Waukegan, IL. — The Drives & Motion Division of Yaskawa America, Inc. is pleased to announce that Yaskawa Electric Corporation (“YASKAWA”) has signed an agreement between its European subsidiary, YASKAWA Europe GmbH (“YEU”) based in Eschborn, Germany, and VIPA Gesellschaft für Visualisierung und Prozessautomatisierung mbH (“VIPA”), based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, whereby YEU will acquire a majority of the shares of VIPA.
With the integration of VIPA into the YEU organization, YASKAWA is implementing its plan to complete its product portfolio to become a "Total Solution Provider." A combination of VIPA’s product portfolio of PLCs, I/O modules and HMI, with YASKAWA’s inverter, AC servo and robot product lines, will enable YASKAWA to offer a comprehensive automation solution portfolio for a diverse set of markets.
"VIPA is a perfect fit for Yaskawa. There are no overlaps in our product portfolios, but they are very complementary with much synergies to be expected," states Koichi Takamiya, CEO and Regional Head for Europe, YASKAWA Europe GmbH.
"The tight cooperation with the global YASKAWA organization provides great growth opportunities for VIPA, particularly in Asia and the Americas," explains Wolfgang Seel, CEO of VIPA.
‘Beside the synergies resulting from the combined and integrated product portfolio, there are more benefits for existing and new YASKAWA customers," states Manfred Stern, President of YASKAWA Europe GmbH. "By adding the engineering resources of ‘Drives & Motion Division’ and ‘Robotics Division’ to VIPA, YASKAWA Europe now has a strong development team here in Europe, close to our customers and the markets. The VIPA acquisition, the recent significant investment into the new Headquarters infrastructure of the Robotics Division in Germany and the acquisition of YASKAWA Southern Africa earlier this year, proves YASKAWA’s commitment to the EMEA region as well as the growth expectations for Europe," according to Manfred Stern.
The closing of the transaction is subject to customary merger control clearance by the relevant competition authorities.
About Yaskawa
Founded in 1915, Yaskawa Electric is the world’s leading supplier of variable speed drives, motion control, and robotics. Yaskawa America, Inc. employs more than 1,000 people at its headquarters in Waukegan, IL and in offices across the United States. For more information about Yaskawa, please visit www.yaskawa.com.
