* Deal expected to close by September
* Atlantia sees operating and growth synergies with Yunex
* Latest deal as Siemens simplifies its business
FRANKFURT, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Italian infrastructure group
Atlantia has agreed to buy Siemens' Yunex
Traffic division for 950 million euros ($1.1 billion) to expand
its cutting-edge transport services.
The deal, announced by Siemens on Monday, is expected to
close by September.
Atlantia, controlled by the Benetton family, last year
clinched a deal to sell its Italian motorway unit Autostrade per
l'Italia to end a dispute triggered by the deadly collapse of a
motorway bridge operated by Autostrade in Genoa.
The Autostrade sale is expected to add about 8.2 billion
euros to Atlantia's coffers by the end of March, part of which
will be used to drive expansion in new sectors.
The acquisition of the German company would deliver savings
and new business opportunities when integrated with its existing
assets, Atlantia said in a statement.
"We aim to deliver operating and growth synergies between
our assets and Yunex ... in the management of infrastructure,
services and technological innovation, in order to improve the
travel experience," said Atlantia CEO Carlo Bertazzo.
Atlantia owns motorway toll-road groups including Spanish
group Abertis, operates Rome's airports and controls digital
toll payment company Telepass.
Yunex Traffic supplies infrastructure and mobility services
including advanced emissions-based dynamic tolling systems,
vehicle-to-infrastructure communication solutions, digital
traffic lights and street lighting systems.
Dubai, London, Berlin, Bogota and Miami are among its
customers for mobility services and infrastructure management.
Atlantia hopes to expand its business in urban areas thanks
to Yunex, it said, adding the German company could enter
countries where the Italian group has a significant exposure.
"We are certainly keen to expand Yunex Traffic's business in
countries of interest to us, such as Italy, France and Spain,"
Atlantia's CEO told analysts, adding the Intelligent Transport
System sector could generate a business value of around 1.5
billion euros a year in those three countries.
Siemens has been simplifying its business in recent years,
separating and floating its energy and health equipment
divisions as it seeks to become a more focused technology
company and lose the conglomerate discount that has weighed on
its stock price.
The German engineering company changed the name of the unit
to Yunex Traffic from Siemens' Intelligent Traffic Systems in
February as part of preparations for a possible sale.
($1 = 0.8769 euros)
(Additional reporting by Tom Sims in Frankfurt
Editing by David Goodman and Mark Potter)