Ireland-based Accenture to acquire Cambridge’s Eclipse Automation | TheRecord.com

2022-07-23 07:15:26 By : Mr. wade wu

This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

CAMBRIDGE — Ireland-based Accenture has announced plans to acquire Cambridge’s Eclipse Automation.

Headquartered on Thompson Drive, Eclipse provides manufacturing automation and robotics systems for industries ranging from transportation and energy to consumer goods, electronics and life sciences.

Their automation control systems, production machines and robots are used to produce complex devices such as electric vehicle batteries and wearable blood-glucose monitors.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Eclipse partnered with Chinese company Harmontronics to design and produce N95-equivalent respirator and procedure mask assembly machines. Eclipse also sells respirators produced on the new machines.

Accenture, a global professional services firm, employs more than 700,000 people in 50 countries.

Specialists in information technology services and consulting, its acquisition of Eclipse “marks the next milestone in Accenture’s expansion of its digital engineering and manufacturing capabilities,” a release said.

Financial terms of the deal, which is subject to standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals, were not disclosed.

“Technology, data and AI are fundamentally transforming every part of a company. This includes engineering and manufacturing, our clients’ next digital frontier,” Aaron Saint, North America lead for Industry X, Accenture’s digital engineering and manufacturing services arm, said in the release.

“With Eclipse Automation, we will combine advanced automation capabilities with our deep digital expertise. This will position Accenture better than ever to help our clients reimagine their products and how they make them.”

Founded in 2001 by Steve Mai, Todd Ronald and Richard Bula, Eclipse employs about 800 people at locations in Canada, the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and Malaysia; its employees will join Industry X.

Mai, Eclipse’s president and chief executive officer, had also become its sole owner in recent years with the retirement of the other partners.

“For two decades, we have been leaders in delivering advanced automation solutions and high-tech manufacturing know-how to clients across multiple industries,” Mai said.

“By joining Accenture, we can also bring the advantages of data, AI and the cloud to our clients’ facilities at a scale that no other company can offer them.”

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com