The successors of Wild Heerbrugg:
at this point my overview of Wild Heerbrugg is
ending.
More information on the successors will you find on the following weppages
Acquisition of civilian
GPS businesses from Magnavox
1996
Leica Camera GmbH is transformed into a public company. Now
the company is called Leica Camera AG
IPO of Leica Camera (Solms, Germany) on Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Fondation of LH Systems, LLC, a joint venture company
of Leica Geosystems AG (Heerbrugg, Switzerland) and BAE SYSTEMS, Inc. (San
Diego, California, USA) for the photogrammetry and aerial camera systems
business
Investcorp, the London-based international investment
group, acquires Leica Geosystems from the Dutch-based Lancet Investments
B.V., Rijswijk
12.
Juli 2000
Going public / Börsengang Leica Geosystems Holding AG IPO of Leica Geosystems (LGSN)
on Swiss Stock Exchange
13. July 2001
Leica
Geosystems and the German company Berliner Glas KG Herbert Kubatz
GmbH & Co announced on today that they have reached an agreement
that Berliner Glas KG will acquire a majority of the shares of SwissOptic
AG, today a 100% daughter company of Leica Geosystems.
Since April 1, 2001, Berliner Glas KGaA has taken over 75% of
SwissOptic AG's share capital.
Acquisition of Laser
Alignment, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI, USA
www.laseralignnment.com
1.
April 2002
The former
business unit “Defense & Special Projects” in Heerbrugg will
become an independent daughter company of Leica Geosystems AG as of 1st
April 2002 , named Leica Vectronix AG
3.Feb
2003: acquisition of Leica Vectronix AG from the French
high-technology defense and communications group SAGEM
Escatec,
a Swiss owned and Malaysia based contract manufacturer for electronic and
mechatronic products, will acquire a 75% interest in Wiltronic AG and
Leica Geosystems will maintain a minority investment of 25%.
Divestment of remaining
25% interest in Swissoptics and Escatec (Wiltronics)
5 July
2005
Leica Geosystems Expands Headquarters for the Americas
and acquires Terramatics Systems Inc.
Heerbrugg, Switzerland, July 5, 2005 – Leica Geosystems (SWX:
LGSN), the world leader in spatial information technologies, expands its
North American headquarters in metropolitan Atlanta. At the same time, Leica
Geosystems announces the acquisition of Terramatics Inc., active in the
inertial positioning industry. The acquisition further strengthens the
expertise of Leica Geosystems’ Geospatial Imaging division.
Leica Geosystems will occupy a 100,000 square foot facility at Technology
Park in Norcross, Georgia, USA. Functioning as the Leica Geosystems regional
headquarters for the Americas, each of its divisions will be represented,
with a special focus on Geospatial Imaging and Surveying & Engineering.
This move will enable Leica Geosystems to further leverage the resources of
its operational units and drive its effectiveness in the market. The Atlanta
location offers a state-of-the-art demonstration room, enabling the company
to showcase all of its technologies and divisions under one roof.
"Leica Geosystems has a strong position in the US and is market leader in
spatial information technologies," said Hans Hess, CEO of Leica Geosystems.
"Now, we further expand our local presence, supported by a dedicated team
that knows the Americas market and its customers very well."
At the same time Leica Geosystems announces it has acquired from Terramatics
Systems Inc., Canada (Terramatics) the Intellectual Property relating to
inertial positioning (IP) technology and has taken over the key development
staff. No financial details were disclosed.
Terramatics has a proven track record of developing customized GPS Inertial
Navigation Systems (INS) that cover specialized terrestrial, marine and
airborne applications. The IP acquired from Terramatics will enhance the
core expertise of Leica Geosystems. The technology is immediately applicable
to many Leica Geosystems sensor systems that are used in airborne geospatial
data acquisition.
"INS coupled with GPS are widely used and are well proven in our airborne
sensors," added Eugen Voit, Corporate Technology Officer of Leica
Geosystems. "Integrating Terramatics’ GPS/INS IP into our technology
portfolio allows us comprehensive market coverage in the area of high
accuracy systems."
