Anton Paar GmbH, an Austrian maker of materials measuring equipment, has acquired Brabender GmbH & Co. KG of Duisburg, Germany.
Brabender is known in the plastics industry for its single- and twin-screw extruders. However, Anton Paar said it is most interested in the company for its materials testing and measuring equipment. That equipment is used by — in addition to plastics and rubber processors — the food, feed and chemical industries, for batteries and other applications.
Anton Paar noted Brabender extruders are even used to develop alternative protein sources for use in meat substitutes.
“The decisive factor for Anton Paar’s decision to purchase Brabender was the know-how in the development and production of world-leading measuring instruments,” Friedrich Santner, Anton Paar CEO, said in a news release.
“In line with its own long-term strategy, Anton Paar will sustainably expand and further strengthen Brabender’s sites in Duisburg” and its C.W. Brabender Instruments Inc. unit in South Hackensack, N.J., he added.
Material characterisation is one of Anton Paar’s strongest growth markets.
The acquisition was announced 1 Agust, but was made retroactive to Jan. 1. Brabender and its 200 employees will be integrated under the name Anton Paar TorqueTec GmbH.
Brabender executive director David Szczesny said in the news release that joining Anton Paar will open up many new opportunities, especially in product research and development.
Graz, Austria-based Anton Paar has 11 manufacturing sites in the United States and Europe and employed more than 4,000 before this acquisition. The company, founded 101 years ago, is owned by the charitable Santner Foundation.
Source : Sustainable Plastics