Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany – Broetje-Automation, a portfolio company of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, is acquiring the aircraft assembly technology section of the Dürr machine and plant engineering group.
Dürr’s business in aircraft assembly technology will be integrated into the Broetje-Automation Group. Dürr will receive a minority stake of 11% in the Broetje-Automation Group, along with cash. The contract, signed in August, is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities. This transaction will create a supplier of aircraft assembly systems with sales revenues of around 150 million euro and good growth prospects.
This merger enables Broetje-Automation to improve its skills offering complete assembly lines from a single source. Broetje-Automation is a developer of drilling and riveting technology, while Dürr offers conveyor technology as well as systems for positioning and measuring components. Both companies act as general contractors for production systems for aircraft construction. The merger offers growth opportunities that neither company would have been able to reach on its own.
"The rapidly progressing globalization and the demand for multi-technology solutions provide new challenges to the market. Therefore, it is necessary to develop exactly these skills and to define new standards. Our merger with the aircraft division of Dürr is the perfect answer to it," says Bernd Schröder, CEO of Broetje-Automation.
Ralf W. Dieter, CEO of Dürr AG, said, “In the last few years, Dürr has grown in the aircraft business and gained many new customers, especially in the United States, Russia, and Brazil. With the integration into Broetje-Automation, we are now taking the next step: joining forces to unlock further growth potential. Our customers benefit from a complementary technology portfolio as well as global reach in terms of order execution and service. Dürr firmly believes in the opportunities the aircraft business can offer, which is why we have invested in Broetje-Automation.”
Broetje-Automation, based in Wiefelstede, Germany, operates worldwide and has subsidiaries in the U.S. and China as well as several sales and service centers in America, Asia, and Europe. The company generated in 2013 around 100 million euros in sales with more than 500 employees.
Dürr ATS achieved sales of approximately 35 million euros in the aircraft division in 2013. The business is located in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany, and the production plant in Wyhlen; both locations will remain open.
The employment contracts of the approximately 120 Dürr Aircraft employees will be taken over by Broetje-Automation. Further positions are due to be created with a view to growing the newly established company and developing new product lines, especially in the area of CFRP production.
In future, the Broetje-Automation Group will have 20 sites with a total of approx. 650 employees.
Just prior to this transaction, the Broetje-Automation had taken over the Composites section of the MAG group in Göppingen.
Dürr has 54 business locations in 26 countries worldwide and approximately 8,320 employees. The Group achieved sales of 2.4 billion euros in 2013.
Sources: Broetje-Automation, Dürr AG