The deal will make IBS Software one of the foremost
technology providers in the global aviation industry
MONTREAL, May 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel technology
specialist IBS Software (IBS) has entered into a definitive
agreement with Massachusetts-based
Kronos Incorporated to acquire AD OPT, a market leader in aviation
software that provides crew management solutions to some of the
biggest names in the global airline industry. AD OPT
(www.ad-opt.com), founded in 1987 in Montreal by a group of mathematicians and
operations research experts, was acquired in 2004 by Kronos, a
multi-national workforce management software and services company
employing nearly 6,000 professionals worldwide. The cutting-edge
crew planning and optimization platform of AD OPT currently
powers some of the top airlines in the world including Air Canada,
EasyJet, Emirates, FedEx, Garuda, Lion Air, and Qantas. The
multi-million dollar acquisition is an integral part of IBS' growth
strategy to become the leading technology provider to the airline
industry worldwide. Prior to this, IBS has made six strategic
acquisitions - three in the USA,
two in Europe, one in India - in its 21-year history.
IBS is a specialist in aviation software, supporting flight
operations of large airlines including British Airways, KLM and
Emirates. This landmark acquisition will help IBS leverage AD OPT's
deep domain expertise to provide the most advanced, end-to-end,
integrated digital solution for the highly complex task of flight
and crew management. The coming together of the assets, expertise
and capabilities of IBS and AD OPT will bring to the market a
state-of-the-art, holistic software for crew planning, pairing,
rostering, optimizing, tracking and managing the entire operations
of large and complex network carriers. The acquisition of AD
OPT will add more than 20 airline customers to IBS, significantly
widen IBS' footprint in North
America, boost IBS' go-to-market capabilities and enhance
IBS' addressable market. The move will also deepen IBS'
managerial bandwidth by bringing into its fold AD OPT's team of
highly skilled subject matter experts, some with more than 25 years
of airline operations experience.
AD OPT is a widely recognized name for over 30 years in the
global aviation industry for digital innovation, and its
progressive crew optimization technology helps airlines assign
cockpit and cabin crew to the flights in the most optimal manner to
achieve operational efficiency, maintain full regulatory
compliance, reduce operational costs and at the same time improve
quality of life of the crew. In 2015, AD OPT was awarded the
prestigious CORS Omond Solandt award in recognition of 'substantial
contribution to operational research in Canada'. Post the acquisition, IBS will take
over the office of AD OPT in Montreal and evolve it into a modern Centre of
Excellence dedicated to crew optimization technology. An aggressive
R&D investment strategy is envisaged to make the solution a
market leader in fleet and crew management, helping clients
innovate at speed and execute at scale.
"IBS represents a well-established and logical acquirer of AD
OPT – a game-changing combination which will bring meaningful
expertise and complementary benefits to employees and customers of
both organizations. AD OPT employees will be joining a thriving
company dedicated to the travel industry. Customers will also
benefit from IBS' and AD OPT's shared commitment and passion for
innovation. Even though we plan to transition the AD OPT division
to IBS, Kronos will continue to provide airlines with world-class
solutions for workforce management and human capital
management," said Bob Hughes,
Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, Kronos.
"Acquisition of world-class travel technology companies has
been a deliberate strategy of IBS to fulfill its commitment to the
aviation industry. AD OPT offers a sophisticated suite of
airline crew planning and optimization products, a sizeable
customer base and a highly experienced team of professionals. The
coming together of IBS and AD OPT is, therefore, extremely relevant
for the industry as it enables us to create the most advanced
digital platform, delivering a holistic solution for flight
operations and crew management. We will continue to pursue our
inorganic growth strategy to expand our solutions landscape and
deliver outstanding value to our customers," said VK
Mathews, Executive Chairman, IBS
Group.
About IBS Software:
IBS is a 3,000+ employee, multi-national, vertical SaaS software
company, providing new-gen solutions that manage mission critical
operations of some of the best airlines, busiest airports, leading
cruise lines, top oil & gas companies and renowned travel
distributors & hotel groups in the world. IBS also offers
consulting and domain-led software services in these business
verticals. IBS is a Blackstone
invested company and operates from 9 offices across the world
serving 170+ customers. To the aviation industry, IBS offers IT
systems for passenger services (including Loyalty and staff
travel), cargo operations, flight and crew operations, airport
operations and aircraft maintenance engineering, making it the
enterprise that offers the widest range of technology products to
the aviation industry.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Mathew Joshua
+91-471-6614363
email: mathew.joshua@ibsplc.com
More information on IBS Software is available at
www.ibsplc.com
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