US: Trimble has signed an agreement to acquire German precision farming solutions provider Müller-Elektronik. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017, under the German Act Against Restraints of Competition. Financial terms of the contract 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.
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 acquisition 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.”
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.
