Bentley to take one IFS’ plant CAD applications

Engineering CAD company Bentley is to acquire enterprise software firm IFS’ CAD applications for process sector and utilities’ electrical, piping and instrumentation design projects. Bentley will take on responsibility for IFS’ maintenance and support services for around 100 accounts, primarily in Sweden and Norway, that use IFS’ CAD. All are currently integrated with IFS Applications mainly for asset maintenance and spare parts logistics, but they will be able to change to Bentley systems and keep the tight integration with IFS. The deal means Bentley gets a foothold in IFS’ Swedish user base, while IFS gains a useful positive impact on earnings totalling around SKr6m. Bentley will also market and sell IFS Applications to asset-intensive companies around the world. “The agreement with Bentley is a further step in our strategy of increasing collaboration with partners in order to boost license sales,” says Michael Hallén, CEO of IFS. “In addition, we will streamline our operations. Our customer base is too small to develop our own CAD applications in the long term, and we do not have enough specialists outside the Nordic region to sell and support CAD globally.”