HERMOS becomes a member - Investment in the digital future of TGA
With this acquisition, Elevion GmbH, headquartered in Jena, Germany, acquires 100 percent of the shares in the internationally active, medium-sized automation and IT specialist HERMOS, headquartered in Mistelgau, Upper Franconia. A notarized purchase agreement was concluded with the shareholders of the HERMOS group of companies in the last few days. The takeover is subject to the usual reservations, including the approval of the antitrust authorities. Subject to these approvals, Elevion GmbH expects the closing to take place in May 2019. The parties have agreed not to disclose details of the agreement.
The HERMOS group of companies, which includes HERMOS AG and HERMOS Schaltanlagen GmbH as well as other holdings, will operate in the market as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Elevion Group in the future. With the technical competence and performance strength of the HERMOS Group, the automation business area will be strategically expanded within the Elevion Group. "Electricity and data are the future. Therefore, automation will play an even more decisive role in technical building equipment in the future," says Oliver Rennig, Managing Director of Elevion GmbH. Underlining this, Markus Bort, Managing Director of Elevion GmbH, adds: "HERMOS once again significantly strengthens the existing competence of our subsidiaries in the field of automation technology and brings intelligent products into the group."
The competences of the HERMOS group of companies, which is active in the fields of automation and information processing, lie in automation and IT solutions for industry, energy, environment, buildings and health. HERMOS provides single-source solutions consisting of engineering, switchgear manufacturing, software for automation and IT systems, and after-sales service. The implementation of SCADA, system integration, energy monitoring and MES are based on the IT platforms FIS# and MATRIX developed by HERMOS. HERMOS provides solutions for product tracking and product integrity for Track&Trace. Basis for this are the in-house developed image processing systems. The product portfolio also includes RFID components developed in-house, which are used especially in production and logistics in the semiconductor industry. Harald Köhler, CEO of HERMOS AG, is convinced: "Our technical excellence in automation technology as well as our innovative products optimally extend the range of services of the Elevion Group. As a member of the group, we have the opportunity to act as a bidding consortium, among other things. This and also the financial security of the group now enable us more than ever to acquire and successfully implement major projects."
HERMOS is a steadily growing company that can proudly look back on a successful company history spanning over decades. Currently, the HERMOS group of companies employs more than 500 people, about 320 of whom work at the headquarters in Mistelgau near Bayreuth. Additional sites are located in Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and Dresden, among others, as well as internationally in Poland, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Last year, the HERMOS group of companies achieved a total output of around 100 million euros.
" HERMOS is a very good fit for the Elevion Group, not only because of its technical competencies and its performance, but above all because of the practiced medium-sized entrepreneurship as well as the family-like corporate culture," Lars Eberlein, Managing Director of Elevion GmbH, is convinced, and adds: "Our two entrepreneurial families have known each other for more than ten years. During this time, we have repeatedly exchanged visions and thought about our common future." True to the Elevion strategy "The best of two worlds", the integration into the group of companies will preserve the medium-sized structure of HERMOS. The board members of HERMOS AG, Jürgen Bär, Jörg Herrmannsdörfer and Harald Köhler, as well as the managing directors of HERMOS Schaltanlagen GmbH, Uwe Herrmannsdörfer and Michael Hohlweg, will continue to bear operational responsibility. Jörg Herrmannsdörfer gives the following reasons for joining the Elevion Group: "With the integration into the Elevion Group, we are not giving up our company. We are joining forces with other high-performance, operationally independent medium-sized companies, coupled with a financially strong investor for long-term growth and security. This not only makes us an even more relevant market player, but more importantly secures the long-term future of HERMOS." "We are convinced that we have found a long-term, strategic partner in the Elevion Group, which will enable us to expand and develop the HERMOS group of companies even further in the coming years," adds Harald Köhler.
The business areas of the Elevion Group are divided into the core business fields of electrotechnical and mechanical building technology as well as automation technology. In 2018, the Elevion Group generated sales of around 400 million euros and employed around 2,500 people at more than 40 locations. "The integration of the HERMOS group of companies gives the Elevion Group a strategic impetus for growth, which further consolidates our position as one of the leading total suppliers of technical building equipment with around 3,000 employees at more than 55 national and international locations and a total output of around 500 million euros," explains Lars Eberlein.
