Mentor Graphics has acquired Valor Computerized Systems in a cash and shares deal valued at about $50m.
Valor, which had revenues in 2008 of around $40m, supplies PCB design software and specialises in manufacturing (DFM) and manufacturing execution (MES) systems.
“Valor’s expertise and products in the manufacturing segment are an excellent fit to Mentor’s in the PCB design area as together we provide a concept-through-manufacturing design solution to our customers,” said Henry Potts, v-p and general manager of the systems design division at Mentor Graphics.
An interesting aspect of the deal is that it could lead to the creation of new types of tool which links the design and manufacturing elements of the design cycle more closely.
According to Dan Hoz, former Valor CEO and now general manager of the newly-formed Valor division of Mentor Graphics, there is the potential to “deliver a breakthrough in operational integration between the world of design and the supply-chain oriented world of manufacturing, for the benefit of the entire electronics industry.”