Strategic expansion in southern Germany: Donau-Härterei GmbH becomes part of the HÄRTHA GROUP
Acquisition bolsters market position in southern Germany and strengthens HÄRTHA GROUP's position in the competitive surface and coating technology segment.
Their strategic purchase in southern Germany allows the company group from Alsdorf (NRW) to augment their position in the attractive hardening market in southern Germany and to strengthen their core business in the field of heat treatment and coating. The transaction was put into effect in October of 2024.
Based in Neu-Ulm, Donau-Härterei GmbH is an established company in the heat treatment business and has been operating in all corresponding areas since 1989. With the acquisition, the HÄRTHA Group widens their geographical presence in southern Germany while further enlarging their network for metal refining in this key industrial region. Donau-Härterei GmbH boasts a broad portfolio that includes such processes as heat treatment under protective gas and in a vacuum, salt bath nitriding, salt bath hardening and inductive hardening. The company supplies customers from many areas, including mechanical and plant engineering, construction and agricultural machinery, toolmaking and mobility. This acquisition allows the HÄRTHA GROUP to expand their capacities and gives them the ability to now offer customers in southern Germany even more comprehensive services in the field of heat treatment.
“I warmly welcome to the HÄRTHA family the workforce of the Donau hardening plant, and the tremendous professional expertise they bring with them. We are particularly grateful that the experienced management of the Donau hardening plant, Mr. Stefan Schiele and Mrs. Ingrid Schiele, will remain on board. The integration of Donau-Härterei GmbH is making it possible for the HÄRTHA GROUP to fortify our position in southern Germany and to grow our service network in another important region of Europe. With this acquisition, we are adding another logical building block to our growth strategy,” explains Sven Killmer, CEO of the HÄRTHA GROUP.
And, Stefan Schiele, Managing Director of Donau-Härterei GmbH, adds: “We are overjoyed that we managed to secure both my succession and the continuation of the business for the long term by joining forces with the HÄRTHA GROUP. The aspects that won us over were the advantages of a medium-sized group of companies combined with a corporate culture that is marked by exceptional entrepreneurship and agility. What this means for us is that we can request targeted support in the future, while simultaneously retaining the freedom of decision for our own activities.”
“Over the last 35 years, Mr. and Mrs. Schiele have successfully poured their heart and soul into building this company. I have the utmost respect for this magnificent business achievement. I am delighted that both will remain with us and that we can jointly offer continuity for customers and employees alike,” adds Sven Killmer.
Since its founding in 1990, the HÄRTHA GROUP has been a leading supplier in the field of metal refining. Head-quartered in Alsdorf, the Group specializes in heat treatment processes and coating solutions. Operating with 12 locations in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, HÄRTHA employs a workforce of approx. 500. Customers from various industries, such as electro mobility, toolmaking, railway transportation, wind energy, medical technology and aviation, benefit from the state-of-the-art and resource-saving production processes provided by the HÄRTHA GROUP. The investment follows HÄRTHA's clearly laid-out strategy for growth in attractive industrial regions of Europe. Thanks to the expansive scope of their activities, Donau-Härterei GmbH will henceforth make a direct contribution to the advancement of the HÄRTHA Group.
In this transaction, the attorneys of the ARQIS law firm acted as legal advisers to the HÄRTHA GROUP, while PwC financial services served as financial advisers and tax consultants.