Hexagon’s boss, Ola Rollén, is steadily moving forward in his ambition to build an empire in PLM, automation, metrology and smart asset management. Under Ola Rollén's leadership, Hexagon is taking a path into the future that surprises many. Few believed that Rollén could rise as the world's CAM king—until Hexagon purchased Vero Software in 2014.

Business has turned out well since then. Rollén continuously scans the horizon related to industrial production, smart plants and asset management, always on the lookout for the necessary state-of-the-art digital tools.

Some examples of Hexagon’s acquisitions alongside Vero include:

MSC on the simulation and analysis side within PLM.
j5 International to establish and support the use of digital twins in operational solutions in areas such as oil and gas.
Thermopylae Sciences and Technology for geospatial applications, mobile frameworks and cloud-based positioning services.
3D printing startup Amendate, to strengthen additive solutions.

The list can be made longer, but on the bottom line it is a reflection of Rollén’s work to build and strengthen Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division. However, the plan in this case is to place Infor EAM under the Industrial Enterprise Solutions umbrella.

A Market Leading Solution. Infor EAM is ranked by analysts as a market leader in EAM solutions and is considered by thousands of customers to be the industry's most attractive tool, says Hexagon CEO Ola Rollén in a comment. The agreement also includes an in-depth partnership between Hexagon, and Infor and Koch Equity Development, both subsidiaries to Koch Industries. The decision to acquire the business is driven by our mission to put data into action to enable autonomous and connected ecosystems that increase efficiency, productivity, quality and safety for our customers, says Rollén.

Today’s new acquisition comes as a particul surprise: Hexagon has acquired the entire Infor EAM business, which is one of the industry's biggest players.

For $2.75 billion, Hexagon will become the owner of Infor EAM, which can be described as one of the industry-leading SaaS-based solutions for managing enterprise assets, such as factory and production facilities and the like. The solution optimizes customers' operational efficiency through digitization, as well as better management and maintenance of assets.

“Infor EAM is ranked by analysts as a market leader in EAM solutions, and is considered by thousands of customers to be the industry's most attractive tool,” Rollén commented regarding today’s sensational acquisition.

Ha added that the agreement also includes an in-depth partnership between Hexagon, and Infor and Koch Equity Development, both subsidiaries of Koch Industries.

”The decision to acquire the business is driven by our mission to put data into work to enable autonomous and connected ecosystems that increase efficiency, productivity, quality and security for our customers,” says Rollén.

How does Infor EAM match Hexagon leader Ola Rollén’s industrial approach? The answer is: Absolutely excellently, related to what Rollén is investing in. Infor EAM is a scalable and easily configurable enterprise asset management solution, which can be adapted to specific needs in a number of industries. Customers in manufacturing, energy, real estate, transport and more use Infor EAM to monitor and increase the return on their assets, as well as to reduce the risk of downtime and unforeseen costs. Infor EAM optimizes business processes and asset management to ensure that operations are conducted efficiently and predictably.

EAM Solutions Drive Top Modern Asset Management

In general, EAM drives digital innovation in asset-intensive industries, where digital realities or digital twins are increasingly used to create a "Single Source of Truth" and to create an overview of assets in changing situations.

This means increased knowledge of the condition and performance of assets in the industrial sector (machinery, trucks, valves, turbines and pumps), critical infrastructure (roads, railways, pipelines and communication networks) as well as buildings and properties.

Infor EAM is a scalable and easily configurable solution that can be adapted to specific needs in different industries, such as public transport, food, property management and many more. Customers in manufacturing, energy, real estate, transport and more use the solution to monitor and increase the return on their assets, as well as reduce the risk of downtime and unforeseen costs. Furthermore, Rollén claims that “EAM optimizes business processes and asset management to ensure that operations are conducted efficiently and predictably.” Some of Infor EAM's functions include management of workflows, inventory optimization, control of security and compliance, planning and decision support of assets and mobile applications.

In addition, the solution notably has an Asset Performance Management (APM) tool which enables data about the condition of an asset to be integrated with data obtained from map and positioning solutions, cameras and sensors for better visualization and tracking.

An example of the Infor EAM interface.

Unique Position for Driving Digital Information

“By adding EAM to our portfolio, we will be in a unique position to drive digital transformation for all our customers. The integration of Infor EAM's asset management solutions with our digital reality solutions will significantly improve asset performance compared to what an EAM system can achieve on its own—for example, by better anticipating maintenance, reducing energy use and supporting other initiatives in sustainability. Infor EAM's customers and partners can expect a smooth transition with clear synergies that enable faster growth and new opportunities, as well as expansion into new verticals and markets, such as Asia,” Rollén continued.

In the future, Hexagon and Infor, known for their hard investment in cloud-based software for specific industries (for example, CloudSuite), will enter into a strategic partnership with reseller agreements and the opportunity for additional sales of complementary solutions to common customers in industries such as automotive, manufacturing industries and public safety.

Large-Scale Projects

Several companies within Koch already use Infor EAM and Hexagon's solutions for large-scale projects and industrial properties. To create additional value for the companies throughout the life cycle of their assets, from design to daily operations, Hexagon and Koch have signed a memorandum of understanding on a strategic alliance to expand the areas of application for Infor EAM and Hexagon's solutions.

Infor EAM has approximately 500 employees and almost 3,500 customers globally. The software will be part of the Industrial Enterprise Solutions business segment, but will contribute to all business areas within Hexagon that provide services to asset-intensive ecosystems, such as manufacturing, industrial real estate, mining, agriculture, self-driving vehicles, buildings, infrastructure, urban planning and defense.

As per usual in these contexts, the completion of the acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals, which are expected to be received during the fourth quarter of 2021. The completion of the transaction is also subject to various contractual clauses, including certain rights in the event of special material changes in the two parties' business operations or company valuations.