Key Highlights:
- Krones AG has signed the agreement to finalise the acquisition of NETSTAL Maschinen AG from KraussMaffei for €170 million.
- Krones has been a long-standing NETSTAL customer that manufactures machines for filling and packaging beverages and liquid foods.
- Although NETSTAL's revenue sits below Krones' group level at just over €200m, the company expects to close this gap in the coming years.
Mechanical engineering specialist Krones AG has finalised the acquisition of NETSTAL Maschinen AG, Swiss-based provider of injection moulding solutions, from KraussMaffei for €170 million.
The purchase deal was first announced on 29 January 2024 and signed on February 6, strengthening Krones' position in the beverage, medical, and thin-wall packaging markets.
As part of the agreement, around 530 NETSTAL employees will join Krones from KraussMaffei, ensuring both continuity and valuable expertise. All existing NETSTAL jobs will be retained. NETSTAL will operate as a separate, independent entity within the Krones Group, led by CEO Renzo Davatz.
Headquartered in Näfels, Switzerland, NETSTAL provides injection moulding machines in the beverage (PET preforms and caps), medical, and thin-wall packaging markets.
Krones AG has been a long-standing NETSTAL customer that manufactures machines for filling and packaging beverages and liquid foods. Additionally, Krones is also acquiring Netstal Deutschland GmbH, a sales and service subsidiary based in Stuttgart, along with eleven other sales and service units across US, South America, Europe and Asia.
Although NETSTAL's current revenue sits below Krones' group level at just over €200m in the 2023 fiscal year, the company projects to close this gap in the coming years. Notably, NETSTAL contributed nearly 20% to the KraussMaffei Group's 2023 total sales.
Krones sees significant potential in integrating NETSTAL's technology and market reach, allowing them to offer more specific solutions to customers across the entire beverage and liquid food value chain.
Opportunities for Growth
KraussMaffei CEO Chi Zhang said: "The sale of NETSTAL is part of our long-term plan to realign KraussMaffei strategically, organisationally and on the global market. In future, we want to concentrate fully on our core business and new growth markets, strengthen the KraussMaffei core brand and focus the Group accordingly. At the same time, the sale of NETSTAL gives us the leeway to make further investments, for example in digitisation and the development of new machines."
“This transaction is a milestone in the long history of Netstal. Krones opens up strategic perspectives that were previously not possible. The potential for more customer benefits and growth in the beverage sector is obvious. The opportunities in the medical and thin-wall packaging applications are equally exciting. It is a pleasure for me to continue the strategic direction we have taken together with Krones to an even greater extent," added Renzo Davatz, CEO Netstal.