PTC Acquires Kepware to Boost Industrial IOT Offerings
PTC to pay $100 million, plus up to an additional $18 million based on achievement of certain strategic initiatives and financial results.
Over the past 12 months, privately-held Kepware generated approximately $20 million in revenues.
22 December 2015 – PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kepware, a software development company that provides communications connectivity to industrial automation environments, for approximately $100 million, plus up to an additional $18 million based on achievement of certain strategic initiatives and financial results. The acquisition will enhance PTC’s portfolio of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and accelerate the company’s entry into the factory setting and Industrial IoT (IIoT).
Founded in 1995 and located in Portland, Maine, Kepware serves customers in more than 120 countries in such industries as manufacturing, oil and gas, building automation, and power and utilities. The company’s flagship product, KEPServerEX, connects disparate devices and control systems, providing users with a single source of industrial data.
Kepware’s KEPServerEX will become a strategic component of the PTC ThingWorx® IoT technology platform. Once the companies’ products are integrated, machine data will be able to be aggregated into the PTC ThingWorx platform, integrated with a wide array of internal and external information, and then automatically analyzed using ThingWorx machine learning capabilities. The integration will allow organizations to gain tremendous enterprise-wide insight and to proactively optimize mission-critical processes – enabling them to improve operational performance, quality, and time to market.
In its June 2015 research report, entitled The Internet of Things: Mapping the Value Beyond the Hype, the McKinsey Global Institute identified the factory as one of the largest sources of potential value to be realized from the adoption of the Internet of Things. PTC has established a dedicated business segment and has formed a strategic alliance with GE to pursue this brilliant factory opportunity. The acquisition of Kepware is intended to complement the alliance with GE.
Kepware and PTC share many common customers that will be able to realize value from the acquisition. Industrial environments already leveraging Kepware technology will be able to benefit from the added breadth of capabilities available in the PTC ThingWorx IoT technology platform. The acquisition of Kepware will also provide a fast-to-value connectivity option for PTC customers to gain visibility into data from a vast range of industrial controls and production equipment, enabling them to kick-start their smart, connected factory initiatives.
“PTC is committed to helping manufacturers, infrastructure operators, and others realize the enormous value inherent in the Internet of Things,” said Jim Heppelmann, president and CEO, PTC. “With this acquisition, we will gain entry into heterogeneous factory and operating environments with robust technology, an impressive list of customers, and a high-quality, profitable company with incredibly talented employees.”
“Kepware and PTC share a common vision of helping organizations realize the potential of the Industrial Internet of Things,” said, Tony Paine, CEO, Kepware (avove). “We believe this acquisition will benefit our customers, partners, and employees – and ultimately drive software innovation for industrial automation markets. We are excited for the opportunity to become part of PTC.”
Over the past 12 months, privately-held Kepware generated approximately $20 million in revenue. PTC expects to draw on its credit facility to finance this transaction and expects Kepware to be neutral to its FY’16 non-GAAP EPS. The transaction is expected to close in early 2016, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. PTC intends to maintain the Kepware partner ecosystem and to continue developing and enhancing the Kepware technology, once acquired.
Source: PTC
LockState Uses Ayla’s IoT Platform for Smartlocks
Solution enables remote management of smartlocks and smartplug via Internet-connected PCs and smartphones
15 December 2015 - LockState, a leading manufacturer of smartlocks announced today that it is using Ayla Networks’ Internet of Things (IoT) platform and cloud services for its product line of RemoteLock and RemotePlug.
The advantages of IoT connectivity for smartlocks include the ability to set schedules monitor use codes, remotely create and delete codes, view access history, and receive alerts when doors are used.
“If you don’t have an IoT strategy today, then we believe you risk extinction as a company, said Nolan Mondrow, CEO and founder of LockState (above). At LockState, we view IoT as the merger of distinct technologies. We rely on Ayla to expertly manage the IoT and cloud connectivity and to ensure that transportation of command and data to our locks is secure and reliable. This enables us to focus on making our products and customer experience great.”
The Ayla IoT platform provides comprehensive device, cloud and mobile app connectivity. It allows manufacturers to get secure, reliable connected products to market with minimal time, cost and effort. It also enables them to improve multiple aspects of their business based on data generated by the connected devices.
David Friedman, CEO and co-founder, Ayla Networks
“We have been working with LockState for 18 months to bring cloud connectivity to everything LockState offers,” said David Friedman, CEO and co-founder of Ayla Networks (left). “LockState understands the transformational potential of the IoT and is looking to Ayla to simplify its path to connectivity.”
LockState plans to demonstrate a range of products at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in early January. They include RemoteLock 6i and the RemoteLock 5i WiFi door locks. The former is a commercial grade door lock, and the latter is an upgraded version of the company’s consumer door lock.
At CES the company plans also to show its WiFi RemotePlug and its LockState Connect system. The latter is a portal that allows consumers to connect WiFi enabled devices such as thermostats and door locks to existing Wi-Fi routers and then control these home devices from an internet connected computer or smartphone from anywhere in the world.
