The Bundeskartellamt, Germany's Federal Cartel Office, has given the green light for Siemens to acquire Altair Engineering, a significant move in the product lifecycle management (PLM) software sector. Both companies are known for their offerings in product design and verification, particularly in computer-aided engineering (CAE).

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt, noted that this acquisition is one of the largest in the PLM solutions market, which has seen numerous mergers in recent years. Despite the size of the deal, the presence of other competitors in the market, both large and small, played a crucial role in the decision to approve the acquisition.

The PLM software market is substantial, with sales estimated in the billion-dollar range globally, and it is projected to continue its growth trajectory. PLM software is essential for businesses as it helps manage information throughout a product's lifecycle, from inception to disposal.

Siemens is a major player in industrial and electrical engineering, particularly in the PLM software domain. Post-merger, Siemens will still face competition from other significant providers of PLM and CAE solutions. Altair, founded in 1985, specializes in physics-based simulation, complementing Siemens' broader focus in the field.

Siemens' analysis solutions are widely utilized in industries such as automotive and aerospace, aiding in the mathematical processing of model simulations to evaluate a product's physical properties. The company also engages in high-performance computing, data analytics, and artificial intelligence, further diversifying its technological capabilities.