Expansion of the automation business
Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale/Amberg, Germany. Preh GmbH is acquiring IMA Automation Amberg GmbH from the Swiss company Feintool International Holding AG, Lyss (Canton of Berne). IMA Automation is a supplier of high-quality assembly systems for both small and minute parts in high clock speeds and larger as well as heavy parts in lower clock speeds. The acquisition marks a further extension of the product division Preh Innovative Automation (PIA) which focuses on the development, planning and construction of assembly systems and production lines, in particular for automotive suppliers.
In the context of the growth strategy of the Preh Group, both the established market segments of PIA and the activities of IMA are to expanded and internationalized further. The app. 240 IMA employees will be taken over by Preh. The IMA location in Amberg will also be retained.
On 17 June 2014 the automotive group Preh GmbH closed an agreement with Feintool International Holding AG to acquire IMA Automation Amberg, which has marketed assembly systems successfully for more than 30 years and is a technology leader in its business fields. The takeover still requires cartel authority approval. The purchase price for the shares and the property is approximately EUR 20 million.
“We welcome IMA and its employees at Preh cordially and are convinced that IMA will continue to develop very successfully as part of our group. Together, we will write a great growth story – nationally and internationally. The support from our Chinese partner Joyson, for example, provides optimal preconditions for PIA and IMA to access the Chinese market, which displays considerable growth potential in the field of automation,” said Preh President and CEO Dr. Michael Roesnick.
“With the sale of IMA, Feintool is completing the focus strategy we have pursued over the past few years. We are concentrating fully on our core competency: the manufacture of high-precision series production parts by means of fine-cutting and forming as well as system solutions for fine-cutting. Preh provides IMA with access to the markets of the future, in particular in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Alexander von Witzleben, President of the Feintool supervisory board.
Within the Preh Group, the product division Preh Innovative Automation and IMA Automation will in future form the joint company Preh IMA Automation GmbH.
About IMA Amberg
IMA Amberg GmbH specializes in the design and implementation of sophisticated automation systems for both small and minute parts in high clock speeds and larger as well as heavy parts in lower clock speeds. As a leading founder of the assembly automation industry, the company with about 240 employees has almost 40 years of experience and hence counts as a technology leader. The company’s prestigious and longstanding customer base offer an excellent foundation for its modernization strategy. IMA customers operate in emerging industries like the solar, medical and pharmaceuticals sectors as well as established industries like automotive, electrical engineering, foods and consumer goods.
www.ima-automation.de
About Preh / PIA
The Preh product division Preh Innovative Automation (PIA) develops, plans and builds flexible high-performing assembly and production lines, mainly for automotive suppliers. The company’s performance range extends from manual assembly workstations to fully automated production systems with integrated test technology and data documentation.
Preh GmbH is a subsidiary of the listed corporation Joyson Electronics, Ningbo/China (600699: Shanghai) and represents the Automotive Electronics division of the JoysonGroup. As a global automotive supplier with 95 years of tradition, Preh reported sales of EUR 520 million in 2013 (+12.5 %) with 3430 employees. The country operates branches in Germany, Portugal, Romania, Mexico, the USA and China. Its headquarter is located in Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale/Germany. The development and production capabilities of Preh focus on climate and driver control systems, control units for the battery management of E-vehicles as well as assembly systems for renowned automotive manufacturers.
