Thomson Reuters has completed its acquisition of Manatron

July 19, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Thomson Reuters has completed its acquisition of Manatron following regulatory clearance in the U.S. and Ukraine.

Manatron is a provider of property tax automation and land registry software for governments and municipalities around the world, and was acquired from Thoma Bravo LLC, a private equity firm.

Manatron’s flagship solution, Government Revenue Management (GRM), is an integrated suite of web-based property recording, assessment and tax software that automates the operational, informational, and planning needs for assessors, auditors, treasurers, tax collectors and other government officials. Manatron’s software solutions are being used by governments to replace antiquated systems to help improve customer service, streamline processes and manage the growing velocity of legislative changes.

“The government tax automation space is a growing sector and a natural fit with our strategy to improve workflow efficiency for our clients through innovative technology,” said Brian Peccarelli, president of the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters.

The acquisition of Manatron will strengthen the expanding Tax & Accounting business as well as create a new government business group headed by Bill McKinzie, senior vice president and general manager of the government sector for the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters.

USA, New York, NY

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Platts to acquire Steel Business Briefing Group

June 30, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Platts, a division of McGraw-Hill and a global provider of energy, petrochemicals and metals information, is to acquire the Steel Business Briefing Group (the SBB Group), a privately held U.K. company and provider of news, pricing and analytics to the global steel market.  The SBB Group provides subscription-based, electronic products to the steel industry and its participants through two principal businesses, Steel Business Briefing (SBB) and The Steel Index (TSI).  Financial terms were not disclosed.  The transaction is expected to close on July 1.

“This acquisition reflects our strategic focus on high-growth global brands and businesses,” said Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of McGraw-Hill.  “Platts, which derives almost two-thirds of its revenue outside the U.S., is McGraw-Hill’s most global business and is relied upon worldwide for its news, pricing and analytical services for billions of dollars of commodities transactions annually.  With world steel consumption projected to increase approximately 60 percent during the next decade, the acquisition of the SBB Group will create new opportunities for Platts, which already generates strong revenue growth and excellent margins. Earlier this year, Platts expanded its platform in market-critical natural gas analytics capabilities by acquiring Bentek Energy.”

“The acquisition of the SBB Group supports Platts’ strategy of expanding its presence in dynamic global commodity markets and immediately boosts our capabilities and the value we can provide to customers,” said Larry Neal, president of Platts.  “We intend to build upon the success of the SBB Group’s talented leadership team and its highly respected businesses, SBB and TSI.  By joining forces, we can offer a more expansive product mix that better serves the growing global demand for timely, objective information on the steel industry.”  Neal further noted that the SBB business will be integrated into Platts and that TSI will continue to operate separately.

“We are delighted to team up with Platts,” said Patrick Flockhart, the SBB Group’s chief executive officer.  “We share a common commitment to providing top-quality news, prices, analysis and events that serve the global steel supply chain and we look forward to working together to enhance the value of our offerings and the benefits we bring to our customers and the market world-wide.”

Founded in 2001, the SBB Group is headquartered in London with seven global offices and a staff of more than 180.  The Group’s original business, Steel Business Briefing, is primarily a subscription business comprising a mix of daily news, weekly reports, prices and analytical publications delivered electronically.  The Steel Index, launched in 2006, is a specialist price information business focused on compiling indices through the collection of transaction price data from industry participants.

UK, London & USA, New York, NY

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Reed Business Information acquires Ascend

June 29, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Fusion DigiNet has mainly reported on RBI selling businesses over the last year. For the second time in a month we are able to report on an RBI acquisition.

Reed Business Information, publisher of www.flightglobal.com, Flight International and Airline Business magazines, ACAS and Air Transport Intelligence, has acquired Ascend Worldwide Group Holdings Limited. Ascend will be integrated with RBI’s aerospace information and data services business, Flightglobal.

