March 2020

n NEWS ROCKWELL AUTOMATION is buying Asem, the Italian manufacturer of industrial PCs, HMIs and industrial software, for an undisclosed sum. The transaction includes the purchase of a minority (25%) interest in Asem held by Germany’s KEB Group. Rockwell plans to maintain Asem’s strategic supplier and technology partner relationship with KEB. Rockwell is also buying the privately-owned US-based software delivery and consulting firm, Kalypso, which specialises in the digital transformation of industrial companies. Financial details of the transactions have not been released. Asem’s technologies, which include remote access systems and secure industrial IoT gateways, can be used to integrate smart devices, control platforms, and design and operational software, on a single network. Rockwell says that the acquisition will “significantly” expand its presence in the EMEA market, as well as accelerating its growth with OEM customers and giving it an industrial computing centre of excellence “Asem’s strength in the IPC market and expertise in HMIs will further expand our Control & Visualisation hardware and software portfolio and enhance our ability to deliver high-performance, integrated automation solutions,” says Fran Wlodarczyk, Rockwell’s senior vice-president for Architecture and Software. Asem, founded in 1979, has its headquarters in Artegna, Italy. It designs, engineers and manufactures its products in-house. The company employs around 200 people, 30% of whom are dedicated to R&D. Asem has operations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and customers in more than 30 countries. Rockwell’s second acquisition, Kalypso, offers consulting, digital innovation, enterprise technology and business process management services aimed at transforming product design and development, production management and client service models. Kalypso has a strong client base in life sciences, consumer products and industrial high-tech. Rockwell plans to use Kalypso’s capabilities and experience to enhance its ability to deploy technology and deliver more value to customers. Both transactions are expected to close in the spring of 2020, subject to customary approvals and conditions. www.asem.it www.kalypso.com Rockwell buys Italy’s Asem and US-based Kalypso AH0119B-PMG-LTD POSITIONING SYSTEMS REIMAGINED... INTEGRATED GRANITE MOTION SYSTEMS FROM AEROTECH IGM Systems as an Alternative to Conventional Stage-on-Granite Advantages Include: • Air-bearing and mechanical-bearing axes • Ball-screw drives or linear motors • High sti昀ness as well as reduced height for increased design 昀exibility • Customisation of travel, payload, and dynamic performance Visit aerotech.co.uk or Call +44 1256 855055 Asem designs and builds industrial PCs, HMIs and other automation products in Italy