Mediaboss Marketing

DGAP-News: Homag Group AG / Key word(s): Merger HOMAG Group bundles its automation activities

24.01.2014 / 07:01

=--------------------------------------------------------------------

HOMAG Group bundles its automation activities

- Subsidiaries BARGSTEDT and LIGMATECH are merged into HOMAG Automation - Growth areas of handling, assembly, packaging and robotics are strengthened - Locations, jobs and brands remain intact

Schopfloch, January 24, 2014. The HOMAG Group, the world's leading manufacturer of plant and machinery for the woodworking industry and for cabinet makers sees growing demand for automation from its customers around the globe. This opens up great growth opportunities in the fields of handling, assembly and packaging. To cater for this growth worldwide, the HOMAG Group will merge its two subsidiaries BARGSTEDT Handlingsysteme GmbH, Hemmoor, and LIGMATECH Automationssysteme GmbH, Lichtenberg, into HOMAG Automation GmbH. This will create additional capacity for the systematic growth and global expansion of activities in the fields of handling, packaging and assembly.

Both locations and the well-established brand names will remain intact. CEO of HOMAG Group AG, Dr. Markus Flik, emphasized that there would be no redundancies for operational reasons. 'With this merger, we want to free up additional resources so that we can grow worldwide with both brands in the corresponding core business areas. On the back of the planned growth, we want to create new jobs at both locations in the coming years.'

The merger is intended to avoid duplicate development work, as the product ranges of BARGSTEDT and LIGMATECH currently overlap in the area of automation. The development capacity that will be freed up at both locations as a result of the move will be systematically deployed to achieve the growth planned in the fields of handling, packaging and assembly as well as the expanding project business. This is intended to secure and expand the market leadership in the area of automation projects.

Harald Becker-Ehmck, the board member in charge of production at HOMAG Group AG, sees additional advantages to the merger: 'It will result in a larger unit that not only offers growth opportunities but also potential to raise efficiency. By combining the sales teams, for instance, we will be able to further intensify our customer service and provide on-site support more frequently in the future. Further synergies will arise in procurement, in production and the areas of research and development.'

The aim is to implement the project in stages up to the end of 2014.

See the original post:
PRESS RELEASE: HOMAG Group bundles its automation activities