Ascend, headquartered in London with offices in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, delivers aircraft and engine data through online subscription services and provides valuations, appraisals and advisory services to a world-wide client base spanning aviation investors and financiers, lessors, manufacturers, operators and suppliers.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, it is likely that the deal works very well for Ascend’s private equity backer, Lloyds Development Capital. LDC acquired its initial holding in Ascend when in 2005 it backed a £10 million MBO of Airclaims, the provider of aviation claims, risk and asset management services. In July 2006, the information and consultancy division of Airclaims was re-branded “Ascend”. In August 2007, Ascend began trading as a separate entity.

Over the past five years Ascend has undergone rapid expansion. Ascend’s revenues have risen by 20% per annum over the previous three years and the number of employees has increased by 50%. In April 2010 LDC injected new capital and increased its stake in Ascend. The new capital commitment doubled LDC’s total investment in the company to £12million. LDC still owns Airclaims.

Ascend brings to Flightglobal an impressive position in the global air finance market,” says Jane Burgess, RBI managing director. “This exciting acquisition adds important new data assets and expertise to Flightglobal’s existing aviation data business and provides Ascend with access to Flightglobal’s powerful global aviation audience and extensive marketing capabilities.”

“I am very excited about the opportunities that the combination of Ascend and Flightglobal will bring.” says Gehan Talwatte, Ascend CEO. “By combining our insight and expertise with Flightglobal’s growing global audience, distribution capabilities and unrivalled media presence, we can significantly extend the reach of the Ascend brand.”

Further reading – Alasdair Whyte’s blog

UK, London

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Thomson Reuters to sell its healthcare division

June 22, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

According to the Financial Times, Thomson Reuters have appointed Morgan Stanley and Allen & Co to sell its healthcare division. Bernstein Research and BNP Paribas have valued the business at between $850 million and $1.2 billion. The proceeds are expected to be reinvested in professional information and services in faster-growing markets such as Latin America and Asia.

Read the fully story here.

USA, New York, NY

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Thomson Reuters acquires CorpSmart from Deloitte

June 22, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Thomson Reuters has acquired CorpSmart from Deloitte. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

A leader in the market, CorpSmart provides multinational corporations (MNCs) in South Africa with intelligent corporate tax compliance software. Using this web-based solution, MNCs are able to prepare monthly, quarterly and annual income tax computations as well as file South African IT14 tax returns.

This highly diverse market, which many MNCs have identified for growth and investment opportunities, is now recognised and referred to as a ‘frontier market’. The purchase of CorpSmart, which will be integrated into the ONESOURCE suite of solutions, will strengthen the expanding Tax & Accounting business and provide its customer base with the tools to develop business in this exciting market.

“South Africa has created an impressive financial and regulatory structure to position itself as the singular hub for the continent and as such, it rightly has the focus of multinational corporations and other major economic entities around the world,” said Brian Peccarelli, president of the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters.

“The CorpSmart acquisition is strategically and geographically important for the Tax & Accounting business as it marks the inaugural entry to the African market and will form part of our global offering,” concluded Brian Peccarelli.

“As MNCs look to new markets and regions like South Africa for investment, it is important that they have the right information about the local tax system and the best tools to help them achieve compliance,” commented Duane Newman, managing director, Deloitte and Touche Tax Technologies. “As a leader in the corporate and income tax technology sector within this market we have been able to deliver this expertise on a wide scale.”

UK, London & South Africa

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1. Thomson Reuters

2. Deloitte

 


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Euromoney Institutional Investor to acquire Ned Davis Research Group for £69M

June 21, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC (“Euromoney”), the international publishing, events and electronic information group, has agreed terms to acquire Ned Davis Research Group (“NDRG”), the US-based provider of independent financial research to institutional investors.

On completion, Euromoney expects to pay approximately US$112 million (£69 million) for an initial 87% interest in NDRG. The consideration will be funded from Euromoney’s existing committed borrowing facility. The remaining interest in NDRG will be acquired under an earn-out agreement, in two equal instalments, based on the profits of NDRG for the years to December 31 2012 and 2013. The maximum amount payable for a 100% interest in NDRG is $173 million. NDRG’s pre-tax profit for the year to December 31 2010 was US$11.8 million and the value of its gross assets at May 31 2011 was US$11.2 million.

