HID Global buys Integrated Engineering
By L. Samuel Pfeifle
Updated Thu March 22, 2007
IRVINE, Calif.--HID Global, a division of Assa Abloy and an access control manufacturer, announced last week the purchase of Integrated Engineering, an Amsterdam-based company that develops and manufactures contactless smart card solutions. Terms of the deal were not released.
Integrated Engineering will continue to operate as a separate business, but its management will now report to HID Global's European management. With technology partners such as Johnson Controls, Siemens, Lenel and Giesecke & Devrient, Integrated Engineering has a reputation as a flexible manufacturer that can adapt its products quickly to meet customer needs.
However, "We were not buying them for their customer base," said William West, chief financial officer at HID Global, who joined the company in January of 2006 as director of mergers and acquisitions and was thus heavily involved in the merger with Fargo Electronics last year. "This is a chance to serve our OEM customers better." He said IE's rapid engineering response to customer demands would be a great fit with HID Global's "capabilities for strong distribution and rapid delivery of finished products."
"Customers will see a benefit this year," he said.
West said the acquisition was in line with Assa Abloy's acquisition strategy. As the company's first objective is strong organic growth, "the acquisitions we make going forward will certainly be focused on technology."
For more on this story, see the May issue of Security Systems News.
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