Daily News editor Claire Symes speaks to Atlas Copco’s
Bo-Göran Johansson about the acquisition and integration of Hartl Anlagenbau
Just six months after Atlas Copco announced its
acquisition of Hartl Anlagenbau and its Powercrusher products, the company has
the first two Atlas Copco-branded Powercrusher models on display at
CONEXPO-CON/AGG.
“There is a trend in the market to be friendlier
towards the planet and we see the recycling sector as a growing industry,” said
Atlas Copco vice president of marketing for surface drilling equipment Bo-Göran
Johansson.
“We want to be able to offer customers a complete
solution, so acquisition of Hartl Anlagenbau to add mobile crushing and
screening to our portfolio is a logical step.
“We want to be able to offer customers a complete
solution, so moving into the mobile crushing and screening market fits well,”
explained Johansson. “We want to be able to offer the optimum solution and help
our customers to be profitable, so being able to locate crushing and screening
operations on the bench and close to the production face is a key part of
that.”
In addition to more aggregate applications moving to
mobile solutions, Johansson added that he believes there will be further growth
in the recycling market. “We consume a lot of natural resources today in new
construction but there is also the possibility to re-use these materials after
demolition and legislation is starting to drive this too.”
According to Johansson, there are significant synergies
between the companies that make this a strategic acquisition. “Hartl Anlagenbau’s
products have good engineering design behind them and Atlas Copco adds the
network of service and parts delivery that is necessary for this industry,” he
said.
Atlas Copco in not a highly acquisitive company but
has a history of strategic take-overs that provide important bolt-on businesses
that have been key to its growth. In 2004 the company acquired Ingersoll Rand
Drilling Solutions, widening the range of drill rigs on offer with surface
drilling equipment. The company also bought out Dynapac in 2007 to move into
the road construction market.
Although it is seven years since the buy-out of
Ingersoll Rand Drilling Solutions, the company has only just announced a new
nomenclature for the surface drilling rig range that harmonizes the ranges from
the two sides of the business. This contrasts with the speed at which the
Powercrusher products have been brought into the fold with the Atlas
Copco-branded PC3 and PC6 on display at CONEXPO-CON/AGG. The company has
confirmed that the Powercrusher range will continue to be manufactured at the
former Hartl Anlagenbau factory in Saint Valentin, Austria.
“There is a lot of engineering expertise located in Saint
Valentin so it makes sense to retain the facility there,” said Johansson. “Now
the business is integrated into Atlas Copco we will be looking at where there
are gaps in the portfolio and we will then work on expanding the range.”
According to Johansson, feedback from the market about
the acquisition has been good and he added that the display at CONEXPO-CON/AGG
has resulted in some “good opportunities”.
“Service back-up is a key element to success in the US
market and we add that to the Powercrusher brand, which will be important as
the market recovers. The US market is still at a very low level but I believe
it reached the bottom of the recession at the end of last year,” said
Johansson. “The state of the market is reflected in the level of visitor
numbers we are seeing at Conexpo at 70% of what you might expect but we have
had some good leads so far, which suggests it’s a case of quality rather than
quantity.”
