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Clifford Chance advises HID on strategic acquisition of Sewio Networks

Clifford Chance in Prague is pleased to announce that it has successfully represented HID in its recent acquisition of Sewio Networks, a prominent provider of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Real Time Location Systems (RTLS). The strategic purchase, announced on August 6, 2024, aims to enhance HID’s capabilities in asset management and smart factory automation within the industrial and automotive sectors.

Clifford Chance provided comprehensive legal counsel throughout the transaction, ensuring all regulatory, contractual, and compliance aspects were thoroughly addressed, while also coordinating international teams to facilitate a seamless process. The acquisition aligns with HID’s objective to strengthen its RTLS portfolio and broaden its technology offerings for automotive and manufacturing clients. With Sewio’s advanced UWB RTLS platform, HID is well-positioned to deliver higher precision and improved operational efficiencies to its global customer base.

HID, a global leader in trusted identity solutions, is committed to driving innovation in RTLS technology. The company’s comprehensive suite of identification and IoT services enables customers to optimize their operations through advanced asset tracking and real-time visibility solutions. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID has over 4,500 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand.

Founded in 2014 and based in Brno, Sewio Networks specializes in providing high-precision UWB RTLS platforms. The company’s technology includes both hardware and software components, designed to enhance intralogistics and overall equipment effectiveness for a range of industries. Besides its main team of about forty employees in Brno, Sewio operates branches or has collaborators in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Poland, and the USA.

The M&A Clifford Chance team working on this transaction was led by counsel Michal Jašek, with valuable support from associate Nikola Svobodová. The core team in Prague further consisted of junior lawyers Petr Ryšina and Natálie Kurková. Additionally, the Houston office was represented by partner Alexandra Wilde and associate Adebola Akisanya, and the Düsseldorf office by senior associate Nicolas Hohn-Hein and associate Anika Vollborn.