December 08, 2003 — ASSA ABLOY AB has completed the acquisitions of Sokymat S.A., the Identification Technology Business of ACG (Advanced Component Group AG), and the majority position in OMNIKEY AG. All three acquisitions will become part of the ASSA ABLOY Identification Technology Group (ITG) with headquarters in Irvine, CA.
Sokymat, based in Granges, Switzerland, develops, manufactures, and markets transponders for access control cards, animal and food identification, industry logistics solutions, and other important applications for radio frequency identification (RFID).
ACG, based in Wiesbaden, Germany, is an independent distributor and technology provider in the market for RFID technology and smartcards. The ACG identification technology business covers all services along the value chain from procurement through to sales in the markets of smartcards and RFID technology.
OMNIKEY AG, also based in Wiesbaden, is a leading manufacturer of smartcard readers used primarily for IT applications such as PC/network secure log-on and authentication. By concentrating on developing reading systems with international standards interfaces, the products can integrate globally and simply into every application. OMNIKEY represents a natural extension of ASSA ABLOY’s strength in reader technology through the addition of IT applications.
- Considerable depth and strength in the supply chain of RFID and smart card, and access to important technology and supply agreements.
- Excellent ACG distribution network covering Eastern Europe, China, Australia, and provides ASSA ABLOY with highly valuable resources in Germany, Austria and elsewhere in the EU.
- Entry into the emerging computer security market via OMNIKEY. The company represents a natural extension of ASSA ABLOY’s strength in reader technology through the addition of IT applications. The Company has important relationships with key global IT partners such as Hewlett Packard and Microsoft.
“These acquisitions strengthen ITG’s position in RFID solutions in the global market,’ said Joe Grillo, president and CEO of ASSA ABLOY ITG. “These companies have considerable depth and strength in the supply chain of RFID and smartcards with access to important technology and supply agreements. These acquisitions ultimately supply ITG with additional high technology manufacturing and development strength, a strong distribution network, and synergies with existing companies within ITG, such as HID, Indala, Metget, and Interlock.”
About ASSA ABLOY Identification Technologies (ITG)
ASSA ABLOY Identification Technologies (ITG) is focused on current and emerging solutions within the ID management and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) markets and is one of the world´s leading suppliers of RFID components, products, solutions, and services. Typical applications that we serve are national ID and e-passport programs, physical access and logical access control, supply chain management, animal tagging, transport, and various industrial and manufacturing applications. Comprised of a dynamic group of companies including ACG Identification Technologies, Sokymat and OMNIKEY, ITG innovation spans the value chain of smart card technology and RFID systems delivering identification technology products. ITG’s comprehensive range of products include RFID transponders, contact and contactless smart cards and readers, as well as value-added services to developers and integrators of identification management systems and solutions. The SmartWorldAcademy in Prague uniquely positions ITG at the forefront of the secure identification industry. ITG is part of the Global Technologies Division of the ASSA ABLOY Group, the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of locking solutions listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange with some 30,000 employees and annual sales of about EUR 3 billion.
