Brooktrout , a Needham, Mass., network component maker,
is being bought by EAS Group for $173 million in cash, the companies
announced today.
The purchase gives privately held EAS Group a second Bay State networking
firm. It already owns Excel Switching of Hyannis, Mass., a maker of open
services platforms, media gateways and media servers.
Officials believe the two units will provide one-stop shopping for
customers.
“This combination will help us create one of the largest, broadest, and
deepest enabling technology product lines in the communications equipment
industry,” Marc Zionts, CEO of Excel, said in a statement.
In addition to products and customers, EAS Group will inherit Brooktrout’s
partnerships with Microsoft, Intervoice, Nuance Communications, ScanSoft,
and VoiceGenie Technologies.
Following the close of the deal, which gives Brooktrout shareholders a 38
percent premium over yesterday’s closing price, Zionts will serve as CEO of
both Brooktrout and Excel.
Brooktrout was founded in 1984. Its media processing, network interface and
signal-processing hardware and software is built into the systems of
original equipment manufacturers, developers and corporate IT managers.
