Aichelin Group, Austria, announces that it has acquired U.S.-based Atmosphere Group, the holding company of AFC-Holcroft, said to be the U.S. market leader in the production of industrial furnace equipment for ferrous and nonferrous metals. According to Aichelin, the two groups are a perfect fit: Both are leading market players with a long-standing history and state-of-the-art technologies and services in the industrial area of heat treatment solutions.
Aichelin Group’s business model covers all stages of the lifecycle: From design, engineering, manufacturing and installation at customer sites, to comprehensive maintenance and spare part services. By combining the networks of Aichelin Group and AFC-Holcroft, customers will get the best of two worlds: An enlarged, high quality product portfolio as well as an innovative, worldwide service network.
As the next step, a process will start to integrate AFC-Holcroft and its sister companies into Aichelin Group’s network in the coming months. AFC-Holcroft’s headquarters will remain in Wixom, Michigan. The current top management stays in place and most customers will keep their key account managers.
Aichelin Group includes manufacturing companies Aichelin, EMA Indutec, Safed, Bosio, and Noxmat, which provide plants and systems.
In addition to AFC-Holcroft, the Atmosphere Group includes Atmosphere Heat Treating and Austemper Inc. Until now, Atmosphere Group was privately held. The parties agreed not to disclose details or the price of the transaction.
The acquisition complements the geographic presence of Aichelin Group and strengthens the Group’s overall market position as one of the leading global heat treatment groups. It is now the largest provider of atmosphere furnaces worldwide. With a strong presence in Europe, North America, and Asia, the joint annual turnover generated by 1100 employees amounts to over $216 million (2015). The group operates a network in 32 countries.
