Acquisition supports ABB AbilityTM
offering for mission-critical power grid applications, extending market
opportunities
ZURICH--(BUSINESS
WIRE/ME NewsWire)-- ABB
today announced it has agreed to acquire the mission-critical communication
business of the KEYMILE Group to strengthen its communication networks
portfolio. The acquisition will bring with it key products, software and
service solutions, as well as research and development expertise. These will
further enhance ABB’s industry-leading digital offering, ABB Ability, by adding
extremely reliable communications technologies that are essential to maintain
today’s dynamic and complex digital electrical grids. The transaction is
expected to close during the third quarter of 2017. Both parties have agreed
not to disclose the value of the deal.
KEYMILE is headquartered in Hanover,
Germany with 350 employees globally and was founded in 2002 through a merger of
three technology companies in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It is a leading
manufacturer of mission-critical and broadband telecommunication solutions,
with installations across 100 countries.
Reliable information is key to quick
and accurate decision making in today’s increasingly automated world; this is
particularly true of sprawling, connected networks. The operation of mission-critical
systems such as electrical grids requires communication networks with
unparalleled performance and robustness based on special technology, protocols
and software. KEYMILE’s communication portfolio is geared to meet the demands
of network operators for reliability, availability and cyber security, making
KEYMILE a leader in the field of mission-critical communications.
“ABB is a global leader in
communication networks for utility customers. The acquisition of KEYMILE’s
mission-critical communication business will strengthen this position and
extend our market reach in the industrial, transportation and infrastructure
sectors,” said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Grids division. “This
move supports our growth plans and digitalization push as part of our ABB
Ability offering, as we strengthen our position as the partner of choice in
enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid.”
KEYMILE’s mission-critical
communication business base includes network operators of energy grids,
railways, oil and gas pipelines, as well as public authorities. The 120
employees of the acquired business will join the Grid Automation business unit
of ABB’s Power Grids division.
“Reliable telecommunications become increasingly
important as the number of connected devices increases. While digitalization
provides opportunities for operational efficiencies and asset optimization, it
also brings new complexities in maintaining mission-critical operations,” said
Rolf Unterberger, CEO of KEYMILE. “We are very pleased that industry leader ABB will acquire our
mission-critical communication networks business, which will enable the
continued development of cutting-edge products, software and service solutions
for grid operations.”
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in
electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power
grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport &
infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation,
ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the
Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100
countries with about 132,000 employees. www.abb.com