Acquisition of Mincom strengthens ABB's smart grid portfolio

1

Quick Take: When ABB acquired Ventyx back in May of last year, they did a couple of very smart things. First, they allowed Ventyx to continue to operate separately, rather than subsuming it into the mother ship. Second, they moved all of ABB's other software under the Ventyx banner. As a result, they now have their information technology (IT) under the same roof as their operational technology (OT). Since the theme of the next five years is the blending of IT and OT, ABB has set itself up very nicely. Today's acquisition of Mincom strengthens their portfolio with additional field and operational applications while also bringing in some new customers. – Jesse Berst

Global power and automation technology group ABB is set to acquire Mincom, a Brisbane, Australia-based enterprise software and services provider to asset-intensive industries such as natural resources, energy and defense.

"The acquisition of Mincom is part of our strategy to continuously broaden our software offering," said ABB CEO Joe Hogan. "Mincom helps us to increase the depth of our enterprise asset management offering, building our position as a leader in the key growth sectors of natural  resources and energy. For our customers this means extending the life of their infrastructure, optimizing asset management and reducing the overall cost of ownership."

ABB will keep Mincom's management team and its operations will be added to Ventyx, ABB's dedicated software business, which it acquired last year.

ABB is acquiring Mincom for Francisco Partners, a private equity group that focuses on technology business investments. The price tag for the acquisition has not been released.

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com. He consults to smart grid companies seeking market entry advice and M&A advisory. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the US and abroad, he also serves on the Advisory Council of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Energy & Environment directorate.

You may also be interested in ...

ABB to pick up business intelligence software provider Obvient Strategies

ABB and the Ventyx acquisition – Why now, what next?