Battenfeld Injection acquired by Wittmann (March 14, 2008)

Injection press maker Battenfeld Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH will be acquired on April 1 by Wittmann Kunststoffgerate GmbH, a family-owned supplier of robots, auxiliary equipment and molds.

For Battenfeld, based in Kottingbrunn, Austria, the deal ends three months of uncertainty. The company, which reported 2007 sales of approximately 85 million euros (US$116 million), filed for insolvency on Jan. 3. A week later, the government, with several banks, extended credit to keep the company open.

“Battenfeld and Wittmann together will be the first company in the world able to offer a fully-integrated product range for injection molding,” the companies said.

Combined, Wittmann and Battenfeld will employ more than 1,500 people worldwide.

The deal, which has been approved by Battenfeld’s creditors, is subject to approval by European anti-trust authorities. It covers the injection molding machinery manufacturing operation in Kottingbrunn, worldwide sales subsidiaries and Battenfeld’s service and spare parts business in Meinerzhagen, Germany, and Kottingbrunn.