IHS Gets 'Green Light' for GlobalSpec Buy

US information and analytics provider IHS has received the go-ahead from the Federal Trade Commission to proceed with its $135m acquisition of engineering information resource GlobalSpec - its fifth buy this year.

IHS provides information and insight for sectors including energy and power; design and supply chain; defence, risk and security; environmental, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability; and commodities.

In March, the company bought UK-based IMS Research, which conducts market research for the global electronics industry, and earlier in the year it made three acquisitions: flat panel display researcher Displaybank; the 'CAPS' electronic components database and tools business of PartMiner Worldwide; and the digital oil and gas pipeline information business of Hild Technology Services.

Its latest target, GlobalSpec, provides its buy-side users with a broad range of proprietary and aggregated web-based content, and its sell-side client base with access to a worldwide audience of engineering contacts. In total, it has about seven million registered users.

IHS, which is led by Chairman and CEO Jerre Stead (pictured), said in a statement that the parties are working to close the transaction as quickly as possible.

Web sites: www.ihs.com and www.globalspec.com .