Siemens Closes Acquisition of UGS

By DE Editors

UGS Corp. (Plano, TX; ) has been renamed UGS PLM Software as part of the Siemens acquisition that was formally finalized on Friday. The companies announced on January 25 a definitive agreement for Siemens AG to acquire UGS for $3.5 billion, including assumption of existing debt. On April 27, the European Commission approved the acquisition, completing standard anti-trust reviews.

"This is a great day for UGS PLM Software on the heels of an outstanding first quarter," said Tony Affuso, who remains as chairman and CEO of UGS PLM Software. "Now the acquisition enables the company and its people to leverage a powerful and respected global organization like Siemens in strengthening our technology leadership in PLM."

Affuso has called the acquisition a game changer for the entire PLM industry, noting that users from throughout the manufacturing and process industries will benefit from the integration of the physical world of Siemens’ automation design and production technology with the virtual world of UGS PLM Software’s factory design, product design, and digital collaboration software.

According to an earlier statement, the new company's leaders believe the integration will at least partially translate into new scales of efficiency for customers whether in manufacturing or engineering services. Integrated solutions created by the combined companies are expected to lead to reduced production costs, higher product quality, shorter times to market, and increased flexibility with regard to market trends.

As part of the announcement, UGS PLM Software also announced the additions of two senior leaders from Siemens to its management team. Tilo Brandis, who served as head of Siemens’ Electronics Assembly Systems (EA) division, becomes president, and Peter Bichara, who served most recently as vice president of Mergers and Acquisitions for Siemens A&D, becomes executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO). Both are expected to relocate to Plano, the new division's headquarters.

For more information, visit ugs.com.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.