Terramatics, located in Calgary, was founded in 1999. Leica Geosystems will
maintain an office in Calgary, serving as the Inertial Solutions Group
within Leica Geosystems’ Geospatial Imaging Division.
13. June to 18.Nov. 2005
Takover from Hexagon AB,
Sweden :
Leica Geosystems Welcomes Clarification of Future
Ownership
26 September 2005
Heerbrugg, Switzerland – Today,
after the expiration of the initial acceptance period, Hexagon AB published
the preliminary interim results of its offer for all outstanding shares of
Leica Geosystems. The preliminary results confirm that Hexagon has received
acceptances in relation to 1’748’585 shares, representing 71.30 percent of
the issued share capital. Leica Geosystems welcomes the fact that the future
ownership of the Company will soon be resolved.
The Board considers that the shareholders of Leica Geosystems will now
receive a fair price for their shares. The unaffected share price of Leica
Geosystems on 10 June 2005 (the date prior to Hexagon's pre-announcement)
was CHF 380. Hexagon's first offer was at CHF 440 per share. The intrinsic
value of the revised Hexagon offer on 23 September 2005 was CHF 594,
representing significant value accretion for the shareholders of Leica
Geosystems.
The Board of Leica Geosystems believes that Hexagon will be a judicious
owner of the Company in the future. „In the course of numerous talks prior
to, and after, the launch of the improved offer both companies managed to
build up mutual trust and understanding for their respective positions",
says Mario Fontana, Chairman of the Board of Leica Geosystems Holdings AG.
Hexagon has confirmed to representatives of the Board and management, as
well as the Works Council and the unions, that Leica Geosystems' strategy,
and the further development of the Company, will continue. Furthermore,
Hexagon has shown its commitment to Leica Geosystems' current competence
center in Heerbrugg, as well as the Company's management and workforce. The
Board appreciates Hexagon's long-term perspective and its intention to
develop further Leica Geosystems' position as market leader in its industry.
Leica Geosystems has been subject to a takeover battle since 13 June 2005.
The conclusion of this situation will enable the management and employees to
continue to focus on the Company's customers and daily business. In the
upcoming weeks both companies will begin to discuss and initiate the steps
for a smooth integration.
Shareholders who have not yet tendered their shares will have the
opportunity to tender their shares into the Hexagon offer during the
additional acceptance period commencing on 29 September 2005 and ending on
12 October 2005. It should be noted that the Danaher Offer has now lapsed
after less than 0.1 percent of shares have been tendered into the Danaher
offer. Therefore, if shareholders wish to accept the Hexagon offer, they
should tender their shares prior to expiry of that additional acceptance
period.
....
Leica Geosystems Holdings Ltd: Results of the Extraordinary
Shareholders’ Meeting
18 November 2005
At the extraordinary shareholders’
meeting, the shareholders have taken note of the resignation of all current
Board members and the shareholders present, including Hexagon AB, have
granted discharge to all resigning members of the Board of Directors.
Representatives of Hexagon AB have been elected as new members of the Board
of Directors: Ola Rollén (CEO of Hexagon AB), Håkan Halén (CFO of Hexagon
AB) and Urs Brügger (attorney and previous secretary of the Board of
Directors). Moreover, Ernst & Young Ltd, Zurich, has been elected as new
auditors of Leica Geosystems Holdings Ltd.
This was the last shareholders’ meeting of Leica Geosystems as publicly held
company. Leica Geosystems is now part of the Hexagon Group and the new owner
plans to get the remaining shares of Leica Geosystems Holdings Ltd cancelled
and, at the same time, to apply for the delisting of the shares at the SWX.
Der Vermessungstechnikkonzern
Leica Geosystems ist mit einem Übernahmeversuch des schwedischen
Hexagon-Konzerns konfrontiert. Für 1,1 Milliarden Franken soll das
Heerbrugger Unternehmen die Besitzer wechseln. Der Leica-Verwaltungsrat
lehnte das Angebot ab.