UK, London & USA, Venice, FL

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Wolters Kluwer Corporate Legal Services to acquire NRAI

June 16, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Wolters Kluwer Corporate Legal Services (CLS) has signed an agreement to purchase National Registered Agents, (NRAI). The acquisition will add NRAI to CLS’s portfolio of industry-leading business compliance and corporate governance solutions, which includes CT Corporation and BizFilings. The terms of the deal are not being disclosed, and closing of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval.

NRAI has been providing registered agent services since 1995, specialising in compliance and governance services for small and mid-sized businesses and the legal community that supports them. Its suite of services spans U.S. and international registered agents, corporate compliance and entity management. Headquartered in Princeton, NJ, NRAI has approximately 160 employees in offices across the U.S.

Combining NRAI’s offerings with those of CT Corporation, a leading provider of corporate business compliance solutions, and BizFilings, a leading online incorporation service provider for small-business owners, will position CLS to offer a comprehensive spectrum of solutions to the market. Whether it’s entrepreneurs, small- and medium-sized businesses, enterprise-level companies, or the law firms who serve them, Wolters Kluwer Corporate Legal Services is the provider of choice for legal compliance and corporate governance solutions.

“For nearly 120 years, our market-leading brand, CT Corporation, has set the standard for service excellence to the legal community,” said Wolters Kluwer Corporate Legal Services President and CEO Richard Flynn. “NRAI has built a unique and highly valued distribution model to serve small and mid-sized companies. We see this acquisition as the perfect complement to our portfolio, enabling us to provide an even broader set of services and solutions for this important customer segment.”

“NRAI was founded by industry veterans with a commitment to provide exceptional customer service and innovative technology,” said Dennis Howarth, President and CEO of NRAI. “We’ve experienced 15 years of unprecedented growth, and we wanted to position the company for continued growth, taking it to the next level. After considering a number of options, we selected Wolters Kluwer as the most logical buyer and the best strategic partner to help us achieve our goals.”

USA, New York, NY & Princeton, NJ

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IHS makes five acquisitions – CMAI, ODS-Petrodata, Dyadem International, EIATrack & CSM South America

June 14, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

IHS has made its fifth acquisition this year, Chemical Market Associates (CMAI), a provider of market & business advisory services for the worldwide petrochemical, specialty chemicals, fertilizer, plastics, fibers and chlor-alkali industries.

“CMAI is a natural complement to our ever-expanding capabilities in the chemical industry’s information, analysis and consulting market,” said IHS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jerre Stead. “The company’s comprehensive information and analysis adds to our event-driven supply-chain information strategy and the company’s price discovery and analysis business will broaden IHS commodities and cost information capabilities. CMAI’s unique and proprietary chemical information can be used throughout IHS to deliver additional high-value analytical services to our global customers.”

CMAI clients include chemical companies, oil and gas companies, technology and engineering companies, financial institutions, plastic converters, industrial and consumer manufacturers, retailers, government agencies, trading companies, financials and shipping companies. The company is headquartered in Houston, with offices in Bangkok, Dubai, Dusseldorf, London, New York, Shanghai and Singapore.

The IHS acquisition of CMAI follows a string of strategic transactions that bolster the company’s broad base of capabilities in energy and power, environmental health and safety (EHS) and sustainability, petrochemicals and automotive industry forecasting.

During the first four months of 2011, IHS also acquired:

ODS-Petrodata – A premier provider of data, information and market intelligence to the offshore energy industry.

Dyadem International – The market leader in Operational Risk Management and Quality Risk Management solutions.

EIATrack – A subscription-based, online tool for quickly and cost-effectively navigating and managing global environmental regulations and legislation, EIATrack tracks more than 6,000 pieces of legislation from proposal to implementation, analyzing environmental regulatory activity in North America, Europe, South America and Asia Pacific. The acquisition represents continued investment in the electronics supply chain, for which IHS has already established a strategic position through the company’s REACH and Compliance Suite offerings, as well as the recent iSuppli acquisition.

CSM South America – CSM South America compiles and maintains automotive forecast information for all South American countries. The company also sells IHS Automotive products and manages the resulting customer relationships in the region. The acquisition will give IHS more direct access to this critical, rapidly growing market, while providing a platform to enhance the company’s automotive forecasting business with localized insight.

