In a move that further consolidates the manufacturing execution systems (MES) software market, SAP AG today said it would acquire Visiprise, a privately held developer of manufacturing planning, execution, and quality software. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition will bring Visiprise formally within SAP following a close partnership between the two companies that has lasted several years. The relationship started in March 2005, when Visiprise entered into a collaborative development and marketing agreement with SAP on its NetWeaver platform for discrete manufacturing.
That agreement led SAP to make a minority investment in Visiprise in November 2006. One year ago, SAP agreed to resell the Visiprise software under the name SAP Manufacturing Execution by Visiprise.
The announcement today is the latest in a string of acquisitions in the MES market. In the past few years, automation platform vendors have been attempting to expand their technology footprints beyond the shop floor. Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Invensys’ Wonderware unit, GE Fanuc, and Honeywell, for example, have acquired MES software products to broaden their capabilities. But a number of independent companies, such as Camstar, Intercim, and iBASEt, remain in the market.