Stuttgart-based Stassle GmbH has acquired a 51% stake in usseldorf-based Elektronische Bausteine GmbH. This follows last year’s much-publicised buy-out of the Krailing-based computer-integrated manufacturer, rwt Gmbh, a sister company of Dekkel AG. According to Computerwoche, EBG, a typical AS/400 software house, offers payroll and personnel and production control packages. While Stassle also carries the IBM distribution banner and offers a very similar product range to EBG, it’s speciality is Unix rather than OS/400. Stassle’s flagship product is Ibix; software for time managememt and access control that runs under AIX on the RS/6000. The managing director of EGB, Wolfgang ohnk, favours the move because of growing demand for Unix products. Despite a healthy balance sheet, the company did not have the resources to develop its own Unix range, although this option had been considered. On the other hand, Stassle will be able to serve the AS/400 market now; there are approximately 14,000 such machines operating in Germany. Other newly-acquired product lines include computer aided manufacuring software for RS/6000s. Nevertheless, the alliance may have its casualties. Job overlap among designers of software analysts and marketing staff is forecast to end in redundancy, although it is promised that C for Unix and Cobol for AS/400 programmers will be safe. EGB is to operate as an autonomous company within the group, under the name Sassle-EGB but there is expected to be some staff relocation. Its usseldorf headquarters will be swollen by employees from the Essen branch of Stassle and the Rating-based division of rwt. EBG branches in Munich and Stuttgart are expected to be relocated in the medium term to Stassle’s or rwt’s current headquarters.