Source: Businesswire
ADLINK to Acquire PrismTech
Acquisition Enhances ADLINK's Footprint and Industrial IoT Capabilities
14 December 2015 – PrismTech, a leader in software platforms and tools for the Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet and advanced wireless communications, today announced it will be acquired by ADLINK Technology, a leading provider of application-ready intelligent platforms.
PrismTech was founded in 1992 and has offices in the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, USA and Canada. The company has customers in many market sectors, including: industrial automation, smart cities, energy, transportation, healthcare, aerospace, defence, IT and telecommunications.
PrismTech’s Vortex intelligent data-connectivity platform provides internet-scale, real-time data sharing and is ideal for systems that have to reliably and securely deliver high volumes of real-time data with stringent end-to-end qualities-of-service.
Acquiring PrismTech will enable ADLINK to strengthen its software and systems capabilities, and its industrial IoT (IIoT) market reach. After the acquisition PrismTech will operate as a semi-autonomous business unit. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Adding horizontal IoT stack expertise to ADLINK creates a unique opportunity to fully leverage the Vortex software and build competitive platforms for IIoT,” stated Jim Liu, CEO of ADLINK (above). “The complementary products of ADLINK and PrismTech provide all the building blocks for the next stage in IIoT development, addressing the issues of increasing complexity mission critical operations and data management.”
Lawrence Ross, CEO PrismTech
“This acquisition signals ADLINK’s commitment to becoming one of the premier players in the IIoT platform market,” said Lawrence Ross, CEO, PrismTech. “I’m convinced that the acquisition will prove to be very positive for our customers, employees and the future direction of our software products. ADLINK and PrismTech share a vision of the future and potential of the IIoT market. “We believe this acquisition will also result in new innovative combinations of our products that can propel us to become the number one vendor in the vertical markets we jointly serve.”
Source: PrismTech
Silver Spring Networks Launches IPv6 Network for IoT
9 December 2015 – Silver Spring Networks, a leading networking platform and solutions provider for smart energy networks announced Starfish, an international wireless IPv6 network service for the Internet of Things. Silver Spring has already delivered more than 22 million connected devices for IoT networks on five continents. Building on this footprint, Starfish will enable commercial enterprises, cities, utilities, and developers to access a reliable, secure, and scalable IoT network service with service level agreement (SLAs) that meet their needs.
Starfish will first be available in the North American cities of Chicago, San Antonio, and San Jose; the European cities of Bristol, Copenhagen, and Glasgow; and in Calcutta, India.
Silver Spring intends to expand Starfish’s IoT service coverage across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in the coming months.
Starfish builds on the open IEEE 802.15.4g wireless interoperability standard (Wi-SUN) and raises the bar on what should be expected from an IoT network by delivering up to 1.2 Mbps in speed, 10 millisecond latency, up to 50 miles in point-to-point range, nearly limitless mesh range, multiple network transports, and industrial-grade security, reliability, and scalability. Starfish will also provide world-class device and application management and control functions, an IoT-scale data platform, and access to one of the industry’s largest open partner ecosystems.
While many other IoT network offerings suffer from extremely limited bandwidth, are based on proprietary technology, face severe reliability and scalability challenges, and offer virtually no modern security, Starfish combines a globally proven Internet of Things networking platform with full SLAs and brings industrial-grade security to every device.
As part of Starfish’s larger set of tiered service offerings, Silver Spring also introduced the Haiku™ service plan, which will deliver 5000 messages x 16 bytes per month for free, ideal for users with smaller data needs who wish to access a proven IoT service.
“We have entered a new era – ubiquitous connectivity of billions of devices and real-time data across massive-scale networks are unlocking untold social and economic opportunities,” said Mike Bell, President and CEO, Silver Spring Networks (above). “Today, with the Starfish IoT network service, Silver Spring is opening up one of the most reliable, scalable, and secure IoT networks on the face of the earth. We want to make connecting to the potential of the Internet of Things as simple as subscribing to the plan of your choice.”
“We are proud to work with an innovative company like Silver Spring Networks on a project to deploy a citywide Internet of Things network across our city,” said Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose, California. “This type of secured network will help us further our Smart City goals by connecting the next generation of critical infrastructure, power modern smart city services, and establishing a platform for future IoT innovations, business investment, and entrepreneurship. I’d like to thank Silver Spring for choosing to demonstrate this next wave of growth right here in the heart of Silicon Valley.”
“We are collaborating with Silver Spring to establish an open and ubiquitous network fabric for the Internet of Things across Bristol,” said Paul Wilson, Managing Director at Bristol Is Open. “An open, interoperable, standards based approach to IoT is an important building block in our journey toward creating the world’s first open programmable city. Today’s news from Silver Spring will hasten the ambition of the entrepreneurs, researchers, civic agencies, and commercial enterprises who work with us on the development of Bristol’s city-scale IoT test-bed.”
Source: Silver Spring Networks
