technotrans acquires majority interest in KLH Kältetechnik

The technotrans group is building on its core skills in the area of temperature control technology through the acquisition of 65 % of the shares of KLH Kältetechnik GmbH with registered office in Bad Doberan as well as of KLH Cooling International Pte. Ltd., Singapore, and Taicang KLH Cooling Systems Co. Ltd. (PR China), with effect from January 1, 2013. The relevant agreements were signed today. Through KLH Kältetechnik, the technotrans Group is significantly stepping up its activities in the area of laser applications and developing into a unique full-liner in laser cooling: its complete product range of cooling systems now includes equipment in performance categories starting at a few watts offered by Termotek AG, all the way up to 1 MW systems from KLH, manufactured on both small and industrial scales.

“The experience of having worked in partnership with KLH over the past few months has substantiated our original perception that these two companies are an excellent match. The merger is therefore merely a logical consequence because the investment cements the mutually beneficial relationship that already exists on the operating side,” declared Henry Brickenkamp, Spokesman of the Board of Management of technotrans AG.

KLH Kältetechnik was acquired in 1994 by Harald Selck, currently employs around 100 people and will post revenue of more than € 15 million in 2012. One generation on, Daniel Selck has significantly built up KLH and will remain involved in the company's successful development as its Managing Director. KLH’s customers include leading manufacturers of laser applications, as well as customers from the machine tool and food industries. The purchase price for the investment, which comprises a fixed and a variable component, is in the mid-range single-digit millions.

“We are embarking on a concerted drive to broaden technotrans’ activities in markets outside the printing industry over the next few years. We view the growth market of lasers as being especially important,” remarked Henry Brickenkamp, Board of Management Spokesman of technotrans AG. “As matters stand we will already achieve our goal of earning 30 % of our revenue outside the printing industry by as early as the 2013 financial year.”

“As part of the technotrans group, we will be able to tap into its international network of sales and service locations. That is a huge advantage as we seek to continue building our customer relationships. We can also make joint use of worldwide development and production capacities in order to become even more competitive,” added Daniel Selck, Managing Partner of KLH. “We are therefore convinced that KLH is set to perform well above the average in this context over the coming years.”