Financial and press releases
INDUS makes new acquisition for its measuring and surveillance technology field
- DECKMA, a specialist for ship lighting and safety systems, to strengthen the Engineering segment
- Further growth and add-on acquisitions planned
Investment company INDUS Holding AG has added a new portfolio company to its Engineering segment: the stock exchange listed SME holding company has acquired 75% of the shares in DECKMA Decksmaschinen und Automation Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH, Rosengarten. As a system supplier of technical marine equipment, DECKMA specializes in lighting and fire alarm systems, corrosion protection technology, and automation solutions for ships. The medium-sized company employs 45 people and generates annual sales of around EUR 19 million. DECKMA supplies customers in the shipbuilding and offshore industries, such as manufacturers of cruise ships, merchant ships and large yachts. With the acquisition of DECKMA, INDUS also takes over a 33 percent stake in the British company NEXTCORR Ltd, a system supplier of anti-fouling and anti-corrosion products for ships. In keeping with the INDUS business model, the company has also secured an option to acquire the remaining 25% of the shares in DECKMA in 2026.
“Whether it’s the planning of lighting systems with dimmer and light scene controls, the project planning of safety-critical navigation or fire alarm systems or the control of electrical protective currents for the ship’s hull – lighting and safety technology in modern shipping requires highly specialized technical expertise,” says Axel Meyer, the INDUS Board member responsible for the Engineering segment. “This makes DECKMA an excellent fit for our technological focus on measuring and surveillance technology in the Engineering segment.”
The former sole shareholders of DECKMA, Petra Bölkow-Anderwald and Sven Torbeck, will remain in the company’s management team. “Since its foundation in 1974, DECKMA has developed from a pure trading company to a very successful system manufacturer with high engineering and project management competence,” says Petra Bölkow-Anderwald. “Now is the right time for us to drive the company’s further expansion together with a new, strong partner. In addition to expanding the already strong service business, we also want to enter new international markets.”
Axel Meyer: “Demand for service vessels and converter platforms for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms is growing worldwide. This is an additional stimulus for the already fast-growing marine equipment industry. There is also growth potential in the outfitting of naval vessels.” According to the trade association Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau e. V. (VDMA), sales in the German shipbuilding and offshore supply industry rose by 5.8% to EUR 11 billion in 2023.
With the acquisition of DECKMA, INDUS has already made two first-tier acquisitions and two complementary additions to existing portfolio companies in the current financial year. “We are planning further additions in 2024,” says Dr. Johannes Schmidt, Chairman of the INDUS Group’s Board of Management. “We currently see attractive M&A targets, particularly in the areas of infrastructure networks and energy technology. But fluid technology, which we have already strengthened in recent years with the acquisition of FLACO and, most recently, COLSON, also remains interesting for us.”
Note:
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the current views, expectations and assumptions of the management of INDUS Holding AG and comprise known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. INDUS Holding AG assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements.