SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimble
(NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today that it has signed an agreement to
acquire privately-held Müller-Elektronik, a German company
specializing in implement control and precision farming solutions.
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017,
subject to customary closing conditions and clearance or expiration
of the waiting period under the German Act Against Restraints of
Competition. Financial terms were not disclosed.
With more than 375 employees, Müller is a pioneer in precision
farming, known for developing, producing and selling Electronic
Control Units (ECUs) and embedded software that provides vehicle
and implement control for tractors, combine harvesters, field
sprayers, drill machines, seeders, spreaders and slurry tankers to
improve the management of inputs such as seed, fertilizer and
pesticides. Müller was a key contributor in the development of the
ISOBUS communication protocol, which allows one terminal to control
several implements and machines, regardless of manufacturer. ISOBUS
standardizes the control settings, reduces downtime and minimizes
installation and interface challenges, simplifying data exchange
and machine control. The implement control solutions developed by
Müller have now become widely adopted by leading agriculture OEMs
and aftermarket channels.
Combining the technology and strengths of Trimble and Müller
will enable the development of new and exciting solutions for
farmers worldwide, who often struggle to integrate and use
disparate hardware and software products across various brands of
agricultural equipment. The addition of Müller-Elektronik will
enable the creation of an ecosystem where farmers, advisors and
retailers can easily build field prescriptions and transfer that
prescription to the implement, enabling farmers to more easily
adopt precision agriculture solutions.
"Our planned acquisition of Müller-Elektronik recognizes the
growing importance of the implement in variable rate application
solutions as well as the importance of an integrated platform that
is agnostic to equipment brand," said Darryl Matthews, Trimble senior vice president.
"Müller's ISOBUS solutions are already compatible with a
significant range of equipment manufacturers. This capability,
together with existing Trimble competencies, will enable us to
expand our role in the growing market for variable rate
applications. We plan to continue to fully support existing Müller
customers and partners."
"Trimble is a leading provider of precision agriculture hardware
and farm management software. Bringing Trimble together with
Müller's leading ISOBUS solutions will create an industry-changing
opportunity to deliver a system-wide integration that is uniquely
available through the combination of the companies," said Christian
Müller, managing director for Müller-Elektronik. "Our systems,
combined with farm management software, will enable OEMs to provide
integrated plug-and-play solutions straight from the factory, while
also helping the growing aftermarket channel looking to support its
customers with mixed fleet operations with an ISOBUS solution."
The acquisition of Müller-Elektronik will include the company's
other operations, WTK Elektronik, a German-based company,
ME-France, MESudamerica, an
Argentina-based company, and
Mueller Electronics Inc., a North American-based company. The
Müller-Elektronik businesses will be reported as part of Trimble's
Resources and Utilities Segment.
About Müller-Elektronik
Müller-Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG, founded in 1977 and based
in Salzkotten, Germany, is a
pioneer and leader in the development, production and sales of
electronic solutions for agricultural machinery. For more than 40
years, the family-run company has been a leader in agricultural
electronics with ground-breaking innovations, setting the pace with
ISOBUS hardware and software solutions. With personal commitment,
innovative spirit, flexibility and a focus on quality,
Müller-Elektronik develops award-winning solutions for OEM,
aftermarket, retail and end customers.
For more information, visit:
https://www.mueller-elektronik.de/en.
About Trimble's Agriculture
Division
Trimble's Agriculture Division provides solutions that solve
complex technology challenges across the entire agricultural supply
chain. The solutions enable farmers and advisors to allocate scarce
resources to produce a safe, reliable food supply in a profitable
and environmentally sustainable manner. Covering all seasons,
crops, terrains and farm sizes, Trimble solutions can be used on
most equipment on the farm, regardless of manufacturer. To enable
better decision making, Trimble offers technology integration that
allows farmers to collect, share, and manage information across
their farm, while providing improved operating efficiencies in the
agricultural value chain. Trimble solutions include guidance and
steering, agronomy coaching, desktop and cloud-based data
management, flow and application control, water management, harvest
solutions and correction services.
For more information on Trimble Agriculture, visit:
www.trimble.com/agriculture.
About Trimble
Trimble is transforming the way the world works by delivering
products and services that connect the physical and digital worlds.
Core technologies in positioning, modeling, connectivity and data
analytics enable customers to improve productivity, quality, safety
and sustainability. From purpose built products to enterprise
lifecycle solutions, Trimble software, hardware and services are
transforming a broad range of industries such as agriculture,
construction, geospatial and transportation and logistics. For more
information on Trimble, visit: www.trimble.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements
regarding the business operations and prospects of Trimble,
including the timing for the closing of the Müller-Electronik
acquisition and the impacts of the acquisition on expanding
Trimble's precision agriculture capabilities. 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) the ability to combine the
technologies and strengths of Trimble and Müller-Electronik, and
develop new and compelling solutions that can be adopted by farmers
worldwide, (iii) the growth prospects for variable rate
applications, extent to which the ISOBUS standard is adopted
worldwide, and Trimble's ability to expand its Agriculture business
through the acquisition, 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