ABB buys B&R to take on Siemens
Engineering firm aims for industrial automation boost
Swiss engineering group ABB has bought Austrian industrial automation company Bernecker & Rainer, a move that fits in with its strategy of expanding its products to better challenge German rival Siemens on the factory floor. ABB gave no purchase price for Bernecker & Rainer Industrie-Elektronik (B&R) when it announced the deal on Tuesday, but a person familiar with the matter said it was nearly $2bn, the biggest deal under CE Ulrich Spiesshofer’s four-year leadership. ABB had considered other targets in industrial automation, including US firm Rockwell Automation, before deciding on B&R, said a person familiar with the matter. ABB spokesman Saswato Das declined to comment or confirm the purchase price. The company said the acquisition would increase its sales in industrial automation to about $15bn by adding B&R’s annual sales of more than $600m. It would also consolidate ABB’s second position in the $130bn processing and industrial sector behind Siemens but ahead of rivals such as...
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