OREANDA-NEWS.  January 23, 2012. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced that it has acquired the Messung Group, a manufacturer of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and human machine interfaces (HMIs) and one of Mitsubishi Electric's sales and distribution partners in India. The acquisition will allow Mitsubishi Electric to accelerate its industrial automation systems business in India and strengthen local sales and solutions, aiming at sales of JPY 15 billion by the fiscal year ending March 2016.

The Messung Group, which has partnered Mitsubishi Electric for some 15 years, will be merged with Mitsubishi Electric India Pvt. Ltd. A business transfer agreement signed by Mitsubishi Electric and the Messung Group in December 2011 is expected to be completed by the end of March 2012 to finalize the acquisition. Operations of the consolidated business will commence in April.

The industrial automation market in India is expected to grow by more than 10% annually, driven by increasing demand in the automotive, textile, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage industries. The Messung Group has built strong relationships in these industries by providing technical support and solutions to industrial automation equipment manufacturers. Mitsubishi Electric will leverage these relationships, and the Messung Group's expertise in sales, manufacturing and development, to strengthen its solution business and penetrate more deeply into this fast-growing market under a growing commitment to provide quality products and services to Indian customers.