Nach der traditionsreichen
Schweizer Vermessungsfirma Leica Geosystems greifen jetzt die Schweden. Und
zwar die schwedische Firma Hexagon, die selber stark in der
Vermessungstechnik ist.
Justizminister Christoph Blocher
will in seinem Departement 116 Stellen abbauen. / IKRK-Präsident Jakob
Kellenberger hat heute die Kritik aus den USA zurückgewiesen, das IKRK
handle gegen US-Interessen. / Der Verwaltungsrat von Leica Geosystems
will definitv nicht mit dem Schwedischen Hexacon-Konzern fusionieren.
Im Übernahmekampf um den
Vermessungstechnikkonzern Leica Geosystems gibt es eine überraschende Wende.
Der US-Konzern Danaher überbietet das Angebot der schwedischen Hexagon.
Lawrence Culp, Chef des
amerikanischen Mischkonzerns Danaher, will das traditionsreiche
Unternehmen Leica Geosystems kaufen. An der heutigen Pressekonferenz
bekräftige Culp, dass Leica Geosystems und Danaher sich perfekt ergänzen.
Bis anhin lag eine Offerte der schwedischen Firma Hexagon auf dem Tisch.
Doch Culps Gebot liegt rund 14 Prozent höher.
Die schwedische Hexagon hat ihr
Übernahmeangebot für Leica Geosystems überraschend erhöht. Neu will sie 1,44
Mrd. Fr. hinblättern, 31 Prozent mehr als im ersten Angebot versprochen
wurde.
Leica Geosystems expands further into Machine
Automation by Acquisition of Scanlaser
Scanlaser AB,
Sweeden and Scanlaser AS, Norway have a combined turnover of approximately 120 MSEK and over
the last years have shown an average growth of about 35 percent per annum.
The companies’ results will be consolidated from 1 May 2006 and will
immediately contribute to Hexagon’s and Leica Geosystems’ earnings.
“This acquisition is an important cornerstone of our growth strategy and a
commitment to the ongoing development of the machine automation business
within Leica Geosystems”, comments Clement Woon, President of the Geosystems
Division within Leica Geosystems. “The Scanlaser business model will become
a seed for the further expansion of our machine automation distribution in
the region”.
The two companies will remain independent and will continue to be managed by
their respective management teams who will directly report into the Group
Sales Region EMEA within Leica Geosystems. Scanlaser has 36 employees
working out of nine locations in Sweden, Norway and Poland.
Continued Expansion into Construction by Acquisition
of Mikrofyn
On 8 September 2006,
Hexagon and Leica Geosystems announced the acquisition of Mikrofyn A/S in
Denmark. The company is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of machine
automation and laser levelling and alignment equipment for the building
construction and civil engineering industries. Mikrofyn’s product range
consists of a portfolio of automatic and manual machine control systems for
excavators, graders, dozers and paving machines, as well as a broad basket
of laser rotators, laser receivers and pipe lasers.
”The acquisition of Mikrofyn is part of Hexagon’s growth strategy and
commitment to global expansion within machine automation technology.
Mikrofyn is the largest European manufacturer of one and two dimensional
solutions for construction machine automation and ideally complements Leica
Geosystems’ product range of GPS, TPS and laser based machine automation
systems that manoeuvre infrastructure machines with increased efficiency and
precision. Mikrofyn also complements Leica Geosystems’ existing construction
laser product basket and adds a second brand to our portfolio”, says Ola
Rollén, CEO and President of Hexagon AB.
Mikrofyn is based in Odense, Denmark, and currently has 70 employees. In the
past years the company has shown annual growth rates in the range of 30 per
cent. Mikrofyn will be consolidated within Hexagon Measurement Technologies
and will immediately contribute to Leica Geosystem’s and Hexagon’s earnings.