“With these five transactions completed so far in 2011, IHS has completed more than 30 strategic acquisitions since 2007, deploying more than $1.3 billion in capital,” added Stead. “Each of these acquisitions affords our company the opportunity to expand the information and insight offerings we provide to our customers to help them make critical business decisions every day.”

As a result of the company’s 2011 acquisition activity, IHS is updating its full-year 2011 revenue and adjusted EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) guidance. For the year ending November 30, 2011, IHS expects:

  • All-in revenue between $1.275 and $1.305 billion; and
  • All-in adjusted EBITDA between $388 and $398 million.
USA, Englewood, CO
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A Fusion Deal: FMB Consultants sold to Argus Media

June 10, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Fusion Corporate Partners are pleased to announce our latest deal, the sale of FMB Consultants Ltd (FMB) to leading energy price reporting agency Argus Media. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

FMB is a leader in the provision of timely and accurate intelligence on the world fertilizer market. FMB reports monitor global trade and pricing for nitrogen, phosphate, sulphur, potash and ammonia. Founded in 1982, FMB publishes 100 price references, which are widely used for benchmark pricing and settlement of derivatives. FMB Conferences and Exhibitions are currently run on four continents, providing major networking opportunities for senior industry executives.

Argus chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said “FMB is a natural fit with Argus’ strategy of expanding its commodity market reporting capabilities beyond energy.  Like Argus, FMB has developed an excellent reputation for bringing transparency to opaque markets.  We look forward to working with FMB staff to combine their deep expertise with Argus’ global reach and scale”.

Kevin Hill, Director at FMB said “We are delighted to be joining Argus and look forward to further developing FMB’s products and services utilising Argus’ global presence, technical resources and commercial team.  FMB and Argus share the same cultural strengths based on close relationships with the industries they serve, and a resolute commitment to high quality reporting, ethics and integrity.”

Paul Slight, Partner at Fusion said, “We have known Kevin and the rest of the team at FMB for many years and were delighted to have the opportunity to work with them. FMB is a great business and tailor-made for Argus. I am sure it will be a great success in its new home.”

Fusion acted exclusively for the shareholders of FMB Consultants. The team responsible for this transaction were Paul Slight (pslight@fusioncorp.co.uk) and Paul Kelly (pkelly@fusioncorp.co.uk). Waterfront Solicitors, headed by Matthew Cunningham, provided legal advice to the vendors.

UK, London

Other Fusion Deals:

Media and Information

Business Services
Events, Broadcast and Other deals
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Thomson Reuters is to acquire Manatron, a property tax automation and land registry software business

June 3, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Thomson Reuters is to acquire Manatron, a provider of property tax automation and land registry software for governments and municipalities around the world, from Thoma Bravo LLC, a private equity firm. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Manatron will strengthen the expanding Tax & Accounting business with an additional 1,400 clients in over 20 countries and more than 40 U.S. states. Manatron’s flagship solution, Government Revenue Management (GRM), is an integrated suite of web-based property recording, assessment and tax software that automates the operational, informational, and planning needs for assessors, auditors, treasurers, tax collectors and other government officials. Manatron’s software solutions are being used by governments to replace antiquated systems to help improve customer service, streamline processes and manage the growing velocity of legislative changes.

“The government tax automation space is a growing segment and a natural fit with our strategy to improve workflow efficiency for our clients through innovative technology,” said Brian Peccarelli, president of the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters. “Manatron has a great track record helping governments improve their collection and compliance processes, which improves accuracy, customer service and reduces costs associated with the collection process for all involved.”

In addition to its market-leading property tax offerings, Manatron is also considered a leader in the provision of land administration systems — helping governments and the private sector map, audit, register and publicize the value of assets and land. As one of the only providers of end-to-end government property tax management and land administration systems, Manatron processes more than $100 billion in annual tax revenue.

“Becoming part of Thomson Reuters extends Manatron’s global reach, but our mission remains the same — to deliver a solution that allows our clients to efficiently process and manage their land, property tax and assessment information,” said Bill McKinzie, president and chief executive officer at Manatron.

USA, New York, NY & Portage, MI

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