Strategic moves for Bystronic
Submitted by:
Sara Waddington
Image caption above: Bystronic's smart factory vision.
Sheet metal specialist, Bystronic, is expanding its digital expertise with the acquisition of Spanish software specialist, Kurago Software S.L., and strengthening its service portfolio with additional solutions, particularly for the Smart Factory. The intelligent connectivity of laser cutting systems and press brakes with innovative automation, software and service solutions is the key, it believes, to comprehensive digitalisation in the sheet metal industry.
“Within the framework of our growth strategy, we are committed to increasing our focus on the growing demand for automation and digital processes in the sheet metal processing sector by offering new, intelligent software solutions and networking customers’ manufacturing processes,” Bystronic told ISMR.
The acquisition of the Spanish software specialist Kurago marks the next step towards achieving this goal for the Swiss sheet metal specialist. On 26 March 2021, Bystronic took over one hundred per- cent of the shares from Kurago’s founders. The two companies have been engaged in an innovation partnership since 2019, during which they jointly developed open smart factory software solutions (most notably, the Bystronic Smart Factory Software Suite which integrates manufacturing infrastructures across brands to enable customers to boost productivity and efficiency).
Kurago's expertise will be crucial in two areas, offering software services that help Bystronic to develop its smart factory ecosystem and global solutions that Bystronic will use to help its customers deploy Smart Factory ecosystems. Kurago will continue to operate in the market under its own brand. The privately held Spanish company was founded in September 2019 and has 52 employees in Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz. It is a certified Microsoft Gold Partner.
In other moves, Bystronic also opened a new office in the Thai capital of Bangkok on 22 March 2021. The office is in the immediate vicinity of the Suvarnabhumi international airport, in the east of Bangkok. With the new company, Bystronic is moving closer to its Thai customers and can provide them with more direct support from a motivated team, after a decade of partnership with the local representative. Sales, service, consulting and hotline services form the core services and the office will also provide software and hardware training, as well as spare parts.