”The company has a long and successful record of cooperation with Scanlaser,
which we acquired in May this year. Although Mikrofyn and Scanlaser are set
up as independent business units, their combined competency will be applied
globally within Leica Geosystems and Hexagon”, says Clement Woon, President
of the Geosystems Division within Hexagon Measurement Technologies, to whom
the new businesses will report operationally. “We welcome our new employees
and their management team. Their competency and experience is a tremendous
asset to our organization and will help to further accelerate our growth in
the Construction segment”, continues Woon.
In recent years the world market for machine automation has grown at rates
in excess of 25 per cent per annum. Market growth is driven particularly by
the need for increased efficiency in infrastructure projects across the
world.
Find more information about Mikrofyn on their website
www.mikrofyn.com.
Hexagon continues the expansion within machine
automation
Hexagon, the parent
company of Leica Geosystems, has entered into an agreement to acquire all
outstanding shares of the French companies D&P Systems and Topolaser
System s.a.s.
D&P Systems develops and supplies multidimensional systems for measuring,
planning and machine control for excavators, graders, dozers and pavers.
Similar to the recently acquired Svensk ByggnadsGeodesi AB (SBG), D&P
Systems’ main operation is software development. Topolaser’s main operations
are distribution of surveying and construction equipment and integration of
machine guidance systems in France.
The two companies combined have a turnover of about 5 MEUR, excluding sales
of Leica Geosystems products. Sales of D&P Systems and Topolaser have
increased by about 20 per cent annually for the last couple of years. The
companies will be fully consolidated as of 1 May 2007 and will immediately
contribute to Hexagon’s earnings.
“The acquisition of the French companies D&P Systems and Topolaser is a
vital piece in Hexagon’s growth strategy and commitment to global expansion
within the measurement market segment machine automation. In software
development D&P Systems is a valuable complement to SBG, a company that we
acquired earlier this year. Topolaser will broaden distribution and service
in France with a similar concept to that of Scanlaser”, says Ola Rollén, CEO
and President of Hexagon AB.
The two companies combined employ 22 people today. They operate from Le Pecq
outside of Paris, Merignac outside of Bordeux and Orleans, France. Combined
with a number of corresponding businesses within Leica Geosystems, D&P
Systems and Topolaser will constitute the foundation of a machine automation
business, similar to the businesses of Scanlaser and Mikrofyn.
”We now plan for further geographical expansion within this rapidly growing
market for machine automation”, says Ola Rollén.
In recent years the world market for machine automation has grown at a rate
of about 25 per cent per annum and can today be estimated to about 5 500
MSEK. Market growth is driven particularly by the need for increased
efficiency of infrastructure machines in the construction, agricultural and
mining industries across the world.
Hexagon acquires leading catalogue distribution
company in the US
Hexagon, the parent
company of Leica Geosystems, has entered into an agreement to acquire all
outstanding shares of the American company Allen Precision Equipment,
Inc. (www.allenprecision.com). Allen Precision is primarily a catalogue
company that represents several major suppliers and sells surveying
equipment and related supplies to engineers, surveyors, contractors and
government agencies.
Allen Precision had a turnover of over US $24 million in 2006 and has shown
consistent growth exceeding the USA market growth for several years. The
company is based in Duluth, Georgia and employs 41 people.
“The acquisition of Allen Precision is an important step in the overall
NAFTA growth strategy in the core surveying and construction markets. Allen
Precisions unique business model complements our current business model of
local direct and distributor sales for our customers”, says Ola Rollén, CEO
and President of Hexagon AB.
Allen Precision will be consolidated as of 1 May 2007 and will immediately
contribute to Hexagon’s earnings
“Allen Precision will operate as a stand-alone company and will continue to
operate as a full-service, multi-brand catalogue company. We expect that
Allen Precision will continue to be the premier catalogue supplier to NAFTA
customers in these key market segments”, says Ola Rollén.
Hexagon acquires leading construction laser company in
France
Hexagon, the parent
company of Leica Geosystems, has entered into an agreement to acquire all
outstanding shares of the French group of companies GAMFI International (GAMFI
group). The GAMFI group is a global leading provider of laser tools and
instrumentation that operates under different brands such as AGL, QBL and
AGATEC. Its own research and development and manufacturing sites span
from the USA, Europe and China.
