"The acquisition strengthens the market position of the Nemetschek group in Europe. With the merger between Nemetschek and SCIA International we are generating growth perspectives and synergies thanks to the high cross-selling potential", explains Gerhard Weiß, Chairman of the Executive Board of Nemetschek AG.
"SCIA International is an essential part of our forward-looking round-trip engineering software architecture for civil engineers. This innovative solution enables our customers to streamline the workflow within a data structure: from CAD to structural calculation and dimensioning through to optimization of entire structures. Steel and solid structure designs can thus be processed and calculated in a single, integrated process. SCIA International will strengthen our civil engineering division by complementing our leading Building Information Model (BIM) and by integrating it in practical applications. Furthermore, with this step, we are setting new milestones in parametric design", says Michael Westfahl, member of the Managing Board responsible for Sales and Marketing at Nemetschek AG.
SCIA International, which is headquartered in the Belgian city of Herk-de-Stad, achieved revenues of 7.2 million euros in 2005. With an annual growth rate of around 9% the profitable company has developed significantly better than the market in recent years. SCIA has approximately 5,000 customers worldwide and is represented in 16 countries with sales partners and subsidiaries. The company, which was founded in 1974, is market leader in the Benelux countries and among the top players in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, too.
SCIA's flagship product is SCIA-ESA PT. This high-end software is used for static calculation and the dimensioning and design of all kinds of structures while offering 3D visualization tools. A high office building in "La Défense" in Paris, The Olympic soccer stadium in Crete and "King Abdulaziz International" airport in Saudi-Arabia were built using software from SCIA International.
Nemetschek, the subsidiary company Friedrich + Lochner GmbH and SCIA International have been co-operating as strategic partners on seamless IT solutions for structural design for several years.
With this acquisition, Nemetschek is positioning itself even more strongly as the expert for intelligent information technology for the entire value chain of buildings - from the early project development phase through to long-term operation. Nemetschek software is used by more than 160,000 renowned companies in 142 countries in 16 languages. The company is a leading innovator for integrated software solutions in the building and real estate sector. The group generated in 2005 revenues of around 99 million euros annually, had more than 750 employees worldwide and was represented in 12 countries.
The acquisition is subject to approval by the relevant boards. The companies agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Employees and management will retain a minority stake of approximately 21 % in SCIA. Nemetschek has a stake of around 79 % in SCIA International.