GRABBING OPPORTUNITIES Specialist mechanical engineering company Salzgitter Maschinenbau AG (SMAG) is the world market leader in the development and manufacture of grabs for bulk cargo applications. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to marketing director Jurgen Bialek to find out how the company expects to grow through continued strategic acquisitions and careful core business management.
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stablished in Salzgitter, Germany in 1919 by Anton Raky, a pioneer of the engineering industry, Salzgitter Maschinenbau AG (SMAG) today is the world market leader in grabs. A 500-person strong mechanical engineering company that specialises in the development, manufacture and operation of grabs for the loading and unloading of sea-going cargo vessels, SMAG operates worldwide.
Bought by the Salzgitter Group is 1937, SMAG has continued to acquire strategically beneficial companies throughout its nearly 100-year history in order to gain brands, skills and market presence. It bought the grab division of Peiner AG in 1986 and continues to operate under this well-known brand for its grabs. It uses the SMAG brand for motor, hydraulic and rope grabs. Both names are considered leaders in their fields.
Marketing director Jurgen Bialek told Industry Europe how SMAG’s core competencies continue to be boosted by clever acquisitions. He said, “Relatively recently we bought special technology company Herbst GmbH located in Braunschweig which has allowed us to enjoy rapid growth in this sector, as it was respected for its truck loading equipment specifically for the mining and steel mill industries. Now called
