My view... HYSYS deal hints at future shape of automation industry

Honeywells acquisition of simulation and operator training software assets from AspenTech highlights a divergence of philosophy among process automation vendors. Honeywell was acquiring from Aspen Technology (AspenTech) the intellectual rights to the HYSYS family of modelling software and buying its Operator Training Simulation (OTS) business. AspenTech has spent the past two years trying to get off the FTC hook without actually giving up Hyprotech and, announced that it had reached a provisional settlement. The terms of that settlement were pretty much those of the deal with Honeywell announced, namely that Honeywell gets the OTS business and the intellectual property rights to HYSYS but, crucially, AspenTech retains an indefinite license to the Hyprotech products which allow it to continue to market, sell and develop them. AspenTech has also agreed not to compete in the operator training services business for three years and to provide Honeywell with source code of any new releases of the Hyprotech products.