Bucher Unipektin acquires Filtrox Group’s engineering business Freitag, 07. Dezember 2012 - 07:43
Bucher Unipektin acquires Filtrox Group’s engineering business
Bucher Unipektin, a subsidiary of Bucher Industries AG, is strengthening its beverage technology activities in the area of beer filtration by acquiring the engineering business of the world-leading Filtrox Group.
Bucher Unipektin, headquartered in Niederweningen, Switzerland, is the world market and technology leader in machinery and equipment for the production of fruit juice, fruit juice concentrates and instant products. The company has reached an agreement with the Filtrox Group, based in St. Gallen, Switzerland, to acquire Filtrox Engineering AG. Thanks to an extensive portfolio of modern filtration technologies, Filtrox Engineering is the global market and technology leader in the area of beer filtration, as well as a leading provider in certain areas of microfiltration for the food and beverages industry. The acquisition strengthens the beverage technology business of Bucher Unipektin and gives the company access to the worldwide beer market, which is continuing to grow, particularly in the emergent economies of Asia, Latin America and Africa. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction will be completed in the first quarter of 2013.
Bucher Unipektin’s expertise in fruit juice filtration and Filtrox Engineering’s know-how in the area of beer filtration are a good match. The core competence of the acquired engineering business is in developing and manufacturing fully automatic filtration solutions tailored to individual customers’ production processes. Technologically, Filtrox Engineering is in an excellent position thanks to its broad product portfolio, which includes candle filters, ceramic crossflow and horizontal leaf filtration systems. In beer filtration it holds a leading worldwide market position. Its international customer base includes all major international brewing groups, numerous medium-sized beer, beverage and food manufacturers across the world, as well as general contractors.
The activities acquired comprise all the company’s process and manufacturing know-how, all the engineering activities as well as the system assembly business for filtration devices and systems. A supply contract for selected components was also agreed with the Filtrox Group.
Filtrox Engineering has 35 employees in St. Gallen and Shanghai. In recent years, the company has generated annual sales of around CHF 30 million. All the employees of Filtrox Engineering will be retained as part of the takeover and the site in St. Gallen will remain intact. Sales and project engineering in Shanghai are to be integrated into Bucher Unipektin’s Chinese operation in Beijing. The Managing Director of Filtrox Engineering, Jürg Zuber, will continue in his function.
Bucher Unipektin, Niederweningen, Switzerland, is an independent business within the Bucher Specials segment of Bucher Industries. The company is the world market and technology leader in machinery for the production of fruit juice, fruit juice concentrates and instant products. The company also manufactures systems for dewatering sewage sludge. Bucher Unipektin has 105 employees.
The Filtrox Group is focusing on its established business with filter media and media-equipped apparatus, in which it holds a leading market position worldwide. In addition to the parent company in St. Gallen, Switzerland, the Filtrox Group has production and distribution centres in Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain, Czech Republic, USA, Mexico and China. Without Filtrox Engineering, the Filtrox Group has 270 employees worldwide, 80 of them based in Switzerland. The company’s product portfolio includes, filter sheets, filter modules, filter cartridges and filter aids, as well as media carrying apparatus for microfiltration of liquids. The main areas of application are in the beverage, food, pharmaceutical, biotech, cosmetics and chemical industries.
Simply great machines
Bucher Industries is a global technology group with leading market positions in speciality areas of mechanical and vehicle engineering. The company's operations include specialised agricultural machinery, municipal vehicles, hydraulic components, manufacturing equipment for the glass container industry and for production of wine, fruit juice and instant products. The group's shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BUCN).
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Candle filter plant for filtration and stabilization of Beer
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Ceramic Crossflow Filtration Plant
