IMS KOEPFER acquired by American gear production technology specialist Gleason

Gleason Corporation, based in Rochester, New York, has acquired IMS KOEPFER Cutting Tools GmbH of Eisenbach, Germany, a leading manufacturer and service-provider for high-quality gear cutting tools. The sellers, IMS Gear GmbH and Koepfer Verzahnungsmaschinen GmbH, have been manufacturing gear production equipment, cutting machines and tools for a wide range of industries, including the automobile sector, for almost 150 years, and now enjoy a global reach. Gleason is a market leader in the development, manufacture and sale of equipment for the production of all kinds of gear production machinery. It provides products and services to customers in the automobile and aviation industries, commercial vehicle production, marine, agricultural machinery as well as the mining, energy and power tools industries.

Gleason hopes to capitalise on the skills and technology of Schwarzwald-based IMS KOEPFER inter alia in the construction and finishing of carbide hobs in order to expand its range of products and win new customers in medical technology, power tools and the automobile industry, as well as the contract work sector. Gleason has manufacturing operations in the USA, Germany, Switzerland, India, China and Japan, and has sales and service offices worldwide. IMS Koepfer is to be renamed Gleason Cutting Tools. Its 70 employees will continue operations at the current location under the existing management team. The acquisition also includes a subsidiary in Taicang, China.

 The parties have agreed not to disclose the acquisition price. The transaction is subject to clearance by the Federal Cartel Office, which is expected to be granted by the end of the year.