Rockwell buys central European system integrator

Milwaukee, WI—Rockwell Automation expanded its Global Manufacturing Solutions business into Central Europe on Oct. 1 by acquiring the engineering services and system integration assets of SPEL, spol. s.r.o. (Kolin, Czech Republic).

By Control Engineering Staff October 9, 2002

Milwaukee, WI— Rockwell Automation expanded its Global Manufacturing Solutions business into Central Europe on Oct. 1 by acquiring the engineering services and system integration assets of SPEL, spol. s.r.o. (Kolin, Czech Republic). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The new company will be called Rockwell Automation Services s.r.o. and will be located in the SPEL’s existing headquarters near Prague.

‘Rockwell Automation and SPEL have been working together since the 1980s, and so we knew it had a well-established infrastructure throughout Central Europe,’ says Ron Wichter, Global Manufacturing Solutions’ senior vp. ‘During that time, we were also working toward establishing Rockwell as a complete solution provider in Central Europe. This acquisition will help us more quickly reach that goal, and it also strategically locates Rockwell in a region in which we see future growth opportunities.’

Rockwell Automation Services s.r.o. will design, build and deliver automation systems for clients in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. The company presently employs 60 people, who will all continue to work at the Kolin facility.

‘With the emerging market position of Rockwell Automation in Central Europe, Rockwell Automation Services s.r.o. can create an opportunity for growth by offering a wider variety of engineering services and more responsive regional customer support to global customers,’ says Jiri Svoboda, Sr., Rockwell Automation Services s.r.o.’s managing director.

Control Engineering Daily News DeskJim Montague, news editorjmontague@reedbusiness.com