO of the Computing business unit, adds: "We look forward to working with duagon and are confident that this merger will create a market-leading company for complete computing and communication hardware and software solutions for safety-critical markets. With duagon's expertise, this will initially mean an even stronger focus on the rail market, but it is important to us to continue expanding MEN's existing focus markets such as industrial automation, avionics or power & energy".

@MEN_Germany  #PAuto @duagonAG

Merger leads to a new leader in measurement solutions!

NDC Infrared Engineering and Beta LaserMike, recognized global leaders in NIR (near infrared), nucleonic, optical, X-Ray, laser, microwave, ultrasonic and process control technology for non-contacting measurement and control solutions, have merged to create NDC Technologies. The combination strengthens the new company’s position in the marketplace by offering a more comprehensive portfolio of gauging solutions across a multitude of industries.  

NDC Technologies will offer four key product groups: 

• Web Solutions – for the converting, extrusion, calendering, and nonwovens industries, delivering real-time measurement and control of key product parameters such as product thickness, coating thickness, and basis weight.
• Sensors -- on-line gauges and at-line analyzers for the measurement of moisture and other key product constituents in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, mineral, bulk materials and tobacco industries.
• X-ray gauges for metals – on-line measurement of thickness, coat weight, width and optical flatness measurement for the ferrous and non-ferrous metals industries.
• Ultrasonics & Lasers – non-contact gauges for the on-line and off-line measurement of diameter and ovality, wall thickness and eccentricity, length and speed, and other dimensional monitoring of products in the wire and cable, fiber optics, pipe and tube, building, nonwovens, paper, plastic, and metals industries.

Headquartered in Irwindale, (CA USA), NDC Technologies is part of Spectris PLC, a leading supplier of productivity enhancing instrumentation and controls based in England. With a commitment to innovation, the pooling of research and technology resources will streamline product development and rapidly address the evolving needs of industry and customers. In addition, the combined company has proven teams of talented, experienced employees with strong customer relationships and a commitment to customer excellence. The merger will increase the distribution channels and customer care network, expanding the company’s reach to better serve customers around the globe.

Rationalisation of British subsidiaries

As part of its strategy to simplify Group structure, Yokogawa Electric Corporation  announces that from 1st April 2013, its wholly owned British subsidiary, Yokogawa Measurement Technologies Ltd will merge with fellow group company Yokogawa United Kingdom Ltd and trade under the name Yokogawa Measurement Technologies – a division of Yokogawa United Kingdom Ltd. Apart from a change in invoicing and bank details, customers will not be affected and it will be business as usual. All contacts at Yokogawa will remain the same.

The Test & Measurement Division of Yokogawa United Kingdom Ltd not only supplies a comprehensive range of test and measurement instrumentation and solutions to a wide variety of businesses but also prides itself on partnering these companies to develop test solutions that meet future testing requirements.

Where 1 + 1 can equal 3!

The Transformation of MESA and WBF.

The fundamentals of MESA's strategy are: Relevance to the Enterprise; Defining the Real Time Operations Space through Education, Certification, World Class Content, and Networking; and Growing MESA membership and revenue. The recent merger between MESA and WBF is explained in a recent communication to the MESA community from Chairman John Southcott.

There were several drivers for the merger, all of them positive and leading to an even better merged organisation.

First, MESA and WBF have the same target audience, the real-time operations space, but each had a different focus. MESA's focus was broad content, education, and certification. WBF's focus was on promoting the best practices for various ISA standards, ISA 88 Batch, ISA 95 MES, ISA 99 Security, and others. MESA and WBF had similar end users and sponsors, with MESA having more discrete manufacturing companies and WBF having more process industry companies. The combined organization now covers the full range of industrial companies; and can even be used in other industries because the best practices and world-class content can help any company that is trying to improve its operations and increase its productivity.

A second driver was the fact that both organisations were at an inflection point and were defining their strategy for moving forward. MESA has embarked on an education initiative, focused on developing world-class MES/MOM professionals across a range of industries globally. WBF had, as some had said "solved the batch problem" and was expanding into the MOM/MES, Security, and Procedural Automation areas. Both organisations had met their original goals, but realised that there was much more that could, and should, be done to bring best practices and knowledge to its members. The future directions of both organisations aligned in a perfect match for a merged organisation.

There was also a practical reason for the merger, both MESA and WBF have been using the same support organisation, and using the organisation in the same way. MESA and WBF needed to run their businesses better, and a merger just made good business sense.

MESA and WBF were both in the process of embracing the "voice of the customer." Our customers were demanding to know the technologies and best practices that they need to compete, and they were demanding to know the business values and benefits that they could expect to achieve. The new MESA is the one place they can go to get this vendor-independent, high value, reviewed and verified information.

