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Nov 26, 2009

BWIR Completes Acquisition of think3 India-based Engineering Services Division

Integrated within BWIR's Chennai operations.

Chennai - Barry-Wehmiller International Resources (BWIR), a global provider of business and technology solutions to the manufacturing domain, announced completing transition of think3's India-based engineering services division serving the European market. The division will be integrated with BWIR's engineering services operation in Chennai, India, further expanding the firm's delivery and execution capabilities to a broad range of clients worldwide. The acquiring agreement between BWIR and think3, Italy was signed early this year and marks the 45th acquisition for Barry-Wehmiller Companies since 1987.

As part of the consulting platform of St. Louis-based Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc., BWIR has been a pioneer in the engineering services domain for more than a decade and offers a breadth of services ranging from complex machine design, new product development, manufacturing consulting and support, and sophisticated controls technology. BWIR's engineering services practice is complemented by additional expertise in enterprise solutions and IT consulting, positioning BWIR as a single source for its customers' complete engineering and IT needs.

"The agreement with think3 strengthens BWIR's growing presence in the European market, while complementing a pattern of aggressive revenue growth that has increased at a compound annual rate of more than 40 percent," explained BWIR President & Managing Partner Vasant Bennett. "Our model of developing long-term customer relationships, our proven execution strategy and our global competency combine to create a compelling value proposition, which we believe will prove mutually beneficial to our customers as well as our engineering professionals as we partner with think3."

With a record of innovation spanning 30 years, think3 has emerged as one of the most significant global players in the engineering technology and services market, with operations in the U.S., Italy, Germany, France, Japan and China. In addition to the transition of think3 engineering services, the agreement designates BWIR as a global implementation provider for think3's complete range of product solutions, adding another dimension to the evolving partnership between the two companies.

"BWIR's proven engineering services and software implementation capabilities, complemented by the complete suite of think3 products, will enable BWIR to expand its ability to offer world-class engineering solutions to a global client base that already includes a variety of mid-market and Fortune 500 manufacturing companies worldwide," explained BWIR Vice-President & Senior Partner Senthilkumar Deivasigamany.

Commenting on the agreement, think3 CEO Filippo Zuccarello stated, "Beyond the transition of think3's engineering services division to BWIR, we look forward to pursuing opportunities in which the synergy between think3 and BWIR will provide greater resource capabilities to meet our global strategic objectives. Through this new partnership, think3 and BWIR customers will have access to a comprehensive range of quality products and services suitable for a competitive manufacturing company."

In fiscal year 2008, a strategic combination of organic and acquisition growth allowed Barry-Wehmiller to reach a new milestone, with annual revenues surpassing $1 billion for the first time in the company's 123-year history. Barry-Wehmiller now has more than 5,200 team members serving the global marketplace in more than 50 operations worldwide.