Continuing to expand its product portfolio, Japan-based GrapeCity tonight announced it is acquiring ComponentOne for an undisclosed sum. The purchase follows those of Excel-compatible spreadsheet component maker FarPoint in 2009, and analytics reporting company Data Dynamics in 2008.
GrapeCity is a reseller of software components that it localizes for the Japan market, and had been working with ComponentOne since 1994, according to GrapeCity general manager Rick Williamson. Whereas FarPoint, with its grids, and Data Dynamics, with its analytics, strengthened GrapeCity in Japan, this acquisition helps GrapeCity in Europe and the United States.
“In Japan, best-of-breed [tools] sell best, but in Europe and the U.S., the only way to succeed is as a suite vendor,” Williamson explained. “We wanted a company with a big breadth of products, for all platforms, that could give us a wider variety than any other suite vendor.”
The ComponentOne name is not going away, though. Williamson said that because of the name’s great reputation, everything sold outside of Japan will be branded ComponentOne, including ActiveReports, the former FarPoint software currently sold under the GrapeCity brand. “We had a hard time branding GrapeCity,” he acknowledged of the company’s push into European and U.S. markets. “So now it will be ‘ComponentOne, a division of GrapeCity,’” he said.
ComponentOne sells a wide range of components for Visual Studio, including grids and charts, as well as the Wijmo package of UI widgets. There are also components for ASP.NET, WinForms and Silverlight.
Williamson went on to say that in 2013, the company will look at combining technologies to see what’s best for its customers. He also said he does not anticipate any further M&A activity anytime soon. “This is it for now,” he said. “There’s nothing on the horizon, but you’re always looking. We think this completes the package.”
