Komori has agreed to buy 100 percent of the equity of the German postpress company Maschinenbau Oppenweiler Binder, or MBO, which will become a subsidiary of Komori, subject to the usual regulatory approvals.
Komori, which mainly manufacturers offset presses, has been trying to diversify its portfolio, setting up its Print Engineering Service Provider Business back in 2009 and marketing a number of cutters, pile turners and other finishing kit. This acquisition should help to broaden Komori’s offering, particularly if it is able to realise its intention of developing new solutions combining both Komori’s and MBO’s expertise.
The MBO Group was founded in 1965 and has earned a worldwide reputation for its post-press equipment, such as the T50 buckle fold machine, released in October 2019. Earlier, in May of last year it introduced the CoBo stack, which uses a collaborating robot to stack folded products as part of a move towards greater automation. The company has three European factories at Oppenweiler in Southern Germany, Bielefeld in central Germany as well as one in Portugal. It also includes the subsidiary company Herzog and Heymann, which has specialized technology for complex folding of thin paper, such as found in pharmaceutical packaging.
Readers may be experiencing a sense of deja-vu as Heidelberg announced that it had signed a deal to acquire MBO back in 2018. However, this was blocked by the German Federal Cartel Office in May 2019, much to Heidelberg’s dismay. Still, it was only a matter of time before another press manufacturer stepped in.
Komori has not disclosed the cost of this acquisition though it has stated that MBO had assets of €37.9 million and net sales of €51.7 million. The deal is expected to close on 1 April 2020, meaning that it won’t affect Komori’s results for the year ending 31 March 2020. You can find more details about Komori here, and MBO here.
Leave a Reply