Geospatial giant snaps up Perth firm

US-listed geospatial technology giant Trimble has acquired Perth-based information-management firm Mining Information Systems.

MIS provides products for the monitoring and management of mining and ore processing operations.

The company won the Western Australian Department of Commerce’s Industry and Export awards for the small business category in 2012 and was also awarded a special commendation in the information and communication technology category in the same year.

MIS managing director David Prance founded the company in January 2005 and has since worked in various consultancy roles with Rio Tinto, AngloGold Ashanti and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines.

MIS, which employs 18 staff, expanded its footprint in 2012 with the opening of an office in Denver, US to support clients in North America.

The company also operates in Africa, its biggest market, and South America.

Mr Prance told Business News that MIS would continue to operate as usual and there were no plans for rebranding.

He said the two companies were a very good fit.

“We have a lot of cross pollination in our customer bases and obviously a lot of opportunity to look at the development of both product lines.”

Trimble, which is headquartered in California and a NASDAQ-listed company, uses global positioning systems, lasers and optics to improve productivity in the surveying, construction, agriculture and mining industries.

The company said the MIS technologies combined with its own geospatial products would lead to further productivity improvements.

The financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.