Accenture has acquired VanBerlo, a product design and innovation agency from the Netherlands. Financial terms were not disclosed.
This is M&A deal Number 121 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2020. See the complete M&A deal list here.
The deal will strengthen Accenture’s ability to help its clients merge physical products with digital services, the company said.
Headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, VanBerlo works with companies in many industries, including fast-moving consumer goods, mobility, healthcare, banking, and high-tech. The agency’s smart connected solutions combine physical objects with digital services, using technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. The point of these solutions, according to the company, is to offer more personalized offerings and convenience for users.
VanBerlo, founded in 1982, has more than 90 employees working at its Eindhoven headquarters and its offices in The Hague. The team will join Accenture’s Industry X.0 practice, the division of Accenture concerned with helping companies improve how they engineer and manufacture products and services using digital technologies.
Accenture Acquires VanBerlo: Executive Perspectives
Frank Rennings, managing director and Accenture Digital Lead in the Netherlands, said:
“The number of smart connected products is increasing rapidly and the speed of digitization is challenging our clients’ design and development processes. Both call for a new approach to innovation. Bringing VanBerlo’s creative team into our Industry X.0 practice will enable us to help our clients develop new business models and generate new revenues from smart connected products and services.”
Thomas Paulen, CEO of VanBerlo, said:
“Our multidisciplinary team is passionate about creating forward-looking solutions that meet humans’ needs and generate growth for clients. We are looking forward to joining Accenture Industry X.0 and driving innovation for global clients.”
Accenture Acquisitions: Buyout List
In Accenture’s 2019 fiscal year, the company invested around US$1.2 billion on 33 acquisitions, seeking to bolster its talent pool and capabilities within strategic, high-growth markets. That buying spree is continuing into 2020.
This latest deal marks the seventh Accenture investment or acquisition we’ve seen so far in 2020. The others involve:
- Icon Integration, an Australian SAP cloud application partner focused on digital supply chain solutions and business intelligence (BI) software.
- Mudano, a UK-based consulting firm focused on analytics, data and artificial intelligence.
- The Workday, Salesforce, and U.S. MuleSoft cloud IT consulting practices from Sierra-Cedar.
- Ideoclick, an e-commerce optimization platform provider.
- SAP partner Maihiro.
- The MSSP arm of Symantec Enterprise.
Accenture Industry X.0 Practice
The acquisition of VanBerlo will complement Accenture’s acquisition of innovation agency Happen in October 2019, which also has a team in Amsterdam.
Other acquisitions Accenture has made to strengthen its Industry X.0 business include US product innovation and engineering company Nytec, German technology consultancy Zielpuls, and German strategic design agency designaffairs.
ChannelE2E has compiled a comprehensive list of Accenture acquisitions here.