He sees several significant benefits our members will receive as a result of the merger:

Education: The addition of WBF experts in ISA 88 Batch and ISA 99 Security will allow the new MESA to develop certification programs. If you want to help share your experience with others, please consider volunteering to help develop and review new educational material and certification programs.
Standards Development: WBF's B2MML, Business to Manufacturing Markup Language, is the industry standard for ERP to MES integration. The WBF XML technical committee has been merged into the MESA technical committee and will be releasing a new version shortly that incorporates the latest additions to the ISA 95 standard.

Content: WBF brings hundreds of papers, from 15 years of conferences, and 4 books into MESA. This content represents some of the industry's best practices and provides a valuable source of intellectual property with great value to our members.

Networking: The new MESA will also provide conferences and professional networking opportunities that you cannot get anywhere else. You can talk to other users with similar problems and with other solutions. You can talk to users about their different vendor experiences, and vendors can demonstrate their solutions to a wide range of end users. The connections you make at the conferences, and mini-conferences (such as the Day 0 event at the recent OSISoft user conference and the planned one-day session at the Yokogawa user group meeting), will help you learn from the successes, and mistakes, of other MESA members.

"We are confident that the pooling of our collective energy and resources is a win-win for all members and for the future of the organization," concluded John Southcott.  "Simply put, our vision and our strategy can be better achieved together than apart. The new MESA organisation is the place for learning from others and sharing what we know.

Merger agreement announced

ITT Corporation  and privately held YSI Incorporated have entered into a definitive agreement for ITT to acquire, via merger. The financial terms of the proposal were not disclosed. YSI had 2010 global revenues of $101 million and employs 390 people at several facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Completion of the acquisition is expected in the third quarter 2011, pending customary closing conditions and approval from YSI’s shareholders.

“The addition of YSI is the next logical step in our strategy to acquire attractive companies whose businesses complement our existing water portfolio,” said Gretchen McClain, president of ITT’s Fluid and Motion Control business, and future chief executive officer of the new standalone water company that will separate from ITT later this year. “We see very compelling growth characteristics in the analytical instrumentation market. As we move toward the formation of our new water company, the addition of YSI further builds on our attractive analytics business and our commitment to provide the best solutions to the challenges our customers face across the water industry.”

ITT’s analytics business is a leading manufacturer of premium field, portable, laboratory and online analytical instruments used in water and wastewater, environmental, medical, and food and beverage applications. The company’s meters, sensors, analyzers and related consumables are used every day by thousands of end-users world-wide to analyze and control quality in industrial applications where precise measurement is required. ITT’s analytics products are sold under the globally recognized brands WTW, SI Analytics, OI Analytical, Royce Technologies, Aanderaa Data Instruments (AADI), Global Water Instrumentation, ebro and ¬Bellingham & Stanley.


“The opportunity to add a company with the brand recognition and reach of YSI not only strengthens our Analytics portfolio, but also gives us a great opportunity to globally expand our entire existing brand offering,” said Chris McIntire, president of ITT Analytics. “YSI’s expertise in field and outdoor, environmental applications strongly complements and broadens our existing capabilities. From our workplace cultures to our philanthropic initiatives, YSI and ITT are a perfect fit.”

Rick Omlor, chairman and chief executive officer of YSI Incorporated, said, “We believe joining ITT offers a great opportunity to continue growing our business, and I’m especially pleased that YSI will live on within a strong global company united around water. With a 63-year legacy founded in scientific discovery and innovation, YSI’s strong brand equity, backed by ITT’s global citizenship philosophy is the right choice to move YSI into the future.”

Merger approved

Shareholders approve merger agreement

JP Keithley  President & CEO

Keithley Instruments has announced that, at its special meeting of shareholders held 23rd November 2010, the Company's shareholders approved and adopted the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 29, 2010, among Danaher Corporation, Aegean Acquisition Corporation and Keithley Instruments and the transactions contemplated thereby.  Approximately 90 percent of the total number of votes represented by the common shares and Class B common shares outstanding and entitled to vote at the special meeting voted in favor of approval and adoption of the merger agreement.  Under the terms of the merger agreement, upon completion of the merger, each outstanding common share and Class B common share of  Keithley will be converted into the right to receive $21.60 in cash, without interest.

The completion of the merger remains subject to the termination or expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (the "HSR Act") and the satisfaction or waiver of other conditions. Keithley Instruments also announced that Danaher refiled its HSR Act Premerger Notification and Report form related to the merger on November 15, 2010 to provide the US Federal Trade Commission with additional time to review the transaction.  Keithley Instruments and Danaher believe that the status of the FTC review should not affect the anticipated timing of the completion of the transaction during the fourth quarter of 2010.