Accenture buys serialisation expert ESP to boost digital offering

By Murielle Gonzalez | Published: 20-Mar-2019

Irish company ESP provides manufacturing execution systems (MES) and serialisation to clients globally

Accenture, the global management consulting company headquartered in Dublin, has agreed to acquire ESP, a consulting and manufacturing services provider for the life sciences industry. An Irish company, ESP is headquartered in Cork and provides services to clients around the globe.

The acquisition will see ESP join Accenture Industry X.0 platform, a set of solutions designed to help clients master the digital reinvention of the industry. The deal strengthens Accenture’s capabilities to transform manufacturing for pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device clients globally.

Ben Salama, a Managing Director who leads Accenture Industry X.0 in the United Kingdom & Ireland, commented: “Digital technologies are fundamentally transforming the factory floor. With ESP ’s manufacturing solutions and our Industry X.0 capabilities, we can help clients take advantage of engineering and product lifecycle management, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence for a flexible, efficient, and cost-effective production process.”

Founded in 2003, ESP will bring a team of 200 professionals with deep manufacturing, process and IT knowledge, who will work closely with Accenture’s Life Sciences group.

ESP has long-standing industry experience in planning and implementing manufacturing solutions, with niche expertise in manufacturing execution systems (MES) and serialisation.

Currently services 17 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical and biotech companies from offices in Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Turkey and the United States.

ESP staff

ESP staff

Liam O’Brien, Managing Director of ESP, said: “As part of Accenture Industry X.0, we will be able to offer enhanced services to transform our clients’ operations by streamlining processes from early-stage research through development to manufacturing and distribution. It will expand our capabilities to new regions and provide our team with new career opportunities in a truly global organisation.”

The acquisition is part of Accenture's strategy to expands its digital platform in Europe and North America. Recent deals include embedded software company Pillar Technology (US), hardware engineering firm Mindtribe (US), and strategic design consultancy design affairs.

Alastair Blair, Country Managing Director for Accenture in Ireland, said: “The planned acquisition of ESP underscores our commitment to one of Ireland’s most important and growing industries – life sciences. We continue to invest in Ireland to grow our talent and increase our capabilities to help our clients apply the very latest digital technologies and drive innovation, further strengthening the position of Ireland as a leader in this industry.”

Adding ESP to its portfolio complements other acquisition in life sciences that Accenture has made in recent years. The Dublin-based company acquired LabAnswer in 2017, now operating as Accenture Scientific Informatics Services (ASIS) business. ASIS helps capture, manage, and analyse complex laboratory and scientific data.

Anne Marie O’Halloran, a Managing Director and lead of Accenture’s Life Sciences Industry X.0 group, said: “New digital technologies and scientific advances are combining and changing how therapies can be developed and delivered to patients.

"There is a significant opportunity for us to help clients drive greater efficiencies in how they manufacture essential medicines for patients around the world with the combination of ESP ’s and our life sciences expertise," she concluded.

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