Bernard Charlès: Dassault Systèmes Buys ICEM For $69.8M

April 30, 2007

Dassault Systèmes and ICEM announced an agreement pursuant to which Dassault Systèmes would acquire ICEM, thus extending CATIA leadership to the broad and highly diversified styling communities. The proposed acquisition, for an estimated price of 51.4 million Euros, should be completed in June subject to specific closing conditions. The transaction, to be paid in cash, is expected to be non dilutive on DS non-GAAP earnings.

“Aesthetics and design quality create emotions and are key contributors to product success and brand recognition. With ICEM’s unique set of technologies and expertise in this domain combined with DS’s recognized leadership in 3D and PLM, customers will benefit from a new level of integrated process performance from styling concepts to final shape,” says Bernard Charlès, president and CEO, Dassault Systèmes. “High quality design is an opportunity for DS’s customers to innovate and differentiate themselves. CATIA’s cutting edge shaping capabilities provide unique competitive advantage for our customers in all industries."

The automotive industry has spearheaded putting aesthetics at the heart of the engineering process. One of the most critical steps is the “Class A Surface” process, which creates perfect surfaces from styling sketches. ICEM is recognized as an undisputable leader in this domain, providing top-end solutions. ICEM’s customers are prestigious automotive OEMs (including Ford, VW, BMW, Porsche, PSA, Renault, Nissan), design companies (such as Guigiaro/ITALDesign, Pininfarina, Bertone) and consumer goods companies (such as Polaris and Electrolux).

“The transaction results from a strong partnership built upon our joint passion for design, innovation and commitment to customer excellence,” says Lee Cureton, president and CEO, ICEM. Marrying ICEM’s automotive and industrial design know-how with DS’s PLM savoir-faire and market penetration is an exciting opportunity to expand the reach of ICEM’s technologies to strategic markets, including aerospace, high-tech, luxury and consumer goods.”