Accenture, a global consulting firm, announced on July 21 that it has reached an agreement to acquire Eclipse Automation, a Canadian provider of custom robotics and automation technologies headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. According to Accenture, the acquisition will enable it to offer clients automated production lines that leverage AI, data and the cloud, making factories more productive, sustainable and safe. Financial details were not disclosed.

Founded in 2001 by Steve Mai, Todd Ronald and Richard Bula, Eclipse Automation has more than 700 employees and offices in Canada, the United States, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Malaysia.

Its automated manufacturing systems serve companies in the life sciences, industrial equipment, automotive, energy and consumer goods industries. Its technologists and engineers design, build, integrate and maintain advanced automation solutions for the production of components and devices such as electric vehicle batteries and portable meters

Eclipse Automation’s solutions include automated control systems, robots, and production machines, as well as custom and in-house built essential tools.

Steve Mai, president and CEO of Eclipse Automation, said:

“For two decades, we have been leaders in providing automation solutions and advanced manufacturing expertise to clients in multiple industries. By joining Accenture, we can also bring data, AI and cloud benefits to our clients’ facilities at a scale that no other company can match.”

Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services firm, providing a broad range of strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operational services with leading digital, cloud and security capabilities. It combines deep experience and specialized capabilities in more than 40 industries, fueled by a global network of more than 100 advanced technology and smart operations centers. Founded in 1989, it now has 710,000 employees in more than 120 countries, soon to be joined by those of Eclipse Automation. They will become part of Industry of the Future, Accenture’s digital engineering and manufacturing service.

Aaron Saint, head, Industry of the Future, North America at Accenture, said:

“Technology, data and artificial intelligence are fundamentally transforming every part of a business. This includes engineering and manufacturing, the next digital frontier for our clients. With Eclipse Automation we will combine cutting-edge automation capabilities with our deep digital expertise. This will put Accenture in a better position than ever to help our clients reach that frontier by reinventing their products and the way we make them.”

An acquisition strategy

Accenture is committed to a policy of acquisitions to strengthen its competitiveness and exploit new opportunities.

The acquisition of Eclipse Automation will expand Accenture’s digital engineering and manufacturing capabilities. In 2020, Accenture acquired Myrtle Consulting (USA, Canada), a strategic manufacturing operations consulting firm, and Callisto Integration (Canada), a provider of manufacturing execution and shop floor control systems. The following year, it was the turn of Pollux (Brazil), which designs and deploys autonomous mobile and material handling robots. Also in 2021, Accenture completed one of the largest acquisitions in its history, Umlaut (Germany), an international engineering services provider, and strengthened its asset management and performance capabilities with the acquisitions of Advoco (U.S.) and T.A. Cook (Germany).

Jeffrey Russell, president of Accenture in Canada, concludes:

“Many companies are repatriating production to Canada and the U.S. due to global supply chain disruptions, giving them a unique opportunity to leverage digital technologies and advanced automation to reinvent manufacturing. Through Eclipse Automation, Accenture will provide the technology and training capabilities our clients need to develop a digital industrial workforce in markets where manufacturing skills are scarce.”

Translated from Accenture annonce l’acquisition d’Eclipse Automation, fournisseur de solutions personnalisées d’automatisation de fabrication