CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
14 October 2005
Company News
Visiprise and HMS Software Announce Merger Agreement
Visiprise, Inc. and HMS Software, Inc. announced they have entered into an agreement to merge operations and move forward under the Visiprise name. The transaction, which is scheduled to close in November, will make the merged company the industry leader in delivering integrated manufacturing operations solutions. The combined footprint of the two companies provides a single source for manufacturers that require an integrated manufacturing environment.
"The HMS Software team has successfully created an organization that is unmatched in quality and execution in the aerospace and defense industry," said Sean McCloskey, Visiprise CEO. "Visiprise's roots stem from the high-volume electronics industry. By combining the two companies, we will be able to exceed customer expectations with a broader and deeper solution footprint. Manufacturers will be using our solutions to build everything from thousands of circuit boards to complex jet engines. In addition, the revenue and customer scale enhances our partnerships with SAP and UGS."
With the merger, Visiprise will organize into industry business units (IBUs) to create more focus around the company's selected verticals. McCloskey will continue to lead Visiprise as CEO, and HMS Software President and Co-founder Alex Houtzeel will be joining Visiprise's board of directors. Mr. Houtzeel along with HMS Software Co-founder Rob McNiff will lead the aerospace and defense IBU. Visiprise Vice President of Product Management Mike Lackey will lead the high-tech and automotive IBUs. Both Visiprise and HMS Software executives will hold management positions in the new organization.
"Visiprise Manufacturing offers a complete J2EE solution focused on high-volume and high-mix manufacturing environments," said Houtzeel. "HMS Software's suite of products is focused on low-volume asset and labor-intense complex manufacturing processes. Most of today's global manufacturers must support both manufacturing environments. The combination of skills and expertise of these two companies will enable us to provide a complete offering to the world's largest manufacturers."
To facilitate the transaction, Visiprise has closed on $32 million of new financing led by Investor Growth Capital and Westbury Partners. This financing also included participation from Visiprise's current investors RRE Ventures, Morgan Stanley Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, Wheatley Partners and Entrepreneurs' Growth Fund. Visiprise will be headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. from where it will operate strong sales, services and support presence on nearly every continent with key U.S. operations in Boston and San Diego, and international offices in Singapore, the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. The combined company will have more than 270 employees servicing more than 200 customers globally, including BAE Systems, Boeing, Bombardier Aerospace, Celestica, ConMed, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Nokia Networks, and Solectron.
With more than 18 years of industry experience, Visiprise is a leading solution provider to help manufacturers drive manufacturing results throughout the global enterprise. Visiprise software, services and expertise work in tandem with its customers to manage and control manufacturing operations to improve product quality and compliance management.
More than 140 leading manufacturers in industries from electronics and automotive to medical devices and aerospace and defense are managing and controlling manufacturing operations with Visiprise. Atlanta-based Visiprise has customers around the globe, including Solectron, Nokia Networks, ConMed, E-Z-GO Textron, Celestica, Philips Lighting, Actia and Thales Avionics. For more information, visit http://www.visiprise.com .
HMS Software develops systems to define, execute and document manufacturing, assembly and maintenance information for complex and quality-critical products. The HMS Enterprise Manufacturing Information Suite includes systems for process planning, manufacturing execution and quality management to increase manufacturing visibility, enhance shop-floor productivity and control product quality. Founded in 1992, HMS maintains a blue-chip customer base in the aerospace, defense and related markets with established implementations at organizations such as Boeing, BAE Systems, Honeywell, Bombardier Aerospace, Goodrich, Lockheed Martin and Smiths Aerospace. HMS Software is a privately held company with 140 employees, headquartered in Concord, Mass., (USA) with additional offices in Carlsbad, Calif., (USA) and an affiliate site in Staffordshire, England.
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