J.D. Power, a provider of data analytics and consumer intelligence for insurance and other industries, has merged with Autodata Solutions, a company that produces data and software products and services for the auto industry.

The merger took place by way of J.D. Power’s acquisition by Thoma Bravo, a private equity firm and owner of Autodata Solutions. Plans call for the combined company to keep the J.D. Power name, with a focus on offering new and pre-owned automobile transactional data, valuation tools, vehicle feature information and consumer analytics to the automotive industry.

J.D. Power will also continue to provide benchmarks, analytics and customer insights across the Banking & Payments, Wealth & Lending, Telecommunications, Insurance, Health, Travel and Utilities sectors through its Global Business Intelligence division.

Neither side disclosed financial details.

David Habiger, who will continue as president and CEO of J.D. Power, said in prepared remarks that the combination “will create a robust and insightful automotive industry resource for analyzing consumer demand and optimizing the vehicle sales process.”

J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across more than a dozen different industries rely on J.D. Power data, research and insights to guide their customer-facing strategies, while consumers around the world look to J.D. Power ratings as the undisputed mark of quality.

In the automotive sector, J.D. Power is recognized for its Voice-of-the-Customer research and its Power Information Network (PIN) and Used Car Guide (UCG) products, which provide the industry with new and used car transaction information. The company has also pioneered the use of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to merge its vast database of consumer behavioral data, pricing information and “Voice of the Vehicle” telematics-based data into powerful predictive models.

Autodata Solutions provides Software as a Service (SaaS) and software products and services that range from back-end automation systems that enable dealer-to-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vehicle ordering to data-driven, consumer-focused interactive marketing initiatives. Its Chrome-branded products are designed to increase the effectiveness of the automotive sales ecosystem and include rebates and incentives, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) decode and describe, and vehicle configuration and comparisons.

Together, the two companies create a complementary set of capabilities that they say will strengthen the global automobile industry’s ability to forecast vehicle demand and shape strategic decision making.

In addition to the investment by Thoma Bravo, J.D. Power’s existing management team will reinvest their ownership interest in the newly combined company. All of the current Autodata Solutions and J.D. Power employees will have the opportunity to take an ownership stake in the company.

The headquarters for the combined company will be in Troy, Mich.

Source: J.D. Power, Thoma Bravo