Three tech pioneers get new owners

It's been a busy fall when it comes to mergers and acquisitions in the supply chain technology world. Three recent buyouts were particularly notable because they involved companies that are acknowledged pioneers in their respective niches.

On Oct. 1, Motorola completed its acquisition of Psion PLC, the global manufacturer of rugged mobile computing devices. One of Psion's claims to fame is its unique "Ingenuity Working" collaborative environment for users and product developers worldwide. Motorola said it acquired Psion to expand its mobile computing portfolio, noting that Psion's products complement Motorola's own offerings and will allow it to expand its presence in warehousing, cold chain, port, yard, and specialized modular applications.

That same day, enterprise software giant SAP AG announced it had completed its acquisition of Ariba Inc., developer of what Ariba says is the world's largest Web-based trading community. SAP said it would consolidate all of its cloud-related supplier assets under Ariba, which has long been a mainstay in the area of supplier and procurement management.

And just a week earlier, Savi Technology was acquired by affiliates of LaSalle Capital Group, a specialist in buyouts of mid-market companies. Savi, which pioneered the use of active radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in the military and in remote, infrastructure-poor regions, says it operates the world's largest RFID network, spanning more than 50 countries. Savi was acquired by Lockheed less than a decade ago but, citing a lack of growth prospects in defense markets, Lockheed announced in 2011 that it was seeking a buyer.