Infor’s first ’06 acquisition is Datastream systems

Ultra-acquisitive Infor, which late last year bought ailing ERP systems developer Geac (and before that Mapics, Lilly Software, Mercia and others), has kicked off the new year with yet another purchase – asset performance management IT company Datastream Systems. Infor is paying $10.26 per share in cash from its own M&A war chest, debt financing and equity via backers Golden Gate Capital and Summit Partners. The deal already has the seal of approval of both boards, and is likely to complete before the summer. It makes sense – both commercially for the participants, but also for users of their combined software and systems. Given the asset-intensive nature of manufacturers, particularly (but not exclusively) on the process industries and utilities side, integrating sophisticated systems that go beyond CMMS (computerised maintenance management systems) is a logical move. “Infor is changing what customers expect from an enterprise software provider by assembling and integrating best-of-breed solutions and professionals with deep industry knowledge that is unrivalled in the industry,” says Jim Schaper, Infor chairman and CEO. And he adds: “We are filling a void in the market for customers that want one source for all of their industry-specific enterprise applications. Our explosive new customer growth is proof that our model is working.” He believes that the SOA (services orientated architecture) approach to development being taken by both companies will enable what only the few have done – combine maintenance information with production and operations data to uncover new and worthwhile performance improvements. The combined company will have 24,700 customers in 140 countries.