:format(webp)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/localcommunities/cambridge_times/business/2022/07/22/cambridge-automated-manufacturing-systems-company-sold-to-accenture/10679984_Eclipse.JPG "Cambridge automated manufacturing systems company sold to")
A provider of customized manufacturing automation and robotics solutions, headquartered in Cambridge, has been acquired by Accenture.
Eclipse Automation, which creates automated manufacturing systems to produce sophisticated products for life sciences, industrial equipment, automotive, energy and consumer goods companies, was purchased on July 21 by the Irish-American company, pending customary closing conditions.
According to a news release, Eclipse’s technologists and engineers design, build, integrate and service advanced automation solutions for producing components and devices such as electric vehicle batteries and wearable blood-glucose monitors. The Thompson Drive-based company also produces automation control systems, production machines and robots, with critical customized tooling manufactured in-house.
The acquisition “will allow Accenture to offer automated production lines that leverage the cloud, data and artificial intelligence (AI), making factories and plants smarter and thus, more productive, sustainable and safe,” the release stated.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
“For two decades, we have been leaders in delivering advanced automation solutions and high-tech manufacturing know-how to clients across multiple industries,” said Steve Mai, CEO of Eclipse Automation, in the release.
“By joining Accenture, we can also bring the advantages of data, AI and the cloud to our clients’ facilities at a scale that no other company can offer them.”
Founded in 2001, Eclipse Automation has offices in Canada, the U.S., Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Malaysia. Its approximately 800 professionals will join Accenture’s digital engineering and manufacturing service, Industry X.
“Technology, data and AI are fundamentally transforming every part of a company. This includes engineering and manufacturing, our clients’ next digital frontier,” said Aaron Saint, North America lead for Industry X at Accenture.
“With Eclipse Automation, we will combine advanced automation capabilities with our deep digital expertise. This will position Accenture better than ever to help our clients reimagine their products and how they make them.”
Jeffrey Russell, president of Accenture in Canada, said many companies are bringing production back home to Canada and the U.S. due to global supply chain disruptions. He added the acquisition gives Accenture an opportunity to reinvent manufacturing with digital technologies and advanced automation.
“With Eclipse Automation, Accenture will provide technology and training capabilities that our clients need to develop a digital industrial workforce in markets where manufacturing skills are scarce.”
The purchase marks the next milestone in Accenture’s expansion of its digital engineering and manufacturing capabilities. In the last two years, the company has acquired six other companies to strengthen its consulting, manufacturing, robotics, engineering and asset management systems.