Software tools maker Perforce buys Seapine

Perforce Software, the Minneapolis maker of software used to make software, recently acquired Seapine Software, a firm that helps customers manage software development and user service.

Terms were not disclosed.

The deal gives Perforce a broader portfolio of tools used by software developers and designers. "The Seapine suite of products strongly complements the Perforce portfolio," Janet Dryer, Perforce chief executive, said in a statement.

Both Perforce and Seapine address many of the same product development needs that companies have, including tracing how a program is written and bringing predictability to the process. Seapine, based in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, has greater experience in application life-cycle management, known by programmers as ALM.

Software applications increasingly are designed to be frequently updated and improved rather than changed in updates that happen only once a year or less.

Seapine's ALM products help companies manage complex software that is already being used by customers. The firm has developed a specialty in working with big companies in regulated industries, such as life sciences, automotive and financial services.

"We found the technology, teams and application development expertise at these two companies to be a great fit," Rick Riccetti, Seapine's chief executive, said in a statement.