|
With effect as of January 1, 2003 the Etschel & Meyer GmbH + Co. KG, Hof/Saale has sold its shares in the WILO EMU Unterwasserpumpen GmbH (founded in 1949), as well as its shares in the three German and eight foreign subsidiaries and in its sister company, WILO EMU Anlagenbau GmbH, Hof, to the family company WILO SE, a joint stock company (= AG) not listed on the stock exchange. WILO EMU Unterwasserpumpen GmbH belongs worldwide to the leading suppliers of submersible pumps and sewage plant technique for municipal and industrial water supply, sewage disposal and sewage purification. Contractor’s pumps for dewatering and for flood control are another part of the WILO EMU manufacturing program. WILO EMU Anlagenbau GmbH specializes in Germany in projecting and installation of complete water supply systems and booster plants. The transaction still needs to be approved by the Monopolies Commission.
The WILO EMU companies complement without any conflict the portfolio of WILO SE - with 3050 staff members and an annual turnover of 535 million Euro one of the world market leaders in the field of pumps and pump systems for application in the building services segment. The WILO EMU group of companies with its roughly 500 employees worldwide achieved in the business year 2002 in 82 countries its historically highest turnover of most probably almost 50 million Euro. At the company’s headquarter in Hof, Germany, WILO EMU employs 440 employees and thus belongs to the biggest and most constant employers in the area of Hochfranken. “With WILO SE, we found the best partner worldwide to realize our expansion goals”, confirm Gerhard and Rainer Etschel who will go on managing together with Klaus Hagen the WILO EMU Group from its head office in Hof and add “It was an unanimous decision of our board of shareholders for WILO SE and consequently for a German partner”.
"The works committee, the senior management and all staff members have already been informed on the acquisition of WILO EMU through WILO SE.
“This acquisition lays the foundation stone for WILO SE to become a leading global player also outside our classic field of applications in the building services segment by marketing the WILO EMU line of products which - driven by strong growth- should lead to the expansion of the plants in Hof”, explains firmly convinced Michel Laroche, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WILO SE. “In addition, both WILO EMU and WILO profit from excellent synergies in the fields Research & Development”, agree on to the Etschel Brothers and Michel Laroche. The worldwide sales network of WILO EMU and WILO perfectly complement each other and pave the way for a global expansion of their activities. What both pump manufacturers do have in common is their high quality and innovation standard to the benefit of their customers.
A milestone in the sewage plant technique is the WILO EMU program of submersible mixers for use in sewage treatment plants which was developed over the last years and consists of more than 250 different types. Exemplary for WILO’s innovation power is the development of the first high-efficiency heating pump recently launched into the market and reducing the power consumption by up to 80 % compared to conventional products.
The present WILO EMU management consisting of Gerhard Etschel (M.D. Sales/Marketing), Klaus Hagen (M. D. Technique), and Rainer Etschel (Finances) remains and will be supplemented by Carsten Krumm (Sales Coordination), Otto Northe (M. D. Financing, IT, Controlling), and Frank Kaiser who acts as Chairman of the Board of Directors.The managements of the WILO EMU subsidiaries and sister company remain unchanged.
The traditional deep well drilling activities of the Etschel & Meyer GmbH + Co. KG, run by the companies E + M Bohr GmbH, Hof and E + M Bohr- und Brunnenbau GmbH, Leipzig are not concerned at all by WILO‘s acquisition of WILO EMU. These activities remain in possession of Etschel & Meyer GmbH + Co. KG.
WILO EMU GmbH
|
