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linking up Combining strengths
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Combining strengths
Atlas Copco acquires Walker filtration
Atlas Copco, a leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions, has acquired Walker Filtration Ltd. The company is a British manufacturer of equipment for the treatment of compressed air, gas and vacuum. The family-owned Walker Filtration is based in the north-east of England. The company manufactures high-efficiency equipment for the treatment of compressed air, gas and vacuums. It has around 220 employees worldwide and revenues of approximately MGBP £30 million (SEK 330 million) in 2017. Walker Filtration has sales offices in Europe, USA, Australia and Japan.
“Walker Filtration is a respected company with a strong brand name and product portfolio that will play an important role to increase our presence and competence in the business of equipment for the treatment of compressed air, gas and vacuum,” said Vagner Rego, Business Area President Compressor Technique. Visit: www.atlascopco.com
Swiss sheet metal equipment manufacturer, Bystronic, which produces fibre laser cutting machines, automation solutions and press brakes for processing flat material, is to take over the Italian manufacturer of laser-based tube and profile cutting machines, TTM Laser SpA.
Bystronic is thereby enhancing its existing range of technologies with the addition of 2D and 3D laser systems for cutting profiles and tubes from 12 mm to 815 mm in diameter, as well as with equipment for welding large-format metal sheets. Active on the market since 2001, TTM Laser has modern production facilities and 40 employees, and achieved a turnover of approximately €14 million in 2017.
Bystronic CEO Alex Waser emphasised, “With the fusion of Bystronic and TTM Laser, our customers are gaining access to a unique range of technologies and innovations for their sheet metal processing requirements from a single source.
“TTM Laser’s know-how and technology portfolio ideally complement Bystronic’s existing products with world-class systems for tube and profile processing. The goals of the takeover are to jointly push forward innovative, versatile manufacturing solutions and to provide an enhanced range of services.” Visit: www.bystronic.com TO strategically strengthen and consolidate the Fagerhult Group’s position in the professional lighting market as well as adding a unique range of complementary products, Fagerhult has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Veko Lightsystems International B.V., (Veko), a company based in Schagen, the Netherlands.
Veko designs and manufactures linear LED lighting solutions, LED modules and luminaires with integrated or stand-alone lighting controls primarily for the light industrial segment. Typical application areas include warehouses and distribution centres. The company has successfully established a strong sales presence in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the UK.
“Veko has high efficacy linear LED lighting solutions with industry leading performance, as well as a design, manufacturing and installation process that makes the specification of a complex system as simple as possible. The company has delivered very strong financial performance in recent years built upon a strong client base in the Netherlands with success in regional export markets,” comments Johan Hjertonsson CEO Fagerhult Group.
In the year ending December 2017, the company had 130 employees, sales of €37 million and a profitability rate significantly above that of the Fagerhult Group. Visit: www.fagerhult.se
Bystronic acquires tube machining equipment manufacturer
Alelion energy System has acquired the whole portfolio of Caterva GmbH, a German liquidation company specialising in advanced technology for optimising local energy storage.
Caterva has developed a platform for plugging into and controlling local energy storage, which can be used to optimise the charging and use of, for example, lithium-ion batteries. Alelion will introduce the platform for customers in large-scale industrial applications.
In the long term, the company’s Ceo Daniel Troedsson expects the acquisition will increase its ability to enter new segments and create business opportunities.
“Industrial trucks that are connected to the power grid are local energy stocks that can be an important part of the creation of more sustainable energy systems,” says Daniel Troedsson. “When the trucks are not in use, its batteries can be used to balance supply and demand for energy in the grid, which in the long term can also create brand new business opportunities for both us and our customers.” Visit: www.alelion.com
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Chemogas Belgium takes over stereo group
Belgium-based Chemogas has strengthened its portfolio by acquiring Stereo Group, a sterilisation gases distributor with significant market presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dirk Battig, CEO of Chemogas, hails the investment as a strategic move that will solidify Chemogas’s position as the world’s leading sterilisation gases supplier to the medical industry with a service and logistics network in over 70 countries. Citing Stereo’s strong foothold in the Southeast Asian countries of Hongkong, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore as well as Australia, he says, “The vertical integration of the Stereo Group is the logical next step to strengthen Chemogas’s focus on this important high-growth region.”
Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Stereo operates EtO filling and blending installations and exports to the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand. Anticipating demand to rise in the light of strong market expansion over the last five years, Stereo is building an EtO filling and mixing plant in Manila to cater to the growing local medical devices market in the Philippines. Visit: www.chemogas.com
Subsea 7 to acquire Siem Offshore Contractors
Subsea 7 S.A. has signed an agreement to acquire Siem Offshore Contractors GmbH and two vessels. The acquisition will include the entire issued share capital of Siem Offshore Contractors, the inter-array cable lay vessel Siem Aimery and the support vessel Siem Moxie. The acquisition will further expand Subsea 7’s presence in the renewables segment.
Siem Offshore Contractors is a well-known installer of subsea inter-array cables and provides repair and maintenance services to the global offshore renewable energy market. It employs approximately 100 people. The vessels Siem Aimery and Siem Moxie are owned by Siem Offshore Rederi AS. Siem Offshore Contractors GmbH and Siem Offshore Rederi AS are wholly owned subsidiaries of Siem Offshore Inc., which is a related party to Subsea 7.
Jean Cahuzac, Subsea 7 CEO, said: “Siem Offshore Contractors is an experienced provider of services to the offshore renewable energy, oil and gas, and utilities markets with capability that will complement Subsea 7’s existing offering. We believe that this acquisition opportunity will enhance the offshore renewables service we offer as a full lifecycle partner to our clients for their offshore energy developments.” Visit: www.subsea7.com
unitEd caps expands its edible oil portfolio
UNITED CAPS, an international manufacturer of caps and closures, has acquired the Spanish closure manufacturer Embalatap. The acquisition will extend the UNITED CAPS product portfolio, especially as it relates to closures for edible oils typically used in the southern European market.
“We are pleased to be joining the UNITED CAPS family,” said Oscar Rojo, managing director of Embalatap. “As a market leader in caps and closures, UNITED CAPS brings us additional market reach, an expanded sales capability and a great support infrastructure, while our line of closures, especially for edible oils, extends UNITED CAPS’ portfolio in this lucrative market. We look forward to continued growth as part of UNITED CAPS.”
Embalatap offers a complementary product line that will now be marketed under the UNITED CAPS brand, such as its mono piece and hinge models for PET 29/21 neck finish as well as regional specialities like the 32mm and 42mm closures for edible oils.
“By incorporating Embalatap solutions into our portfolio, we give customers a one-stop shopping experience for a broader range of closure solutions,” stated Benoît Henckes, CEO of UNITED CAPS. Visit: www.unitedcaps.com
Wärtsilä is to acquire uK-based Transas. The move will speed Wärtsilä along its path towards its Smart marine ecosystem vision. established in 1990, Transas is a global market leader in marine navigation solutions that include complete bridge systems, digital products and electronic charts. It leverages the latest in machine learning and AI to create a unified cloud-based platform for managing operations across the entire marine ecosystem.
This acquisition takes Wärtsilä a significant step closer to achieving its mission of enabling sustainable societies with smart technologies. It will also speed delivery on the company’s promise to disrupt the industry by establishing an ecosystem that is digitally connected across the entire supply chain, through applications that are secure, smart and cloud-based.
The transaction is valued at €210 million (enterprise value) and is expected to be closed during the second quarter of 2018. Visit: www.wartsila.com
