Today's Automation News Headlines from Automation.com

July 12, 2011  -- National Instruments announced the successful completion of its acquisition of AWR Corporation (AWR) as planned and as previously announced on May 23.  Effective July 1, AWR, a leading supplier of electronic design automation (EDA) software for designing RF and high-frequency components and systems for the semiconductor, aerospace and defense, communications and test equipment industries, will operate as a wholly owned NI subsidiary under the leadership of the existing management team.

The fast design cycles and increasing complexity of RF and wireless systems demand more integration between design and test. RF system designers need to validate their simulations with actual measurements, while RF test engineers need to increase test reuse and decrease test time through more design integration. By increasing the level of integration between AWR design tools and NI test software and hardware, NI and AWR can significantly improve customer productivity through increased connectivity between design, validation and production test functions.

"We are excited to welcome AWR into the National Instruments family," said Dr. James Truchard, president, CEO and cofounder of National Instruments. "The full suite of AWR design tools in combination with a complete RF testing platform from NI will give customers a solution to decrease the time to market of their RF designs."

NI and AWR both understand and embody the value of high-quality software design tools and world-class customer support. The acquisition strengthens both core software brands — primarily NI LabVIEW and AWR Microwave Office — as it reinforces their breadth and credibility while positioning both as unique but complementary tools in the RF design flow. Additionally, the companies can better service key accounts that use both companies' tools through a worldwide sales infrastructure that provides local support, a critical requirement for multinational customers.

About National Instruments

National Instruments is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with its largest customer representing approximately 4 percent of revenue in 2010 and no one industry representing more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has approximately 5,500 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the past 12 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.

About AWR
AWR, the innovation leader in high-frequency EDA software, dramatically reduces development time and cost for products employed in wireless, high-speed wired, broadband, aerospace and defense, and electro-optical applications.