SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimble
(NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today that it has acquired privately-held
Fifth Element, a leader in forestry enterprise and mobile software
solutions for logistics and harvest operations. Based in
Espoo, Finland, Fifth Element
expands Trimble's forestry presence in Northern Europe, one of the largest forestry
regions globally.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Fifth Element provides integrated, scalable
software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions to some of the largest
global forestry companies. The product portfolio includes:
- LogForce™ solution: An enterprise-wide
planning and logistics solution designed to plan delivery of remote
roadside inventory stock. Hauling companies benefit through
visibility of all available roadside inventories from multiple
providers enabling them to plan efficient, cost-effective delivery
schedules and fulfill delivery orders consistently.
- WoodForce™ solution: Will provide
remote inventory location and availability data to forest
management companies through integration with on-board harvesting
and forwarder machine telematics, as well as human resource
management through mobile inspection and planning apps. The
solution is expected to be available in the third quarter of
2015.
Fifth Element addresses the challenges of tracking and
delivery of remote forest inventory and creates backhaul
opportunities for hauling companies to reduce costly empty travel
miles. A common platform is leveraged to manage remote inventories,
which allows hauling companies to provide services to many forestry
companies without having to change systems.
"By adding Fifth Element solutions to Trimble's forestry
portfolio, we can better address operational forestry challenges
around the world," said Ken Moen,
general manager for Trimble's Forestry Division. "Trimble's
enterprise forest management solutions are used by some of the
largest landowners and wood consumers in the world. Our fundamental
focus is to provide solutions that drive integration of business
data, improve efficiency and provide better visibility into forest
operations to maximize productivity and profitability."
"Joining Trimble is a great opportunity. The addition of Fifth
Element's solutions to Trimble's portfolio extends our collective
ability to deliver more powerful and robust forestry solutions,"
said Jukka Sonninen, CEO and co-founder of Fifth Element. "In
addition, we can leverage Trimble's international footprint to
extend our global reach in the industry. As part of Trimble, the
commitment to our customers remains unchanged as we continue to
deliver best-in-class solutions and services."
Fifth Element complements Trimble's Connected Forest strategy
through the addition of advanced logistics and harvesting
solutions, which are key components in the lifecycle of a working
forest. Trimble's Connected Forest enables better decision making
at every step from the forest to mill, from land acquisition to
product delivery, by combining industry-specialized software and
state-of-the-art hardware into solutions for land, forest and fibre
management. As part of the Connected Forest, Trimble's enterprise
forest management solutions can help organizations analyze options
and priorities, optimally allocate resources, track progress and
provide sound results for management.
About Fifth Element
Fifth Element is a technology solutions provider that
specializes in developing software that focus on operational work
processes in selected industries. Together with forestry clients
Fifth Element has leveraged its advantage of mobile technology and
location information to support the industry. The company's
software services enable different stakeholders in customer
companies to work in new ways that benefit everyone.
For more information, visit: www.fifthelement.fi.
About Trimble's Forestry Division
Trimble's Forestry Division offers land, forest and fibre
management solutions, that improve the productivity and operations
for some of the world's largest integrated forest product
companies, forest land owners, international food processing
companies and conservation organizations as well as small and
medium-sized businesses and state and federal departments involved
in soil, water and biodiversity protection.
For more information, visit: www.trimble.com/forestry.
About Trimble
Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in
businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions
are focused on applications requiring position or
location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and
asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to
utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics,
Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the
needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver
the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the
field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is
headquartered in Sunnyvale,
Calif.
For more information, visit: www.trimble.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements
regarding the business operations and prospects of Trimble,
including the impact of the Fifth Element acquisition on creating
opportunities for, and better addressing operational forestry
challenges of, customers and the availability of new products.
These forward-looking statements are subject to change, and actual
results may materially differ due to certain risks and
uncertainties. Factors that could cause or contribute to changes in
such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to (i)
realizing the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, (ii)
Trimble's ability to combine Fifth Element's solutions with
Trimble's forestry portfolio to deliver more complete and
innovative solutions for forestry companies, (iii)
Trimble and Fifth Element's ability to leverage Trimble's
international footprint to extend the reach of the Fifth Element
products more globally, and (iv) the risks and uncertainties
associated with unexpected expenditures or assumed liabilities that
may be incurred as a result of the acquisition. More information
about potential factors which could affect Trimble's business and
financial results is set forth in reports filed with the SEC,
including Trimble's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual
report on Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements are based on
information available to Trimble as of the date hereof, and Trimble
assumes no obligation to update such statements.
GTRMB
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SOURCE Trimble