The GAMFI group had a consolidated turnover of 32 MEUR in 2006 and has shown
consistent growth, especially in the rotation laser business for several
years. The group's head office is in Mesnil le Roi, France. The group
employs approximately 350 people.
"The acquisition of the GAMFI group is an important step in the overall
growth strategy in the core construction market. The group's worldwide
distribution and established portfolio of brands in combination with its
state of the art research and development and production capabilities
complement our current business model", says Ola Rollén, CEO and President
of Hexagon AB.
The GAMFI group will be consolidated as of 1 July 2007 and will immediately
contribute to Hexagon's earnings. The deal is conditioned by approval of
competition authorities concerned.
"The companies within the GAMFI group will continue to operate largely as
independent companies and will continue to focus on servicing their brands
and OEM customers", says Ola Rollén.
Hexagon to acquire leading GNSS provider NovAtel
Inc.
Hexagon AB (STO:HEXA B) and NovAtel Inc (NASDAQ:NGPS) have entered into
a definitive agreement under which Hexagon has agreed to acquire all the
outstanding shares of NovAtel for USD 50 per share.
NovAtel is a
leading provider of precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
components and subsystems. NovAtel develops quality OEM products
including receivers, enclosures, antennas and firmware that are
integrated into high precision positioning applications worldwide. These
applications include surveying, Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
mapping, precision agriculture machine guidance, port automation,
mining, timing and marine industries. NovAtel's reference receivers are
also at the core of national aviation ground networks in the USA, Japan,
Europe, China and India.
NovAtel recorded sales of CAD 77.6 million and net income of CAD 21.5
million in 2006. Hexagon expects that NovAtel's organic revenue growth
will be approximately 20 per cent per year. NovAtel is based in Calgary,
Canada and has about 300 employees worldwide.
Background and reasons for the transaction NovAtel has a long
standing partnership with Hexagon's subsidiary, Leica Geosystems,
focused on the development of high-precision GNSS technologies. NovAtel
has been a core supplier of these technologies to Leica Geosystems since
2002.
The combination of Hexagon and NovAtel will add new applications to
the Hexagon product portfolio and give Hexagon access to technologies
applicable to new high growth markets.
Hexagon, the parent company of Leica
Geosystems, acquires all outstanding shares in four companies; R&A Rost
Vertriebs GmbH, R&A Rost Produktions GmbH, both in Austria, Geopro Kft. in
Hungary, and Junglas GmbH in Germany.
The two Rost companies,
headquartered in Vienna, are leading distributors and service providers for
surveying and construction equipment in Austria. Geopro is a leading
distributor for surveying and construction equipment in Hungary based in
Budapest. Junglas is a German distributor for construction and machine
control equipment located in Münster.
“Both Rost and Geopro are important elements in Hexagon’s global growth
strategy. We believe the economies in Central and Eastern Europe to continue
to show accelerated growth over the next couple years. These two
acquisitions constitute a solid foundation for Hexagon’s market leadership
and further expansion in the region”, says Ola Rollén, CEO and President of
Hexagon AB.
“The acquisition of Junglas will expand Hexagon’s market presence in the
rapidly growing market for machine control in Germany. Junglas will operate
under the same business model as Scanlaser, a company that we acquired last
year”, says Ola Rollén.
Together Rost, Geopro and Junglas currently employ 40 people. Rost and
Junglas will be fully consolidated as of 1 October 2007, and Geopro will be
consolidated as of 1 December 2007. All four companies will immediately
contribute to Hexagon’s earnings.
2008
Acquisition of:
Comercial e Importadora Wild Ltda, Brazil
Viewserve AB, Sweden
Haselbach Surveying Instruments, USA
Santiago & Cintra Ibérica S.A., Spain
Surveyors Service Company, USA
This page will not be updated anymore ....from 2008
onwards
