SAP SE and Qualtrics International Inc. announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which SAP SE intends to acquire Qualtrics, a pioneer of the experience management (XM) software category.

“The harvest” explained the engineer.  “It’s our busiest time of year.  Everyone is buried dealing with glitches in the ERP system when deploying spare parts or doing root-cause analysis on warranty claims. No one in IT will agree to system testing during the harvest.”

The O-RAN Alliance and the Linux Foundation announced the creation of the O-RAN Software Community (O-RAN SC). The O-RAN SC will provide open software aligned with the O-RAN Alliance’s open architecture.

AVEVA announced an addition to its Asset Performance Management (APM) portfolio with the acquisition of the software assets of MaxGrip, subject to approval from MaxGrip’s shareholders.  MaxGrip, an AVEVA partner since 2017, provides software designed to help manufacturers optimize asset performance with Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) solutions.

Infosys announced that it has completed the formation of a joint venture, HIPUS Co., Ltd., with Hitachi, Ltd., Panasonic Corporation and Pasona Inc., strategically enhancing its presence in Japan.

Microsoft Corp. and the BMW Group announced a new community initiative, the Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP), to enable faster, more cost-effective innovation in the manufacturing sector.

European companies from the mechanical engineering, industrial automation and software industries are driving the foundation of the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance with a cooperation agreement for the digital transformation of industrial manufacturing plants.

GE announced it has completed the sale of its Current, powered by GE, business unit to American Industrial Partners (AIP), a New York-based private equity firm.  Current’s portfolio spans LED and traditional lighting solutions, along with a variety of intelligent controls, sensors and software.

Siemens Digital Industries Software and SAS announced a new partnership that will help companies create new IoT analytics for edge and cloud-enabled solutions by applying SAS and open source streaming analytics through Siemens’ MindSphere.

The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), now incorporating OpenFog, and Plattform Industrie 4.0 announced that they have deepened their relationship.  The two organizations work together to drive global interoperability and advance the IIoT.